defence1 min read

Vice Admiral Rajesh Dhankhar Appointed as Chief of Personnel, Indian Navy

Vice Admiral Rajesh Dhankhar has taken over as the Chief of Personnel (COP) of the Indian Navy on May 10, 2026.

2-Minute Summary (TL;DR)

  • Appointee: Vice Admiral Rajesh Dhankhar.
  • Position: Chief of Personnel (COP), Indian Navy.
  • Date of Assumption: May 10, 2026.
  • Role: Responsible for HR, training, and recruitment in the Navy.

How This Topic is Tested in Competitive Exams

ExamFrequencyApprox. MarksWhat Gets Asked
SSC (CGL / CHSL / MTS)High3–5Defence acquisitions, military exercises, and appointments appear in SSC GK.
Banking (IBPS / SBI)Low1–2Rarely tested in banking exams.

What to Memorize from This Topic

  • Military exercise: name, participating countries, location, purpose
  • Defence acquisition: system name, purpose, procured from which country
  • Appointments: new Chief of Army Staff, CNS, CAS, and their tenures
  • Indigenization: 'Made in India' defence milestones, first-ever systems
  • Strategic policy: recent changes to defence export policy, FDI limits in defence

Practice Questions

Q1. Who has been appointed as the Chief of Personnel of the Indian Navy in May 2026?

  1. Vice Admiral Dinesh Tripathi
  2. Vice Admiral Rajesh Dhankhar
  3. Vice Admiral Sanjay Jasjit Singh
  4. Vice Admiral Suraj Berry

Explanation: Vice Admiral Rajesh Dhankhar assumed the role of Chief of Personnel on May 10, 2026.

Q2. The Chief of Personnel in the Indian Navy is responsible for which of the following?

  1. Submarine Operations
  2. Human Resources and Training
  3. Naval Intelligence
  4. Logistics and Supply

Explanation: The COP is responsible for human resources, recruitment, training, and personnel management.

How to Prepare Defence for Government Exams

For every military exercise, note: India + Partner country + Purpose (bilateral or multilateral). Questions are pattern-based.

Defence indigenization ('Atmanirbhar Bharat in Defence') is a high-priority topic for 2025–26. Focus on systems developed by DRDO or HAL.

Chiefs of defence services change periodically. Always keep the current CDS, Army Chief, Navy Chief, and Air Chief up to date.

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