Bot at 06:56, 4 December 2022

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{{short description|Indian Navy Admiral}}
{{Infobox military person
| honorific_prefix = [[Rear admiral (India)|Rear Admiral]]
| name = Sanjay Bhalla
| honorific_suffix = [[Nao Sena Medal|NM]]
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| image = File:Sanjay_bhalla.jpg
| image_size = 200px
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| allegiance = {{IND}}
| branch = {{navy|India}}
| serviceyears = 1989 - present
| rank = [[File:British Royal Navy (sleeves) OF-7.svg|20px]] [[File:12-Indian Navy-RADM.svg|20px]] [[Rear admiral (India)|Rear Admiral]]
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| commands = [[Eastern Fleet (India)|Eastern Fleet]]<br/>{{ship|INS|Beas|2000}}<br/>{{ship|INS|Taragiri|F41}}<br/>{{ship|INS|Nishank|K43}}
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| awards = [[File:Nao_Sena_Medal_ribbon.svg|20px]] [[Nao Sena Medal]]
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}}
[[Rear admiral (India)|Rear Admiral]] '''Sanjay Bhalla''', [[Nao Sena Medal|NM]] is a serving Flag officer in the [[Indian Navy]]. He last served as the [[Flag Officer Commanding Eastern Fleet]], having taken over from Rear Admiral [[Tarun Sobti]] in December 2021.

== Naval career ==
Bhalla was commissioned into the [[Indian Navy]] on 1 January 1989. He is a specialist in Communication and Electronic Warfare. He attended the [[Defence Services Staff College]], [[Wellington Cantonment|Wellington]] and the [[College of Naval Warfare]] in Mumbai.<ref name="The Hindu">{{cite web |title=Rear Admiral Sanjay Bhalla takes over as Eastern Fleet Commander |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Visakhapatnam/rear-admiral-sanjay-bhalla-takes-over-as-eastern-fleet-commander/article38001982.ece |website=The Hindu |language=en-IN |date=21 December 2021}}</ref> He also attended the [[Royal College of Defence Studies]], London.<ref name="IN website - FOCEF">{{cite web |title=Rear Admiral Sanjay Bhalla takes over as Eastern Fleet Commander {{!}} Indian Navy |url=https://www.indiannavy.nic.in/content/rear-admiral-sanjay-bhalla-takes-over-eastern-fleet-commander |website=www.indiannavy.nic.in}}</ref>

Bhalla has commanded the [[Veer-class corvette|Veer-class]] missile vessel {{ship|INS|Nishank|K43}}, and the [[Nilgiri-class frigate (1972)|Nilgiri-class]] [[anti-submarine warfare]] frigate {{ship|INS|Kora|P61}}. He subsequently commanded the [[Brahmaputra-class frigate|Brahmaputra-class]] [[guided-missile frigate]] {{ship|INS|Beas|2000}}.<ref name="PIB - FOCEF" />

Bhalla, in his staff appointments, has served as the training commander at the [[Indian Naval Academy]]. He also served as the Director at Maritime Doctrine and Concepts Centre. As a [[Captain (Indian Navy)|Captain]], he served as the [[Naval attaché|Naval adviser]] at the [[High Commission of India, Islamabad]].<ref name="Tribune">{{cite web |last1=Service |first1=Tribune News |title=Rear Admiral Sanjay Bhalla is Eastern Fleet Chief |url=https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/nation/rear-admiral-sanjay-bhalla-is-eastern-fleet-chief-352677 |website=Tribuneindia News Service |language=en}}</ref> As a [[Commodore (India)|Commodore]], he served as the Naval assistant to the [[Chief of the Naval Staff (India)|Chief of the Naval Staff]].<ref name="PIB - FOCEF">{{cite web |title=REAR ADMIRAL SANJAY BHALLA TAKES OVER AS EASTERN FLEET COMMANDER |url=https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1783462 |website=www.pib.gov.in}}</ref>

===Flag rank===
On promotion to Flag Rank, Bhalla took over as the Assistant Chief of Personnel (Human Resource Development) (ACOP HRD) at naval headquarters. ACOP is an assistant principal staff officer appointment. On 20 December 2021, he assumed the office of the [[Flag Officer Commanding Eastern Fleet]] (FOCEF), taking over from [[Rear admiral (India)|Rear Admiral]] [[Tarun Sobti]] who commanded the [[Eastern Fleet (India)|Eastern Fleet]] from February to December 2021.<ref name="IN website - FOCEF"/> On 26 January 2022, he was awarded the [[Nao Sena Medal]] for devotion to duty.<ref>{{cite web |title=PRESS RELEASE - DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARDS TO INDIAN NAVY PERSONNEL ON REPUBLIC DAY |url=https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1792586 |website=www.pib.gov.in |access-date=26 January 2022}}</ref> As FOCEF, he was the officer in tactical command during the President's Fleet Review (PFR) held in February 2022.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://twitter.com/indiannavy/status/1495207721825488897 |website=Twitter |language=en}}</ref>

==Awards and decorations==
{| style="margin:1em auto; text-align:center;"
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=Nao_Sena_Medal_ribbon.svg|width=106}} {{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=IND_Samanya_Seva_medal.svg|width=106}} {{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=IND Operation Vijay medal.svg|width=106}} {{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=IND_Operation_Parakram_medal.svg|width=106}}
|-
|colspan=4|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=IND_Sainya_Seva_Medal_Ribbon.svg|width=106}} {{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=IND_Videsh_Seva_Medal_Ribbon.svg|width=106}} {{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=IND 50th Anniversary Independence medal.svg|width=106}}
|-
|colspan=4|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=IND 20YearsServiceMedalRibbon.svg|width=106}} {{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=IND 9YearsServiceMedalRibbon.svg|width=106}}
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="margin:1em auto; text-align:center;"
|-
|[[Nao Sena Medal]]
|[[Samanya Seva Medal]]
|[[Operation Vijay Medal]]
|[[Operation Parakram Medal]]
|-
|[[Sainya Seva Medal]]
|colspan=2|[[Videsh Seva Medal]]
|[[Indian military decorations#Service and campaign medals|50th Anniversary of Independence Medal]]
|-
|
|[[Indian military decorations#Long service awards|20 Years Long Service Medal]]
|[[Indian military decorations#Long service awards|9 Years Long Service Medal]]
|
|}

==See also==
* [[Flag Officer Commanding Eastern Fleet]]
* [[Eastern Fleet (India)|Eastern Fleet]]

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-mil}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Tarun Sobti]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Flag Officer Commanding Eastern Fleet]]|years=December 2021 - November 2022}}
{{s-aft|after= [[Gurcharan Singh (admiral)|Gurcharan Singh]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bhalla, Sanjay}}
[[Category:Indian Navy admirals]]
[[Category:Flag Officers Commanding Eastern Fleet]]
[[Category:National Defence Academy (India) alumni]]
[[Category:Alumni of the Royal College of Defence Studies]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Year of birth missing (living people)]]

Sanjay Bhalla - Revision history

Bot at 06:56, 4 December 2022