First navy officer to head India's N-command

Vice Admiral Vijay Shankar will head the Strategic Forces Command thereby ending the monopoly hitherto of the Indian Air Force over the tri-service defence arm created some four years ago to "manage and administer" the country's nuclear arsenal.

Admiral Shankar, an officer of the Indian Navy and presently deputy chief of Integrated Defence Staff (Operations), will take over as new SFC commander when present incumbent Air Marshal A D Joshi retires on December 31, sources in New Delhi said.

Hitherto, SFC had always been headed by IAF officers -- previous commanders have been Air Marshals T M Asthana, Ajit Bhavnani and AD Joshi -- and the country's air arm has, therefore, been seen as the primary custodian of India's nuclear assets and delivery systems.

In another development, Air Marshal P P Rajkumar will take over the reins of the country's only other unified command -- the Andaman and Nicobar Command -- which has so far been headed by either a navy or an army officer since its establishment in 2001.