Vice Admiral Krishna Swaminathan is slated to take over as the next chief of the Western Naval Command (WNC) on July 31. The WNC, headquartered in Mumbai, is a premier command of the Indian Navy.

Vice Admiral Swaminathan, a highly decorated officer, currently serves as the Vice Chief of Naval Staff. He assumed this role on May 1, 2024, succeeding Vice Admiral Dinesh Kumar Tripathi, who was elevated to the Chief of Naval Staff.

Throughout his career, Vice Admiral Swaminathan has held several key operational, staff, and training appointments. He has commanded missile vessels INS Vidyut and INS Vinash, the missile corvette INS Kulish, the guided-missile destroyer INS Mysore, and the aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya. He was the second Commanding Officer of INS Vikramaditya.

His prior assignments include Chief of Personnel, Controller of Personnel Services, Chief of Staff of the Western Naval Command, Flag Officer Defence Advisory Group (FODAG), Flag Officer Commanding Western Fleet (FOCWF), and Flag Officer Sea Training (FOST). As Flag Officer Commanding Western Fleet, he commanded the Western Fleet beginning on February 14, 2020.

As FOST, Vice Admiral Swaminathan's responsibilities included overseeing the operational sea training of all ships of the Indian Navy and the Indian Coast Guard. This involved enhancing crew proficiency in safe navigation practices, damage control and firefighting drills, weapon firings, and seamanship training.

In February 2021, he relinquished command of the Western Fleet and was appointed Flag Officer Defence Advisory Group, taking over from Rear Admiral Ravindra Jayant Nadkarni. During his time as FODAG, he dealt with the impact of Cyclone Tauktae on offshore oil operations.

Vice Admiral Swaminathan is a recipient of the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (AVSM) and the Vishisht Seva Medal (VSM). He was awarded the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal on January 26, 2021, for his command of the western fleet.

Commissioned into the Indian Navy on July 1, 1987, Vice Admiral Swaminathan is a specialist in communication and electronic warfare. He holds a BSc degree from Jawaharlal Nehru University, an MSc in Telecommunications from Cochin University of Science and Technology, an MA in Defence Studies from King's College, London, an MPhil in Strategic Studies from Mumbai University, and a PhD in International Studies from Mumbai University.