UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Vice Admiral Krishna Swaminathan appointed as Chief of the Naval Staff

Q1. Who, in 2026, assumed charge as the 27th Chief of the Naval Staff of the Indian Navy?

• A. Admiral Dinesh Kumar Tripathi
• B. Admiral R. Hari Kumar
• C. Admiral Krishna Swaminathan
• D. Admiral Karambir Singh

Q2. In the context of the 2026 appointment of Admiral Krishna Swaminathan, the term 'Chief of the Naval Staff' most precisely refers to which one of the following?

• A. The supreme commander of the entire Indian Armed Forces, in whom command of the Navy is constitutionally vested
• B. The four-star professional head of the Indian Navy, who functions as a member of the Chiefs of Staff Committee
• C. The senior-most uniformed officer of the three services, who is the single-point military adviser to the Government of India
• D. The head of the Integrated Defence Staff, exclusively responsible for all naval operational planning

Q3. Admiral Krishna Swaminathan, the 27th Chief of the Naval Staff, immediately prior to his elevation as CNS served as the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief of which one of the following operational commands of the Indian Navy?

• A. Eastern Naval Command, headquartered at Visakhapatnam
• B. Western Naval Command, headquartered at Mumbai
• C. Southern Naval Command, headquartered at Kochi
• D. Andaman & Nicobar Command, headquartered at Port Blair

Q4. Under the Constitution of India, the supreme command of the Defence Forces of the Union is vested in which one of the following?

• A. The Prime Minister of India
• B. The President of India
• C. The Chief of Defence Staff
• D. The Union Cabinet headed by the Prime Minister

Q5. With reference to the operational/theatre commands of the Indian Armed Forces, consider the following pairings of command and its headquarters: 1. Western Naval Command — Mumbai 2. Eastern Naval Command — Visakhapatnam 3. Southern Naval Command — Karwar 4. Andaman & Nicobar Command — Port Blair Which of the above is/are correctly matched?

1. Western Naval Command — Mumbai
2. Eastern Naval Command — Visakhapatnam
3. Southern Naval Command — Karwar
4. Andaman & Nicobar Command — Port Blair

• A. 1 and 2 only
• B. 2 and 3 only
• C. 1, 2 and 4 only
• D. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Q6. Which one of the following is the first and only tri-services theatre command of the Indian Armed Forces?

• A. Strategic Forces Command
• B. Western Naval Command
• C. Andaman and Nicobar Command
• D. Integrated Defence Staff

Q7. As per the higher defence organisation reform of 2019, how many four-star officers, including its Permanent Chairman, constitute the Chiefs of Staff Committee (CoSC) of the Indian Armed Forces?

• A. Three
• B. Four
• C. Five
• D. Six

Q8. How many distinct classes of medals constitute the 'Vishisht Seva Medal' series of peacetime distinguished service awards of the Indian Armed Forces?

• A. Two
• B. Three
• C. Four
• D. Five

Q9. The Param Vishisht Seva Medal, Ati Vishisht Seva Medal and Vishisht Seva Medal are conferred by the President of India on the recommendation of which of the following Union Ministries?

• A. Ministry of Home Affairs
• B. Ministry of Defence
• C. Cabinet Secretariat
• D. Ministry of External Affairs

Q10. INS Himgiri, the Project 17A stealth frigate commissioned into the Indian Navy in August 2025 along with INS Udaygiri, was indigenously built by which one of the following shipyards?

• A. Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited, Mumbai
• B. Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers, Kolkata
• C. Cochin Shipyard Limited, Kochi
• D. Goa Shipyard Limited, Vasco da Gama

Q11. Consider the following pairings of military training institution and its location: 1. National Defence Academy — Khadakvasla, Maharashtra 2. Indian Naval Academy — Ezhimala, Kerala 3. Defence Services Staff College — Wellington, Tamil Nadu 4. Joint Services Command and Staff College — Sandhurst, United Kingdom Which of the pairs given above is/are NOT correctly matched?

1. National Defence Academy — Khadakvasla, Maharashtra
2. Indian Naval Academy — Ezhimala, Kerala
3. Defence Services Staff College — Wellington, Tamil Nadu
4. Joint Services Command and Staff College — Sandhurst, United Kingdom

• A. 1 and 3
• B. 2 only
• C. 4 only
• D. 2, 3 and 4

Q12. On the occasion of its 75th anniversary, official records of the National Defence Academy, Khadakvasla noted that the Academy had produced the first Chief of Defence Staff, 13 Chiefs of the Army Staff and 09 Chiefs of the Air Staff. How many Chiefs of the Naval Staff had the Academy produced by the same milestone?

• A. 7
• B. 9
• C. 11
• D. 13