Kochhar was commissioned into the
Indian Navy on 1 July 1988. He is a specialist in Gunnery and Missile Warfare. He has commanded five
warships of the Indian Navy. On 29 June 2013, as the
commissioning commanding officer of the
Talwar-class stealth guided missile frigate , he commissioned the ship in
Kaliningrad, Russia. On 20 July 2017, Kochhar took command of the
flagship of the Indian Navy, the
aircraft carrier as its third
commanding officer.
Flag rank On promotion to Flag rank, Kochhar took over as the Assistant Controller Carrier Project (ACCP) at Naval headquarters. He then served as the Assistant Controller Warship Production & Acquisition (ACWP&A). As the ACCP, he managed the construction of the indigenous aircraft carrier. In his role as ACWP&A, he oversaw all aspects related to construction and acquisition of warships for the Navy both from Indian as well as foreign shipyards. He was in command of the
Western Fleet till 27 December 2021. He handed over command to Rear Admiral
Sameer Saxena and was appointed Project Director (Operations and Training) of the Advanced Technology Vessel Project (ATVP). For his command of the Western fleet, he was awarded the
Ati Vishisht Seva Medal on 26 January 2022. After a short stint at ATVP HQ, Kochhar was promoted to rank of Vice Admiral and appointed
Commandant of the National Defence Academy. On 1 April 2022, he took over from
Air Marshal Sanjeev Kapoor. After a two-year stint, he assumed the charge as the Chief of Staff,
Western Naval Command on 25 May 2024 succeeding Vice Admiral
Sanjay Bhalla. On 1 October 2025, he took over as the
Commander-in-Chief, Andaman and Nicobar Command from
Lieutenant General Dinesh Singh Rana who moved as
Commander-in-Chief, Strategic Forces Command. He was awarded the
Param Vishisht Seva Medal on 26 January 2026. ==Awards and decorations==