Commodore Nitin Parvataneni Director Military Affairs, Ministry Of External Affairs, India

A naval aviator, flying instructor and seaman with almost three decades of naval service mostly on various ships and aircraft at sea. He has over 2000 hours of operational flying and instructional tenures on various types of fighters including the unconventional Sea Harrier from the aircraft carrier,  MiG 21s, Hawk and Kiran Jet trainers and other aircraft including helicopters. He has commanded two Navy fighter squadrons,  one warship and has served in various capacities such as Executive Officer, Navigating officer and Principal Warfare Officer  onboard a guided missile frigate, missile corvette, offshore patrol vessel and amphibious ships apart from being the Chief Operations Officer of a premier Naval Air Station on India’s East Coast. He is a Masters in Defence Studies from the Naval War College and has been an instructor at the College of Defence Management as well as the College of Air Warfare where he was a Chief Instructor. 

He is currently the Director Military Affairs in India’s Ministry of External Affairs. In this capacity, he handles India’s International Security Constructs and Dialogues as well as Disarmament issues concerning ‘conventional weapons’ at various fora of the United Nations. His wife is a Navy Captain who is currently appointed to Naval Headquarters after a sea tenure in India’s Eastern Fleet. He is also a yachtsman who led his country’s youngest ocean sailing Navy expedition in 1996 and his favorite pastimes include Golf, Tennis and squash.