On Thursday 21 June 2007, Admiral Sureesh Mehta PVSM AVSM (Chief of Naval Staff, India) will speak on "India’s Maritime Diplomacy and International Security" as part of the Military Leaders Forum.
Admiral Sureesh Mehta took over as the Chief of the Indian Navy on 31 October 2006.
Earlier, he served as the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief (FOC-in-C) of Eastern Naval Command, Vishakapatnam (from September 2005-October 2006). During this period, Eastern Naval Command was involved in numerous operational missions in the Bay of Bengal and South East Asia. The First Presidential Fleet Review on the eastern seaboard also took place in February 2006, involving the participation of over 66 ships and 50 aircraft of the Indian Fleet. As a Vice-Admiral, he also served as the Chief of Personnel, Director General, Coast Guard and the Deputy Chief of Naval Staff at Naval Headquarters.
As a Rear Admiral, he was the Flag Officer Naval Aviation, Flag Officer Goa Area and Assistant Controller, Carrier Projects. He also commanded the Western Fleet (off Mumbai) during Operation Parakram in 2001-02.
Admiral Mehta is a distinguished alumni of the National Defence Academy (NDA) near Pune, the Defence Services Staff College (DSSC) at Wellington in southern India, and the National Defence College (NDC) in New Delhi. A naval aviator, Admiral Mehta was commissioned into the Executive Branch of the Indian Navy in July 1967.
Admiral Mehta was awarded the Ati Vishist Seva Medal (AVSM) in 1995 and the Param Vishist Seva Medal (PVSM) in 2005 for exceptional meritorious services.
The Military Leaders Forum has been established to provide a platform for international military officials to address some of the critical issues and ideas affecting war and peace in the twenty-first century.
The IISS Military Leaders’ Forum is made possible through the generous support of KBR
