India has appointed Vice Admiral Suresh Mehta as the next chief of the Indian Navy, the Ministry of Defense said Friday.

Mehta will take office from Nov. 1 this year and the present Navy Chief Admiral Arun Prakash will retire on Oct. 31, the ministry said in a press release.

Mehta, 59, has been the flag officer commanding-in-chief of the Eastern Naval Command (ENC) since 2005. Before that he was the deputy chief of Indian navy.

Source: Xinhua