vice admiral

Vice admiral is a three-star flag officer rank in the Indian Navy. It is the second-highest active rank in the Indian Navy. Vice admiral ranks above the two-star rank of rear admiral and below the four-star rank of admiral, which is held by the Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS). The equivalent rank in the Indian Army is lieutenant general and in the Indian Air Force is air marshal. Officers in the rank of vice admiral hold important appointments at the naval commands and at the naval headquarters. History Admiral Ram Dass Katari was the first Indian to be promoted to the rank of Vice admiral. On 22 April 1958, he took over as the first Indian Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS) and promoted to the substantive rank of Vice Admiral. From 1948 to 1968, the appointment of CNS, the professional head of the Indian Navy was held by a vice admiral. The position of the CNS was upgraded from vice admiral to admiral in 1968. The first officer to hold the rank was Admiral Adhar Kumar Chatterji who was promoted to the rank while he served as the CNS.