New Delhi, July 31: Admiral Arun Prakash, who took over as chief of naval staff today, is probably the first all-rounder among service chiefs and his track record also sets the agenda for him. Prakash is the 20th chief of the Indian Navy.

A naval aviator who flew sorties in an air force fighter bomber on the western front during the 1971 war with Pakistan, Prakash was also the first chief of the unified army-navy-air force command in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. No other navy chief can claim to have commanded units of the army and air force before. Indeed, the idea of a unified command had not taken shape earlier.

He takes over as navy chief a day after his predecessor, Admiral Madhvendra Singh, retired as chairman of the chiefs of staff committee and said in his farewell speech that “jointness” and “integration” was the future of the Indian military.

“There is no alternative to jointmanship,” Prakash said shortly after taking over.

Prakash is from Jammu and a son-in-law of Bengal — his wife Kumkum is still identified as “ée Chatterjee” in parenthesis.

One of the most decorated officers in the services, Prakash takes over a navy that has a long shopping list and even as he settles down to his new office, he gave a clear indication of his priorities.

Priority No.1 of course is that he will have to convince the government of the navy’s needs.

For the first time, a naval chief admitted that the navy wanted nuclear submarines. But, he said, “it is up to the government to decide”.

Correction: The photograph published on Page 6 of Saturday’s edition was that of IAF chief Air Chief Marshal S. Krishnaswamy, not Admiral Madhvendra Singh as mentioned. The error is regretted.