The Pakistan Navy on Tuesday announced the appointment of Vice Admiral Naveed Ashraf as the new chief of naval staff.

The change of command ceremony will be held on October 7, said a statement from the service. During the ceremony, Vice Admiral Naveed will also be promoted to the rank of Admiral.

Vice Admiral Naveed commenced his naval career in 1989, joining the Operations Branch of the Pakistan Navy. He is a graduate of the National Defense University (NDU) in Islamabad, the US Naval War College, and the UK’s Royal College of Defense Studies.

Throughout his career, he has held various key command and staff positions, including serving as Commander of the Pakistan Fleet and Commandant of the Pakistan Naval Academy.

He has also played vital roles as Deputy Chief of Naval Staff for Operations, Training and Personnel, and Administration, in addition to being Deputy President of the National Defense University.

Currently, Vice Admiral Naveed Ashraf serves as the Chief of Staff at the Naval Headquarters. He has received awards recognizing his exceptional professional service and bravery, including the Hilal-i-Imtiaz and Tamgha-i-Basalat.