List of serving Indian Commanders-in-Chief
There are currently 24 serving Commanders-in-Chief (CinC) grade officer in the Indian Armed Forces. They head the various commands of the Armed Forces - the Indian Army has 7, the Indian Navy has 3 and the Indian Air Force has 7. In addition to these commands, there are 3 tri-service appointments rotated between the three services. Together, they form the combined apex-level military leadership of the country.[1]
History
Until 1955, the heads of the three services were designated Commander-in-Chief. With effect from 1 April 1955, a parliamentary act, the Commanders-In-Chiefs (Change in Designation) Act, re-designated the office of Commander-in-Chief as the Chief of Staff of each branch.
The leadership of the various commands of the three services resides in senior officers of three-star rank. They are styled General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief and Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief. They are alternately referred to as Army Commander, Naval Commanders and Air Commanders, respectively. The Vice Chiefs are also of Commander-in-Chief grade.
Order of precedence
Officers in the C-in-C grade rank at No. 23 on the Indian order of precedence. They are at the apex pay scale (pay level 17), with a monthly pay of ₹225,000 (US$3,100).[2]
List of serving Commander-in-Chiefs
Tri Service
| Appointment | Rank | Name | Photo | Decorations | Branch | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chief of Integrated Defence Staff | Air Marshal | Ashutosh Dixit | 
|
PVSM, AVSM, VM, VSM |  Indian Air Force
|
[3] |
| Commander-in-Chief, Strategic Forces Command | Lieutenant General | Dinesh Singh Rana | 
|
PVSM, AVSM, YSM, SM |  Indian Army
|
[4] |
| Commander-in-Chief, Andaman and Nicobar Command | Vice Admiral | Vineet McCarty | 
|
AVSM |  Indian Navy
|
[5] |
| Director General Armed Forces Medical Services | Surgeon Vice Admiral | Arti Sarin | 
|
PVSM, AVSM, VSM | Indian Navy
|
[6] |
Indian Army
| Appointment | Rank | Name | Photo | Decorations | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vice Chief of the Army Staff | Lieutenant General | Dhiraj Seth | 
|
PVSM, UYSM, AVSM | [7] |
| General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Northern Command |
Pratik Sharma | Error creating thumbnail: | SYSM, PVSM, AVSM, SM | [8] | |
| General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Eastern Command |
V. M. Bhuvana Krishnan | File:Lt General VM Bhuvana Krishnan.jpg | PVSM, AVSM, YSM | [9] | |
| General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Western Command |
Pushpendra Pal Singh | File:Lt Gen Pushpendra Pal Singh.jpg | AVSM, SM** | [10] | |
| General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Central Command |
Anindya Sengupta | File:Lt Gen Anindya Sengupta.jpg | PVSM, UYSM, AVSM, YSM | [11] | |
| General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Southern Command |
Sandeep Jain | File:Lt General Sandeep Jain.jpg | AVSM, SM | [12] | |
| General Officer Commanding-in-Chief South Western Command |
Manjinder Singh | File:Lieutenant General Manjinder Singh.jpg | PVSM, AVSM, YSM, VSM | [13] | |
| General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Army Training Command |
Devendra Sharma | 75p | PVSM, AVSM, SM | [14] |
Indian Air Force
Indian Navy
| Appointment | Rank | Name | Photo | Decorations | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vice Chief of the Naval Staff | Vice Admiral | Ajay Kochhar | File:Vice Admiral Ajay Kochhar, VCNS.jpg | PVSM, AVSM, NM | [23] |
| Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Western Naval Command |
Sanjay Vatsayan | File:Vice Adm Sanjay Vatsayan.jpg | PVSM, AVSM, NM | [24] | |
| Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Eastern Naval Command |
Sanjay Bhalla | File:Vice Admiral Sanjay Bhalla.jpg | AVSM, NM | [25] | |
| Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Southern Naval Command |
Sameer Saxena | File:Vice Admiral Sameer Saxena.jpg | AVSM, NM | [26] |
See also
- Lieutenant General (India)
- Vice Admiral (India)
- Air Marshal (India)
- List of serving generals of the Indian Army
- List of serving admirals of the Indian Navy
- List of serving marshals of the Indian Air Force
References
- ↑ "Combined Commanders' Conference Commences at Kevadia, Gujarat". pib.gov.in. Retrieved 8 June 2026.
- ↑ "President's Secretariat" (PDF). Office of the President of India. Rajya Sabha. 1979-08-26. Retrieved 2010-08-05.
- ↑ "Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit assumes charge as CISC". The Economic Times. 2025-05-01. ISSN 0013-0389. Retrieved 2026-01-01.
- ↑ "Lt Gen DS Rana Appointed New Chief of Strategic Forces Command". 2025-09-30. Retrieved 2025-11-26.
- ↑ "Vice Admiral Vineet McCarty assumes charge as 20th Commander-in-Chief, Andaman & Nicobar Command". pib.gov.in.
- ↑ "Vice Admiral Arti Sarin first woman ever to take over as Director General, Armed Forces Medical Services". Deccan Herald. Retrieved 1 October 2024.
- ↑ "LT GEN DHIRAJ SETH ASSUMES APPOINTMENT OF VICE CHIEF OF THE ARMY STAFF". pib.gov.in. 1 April 2026.
- ↑ "Lieutenant General Pratik Sharma new Commander-in-Chief of Northern Army Command". www.newsonair.gov.in. Archived from the original on 2025-11-09. Retrieved 2026-01-01.
- ↑ "LIEUTENANT GENERAL VMB KRISHNAN ASSUMES COMMAND OF EASTERN COMMAND". pib.gov.in. 1 April 2026.
- ↑ "LT GEN PUSHPENDRA PAL SINGH ASSUMES COMMAND OF WESTERN COMMAND". pib.gov.in. 1 April 2026.
- ↑ "Lt Gen Anindya Sengupta takes over as GOC-In-C, Central Command". The Times of India. 2024-07-02. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 2024-07-02.
- ↑ "LT GEN SANDEEP JAIN ASSUMES COMMAND OF SOUTHERN COMMAND". pib.gov.in. 1 April 2026.
- ↑ Service, Statesman News (2024-07-01). "Lt Gen Manjinder Singh assumes charge of South-Western Command". The Statesman. Retrieved 2024-07-01.
- ↑ "Lt General Devendra Sharma Takes Over As New Army Training Command Chief". NDTV.com. Retrieved 2024-07-01.
- ↑ "AIR MARSHAL NAGESH KAPOOR SYSM PVSM AVSM VM TAKES OVER AS VICE CHIEF OF THE AIR STAFF, INDIAN AIR FORCE". Press Information Bureau. 1 January 2026.
- ↑ "AIR MARSHAL TARUN CHAUDHRY ASSUMES THE APPOINTMENT OF AIR OFFICER COMMANDING-IN-CHIEF, CENTRAL AIR COMMAND". 1 June 2026.
- ↑ PTI (2026-02-01). "Air Marshal Walia takes charge as AOC-in-C Eastern Air Command". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2026-02-02.
- ↑ "Air Marshal Khanna assumes charge as AOC-in-C of Southern Air Command". The Hindu. 2025-06-01.
- ↑ "AIR MARSHAL TEJINDER SINGH TAKES OVER AS AIR OFFICER COMMANDING-IN-CHIEF SOUTH WESTERN AIR COMMAND, INDIAN AIR FORCE". Press Information Bureau. 1 January 2026.
- ↑ @hqwaciaf (6 May 2026). "Air Marshal George Thomas, AOC-in-C Western Air Command visited a frontline base on 06 May 26" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ↑ "AIR MARSHAL SEETHEPALLI SHRINIVAS TAKES OVER AS AIR OFFICER COMMANDING- IN-CHIEF TRAINING COMMAND, INDIAN AIR FORCE". PIB. 1 January 2026. Retrieved 2026-01-01.
- ↑ "Air Marshal Yalla Umesh has taken charge as the 39th AOC-in-C of Maintenance Command". x.com (formerly twitter). 1 December 2025. Retrieved 2 December 2025.
- ↑ "VICE ADMIRAL AJAY KOCHHAR, PVSM, AVSM, NM, ASSUMES CHARGE AS THE 48TH VICE CHIEF OF THE NAVAL STAFF". pib.gov.in. Retrieved 29 May 2026.
- ↑ "VICE ADMIRAL SANJAY VATSAYAN, PVSM, AVSM, NM TAKES OVER AS THE FLAG OFFICER COMMANDING-IN-CHIEF, WESTERN NAVAL COMMAND". pib.gov.in. Retrieved 30 May 2026.
- ↑ "Vice Admiral Sanjay Bhalla takes charge as flag officer commanding-in-chief, eastern naval command". Mid-day. 31 October 2025. Retrieved 31 October 2025.
- ↑ "VICE ADMIRAL SAMEER SAXENA, AVSM, NM TAKES OVER AS THE FLAG OFFICER COMMANDING-IN-CHIEF, SOUTHERN NAVAL COMMAND". pib.gov.in. Retrieved 31 October 2025.
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