NEW DELHI - Vice Admiral Sunil Lanba June 2 took over as vice chief of the Indian navy, an official release said. An alumnus of National Defense Academy, he was commissioned in the executive branch of the navy in January 1978. A navigation and direction specialist, he has served as navigating officer on board INS Sindhudurg (corvette) and INS Dunagiri (frigate),
and later commanded minesweeper INS Kakinada, frigate INS Himgiri and guided missile destroyers INS Ranvijay and INS Mumbai. He has also been fleet operations officer of the western fleet. A post graduate in defense and management studies and an alumnus of Royal College of Defense Studies, London, Lanba has served as chief of staff in the southern naval command and then in the eastern naval command. Prior to assuming charge as the vice chief of naval staff, he was commandant of the National Defense College here. (IANS)