Saxena was commissioned into the
Indian Navy on 1 July 1989 from the
Indian Naval Academy,
Ezhimala. He is a specialist in navigation and direction. He served in the direction team of the aircraft carrier . He also served as the navigation officer of the
Khukri-class corvette , the
lead ship of
her class of
guided missile frigates and the
lead ship of
her class of
guided missile destroyers . In his staff appointments, Saxena has served in the Directorate of personnel and as the Naval Assistant (NA) to the
Chief of the Naval Staff. He also served as the Principal Director of Foreign Cooperation at NHQ. He also served in training appointments at his alma mater, the National Defence Academy, and the Centre for Leadership and Behavioural Studies. Saxena has commanded the
Seaward-class defense boat of the
Mauritius Coast Guard, MCGS Guardian. He subsequently commanded the
Kora-class corvette . He then served as the executive officer of the
Delhi-class destroyer and commanded another ship of the same class of
guided missile destroyers . In March 2016, as a
Commodore, he was appointed the
Naval advisor to the
High Commissioner of India to the United Kingdom at the
High Commission of India, London. The High Commissioners during his tenure were
Yashvardhan Kumar Sinha and
Ruchi Ghanashyam. On 26 January 2017, he was awarded the
Nau Sena Medal for devotion to duty.
Flag rank Saxena was promoted to flag rank in February 2020 and was appointed
Assistant Chief of Naval Staff (Policy and Plans) (ACNS P&P) at naval headquarters. He took command of the
Western Fleet on 27 December 2021 as the
Flag Officer Commanding Western Fleet from Rear Admiral
Ajay Kochhar. After a tenure of about a year as FOCWF, Saxena relinquished charge and handed over command to Rear Admiral
Vineet McCarty on 15 November 2022. On 29 November, he took over charge as the Flag Officer Commanding Gujarat Naval Area (FOGNA). On 26 January 2023, he was awarded the
Ati Vishisht Seva Medal for his tenure as FOCWF. On 1 August 2023, he was promoted to the rank of
Vice Admiral and appointed Chief of Staff of the
Eastern Naval Command (COS ENC). In his two-and-a-half-year tenure as COS, ENC was involved in operational and technical activities with focus on foreign cooperation, infrastructure development, community building and education. On 31 October 2025, he took over as
Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Southern Naval Command from Vice Admiral
Vennam Srinivas. ==Awards and decorations==