Bhalla was commissioned into the
Indian Navy on 1 January 1989. He is a specialist in Communication and Electronic Warfare. Bhalla has commanded the
Veer-class missile vessel , and the
Nilgiri-class anti-submarine warfare frigate . He subsequently commanded the
Brahmaputra-class guided-missile frigate . As a
Commodore, he served as the Naval assistant to the
Chief of the Naval Staff.
Flag rank On promotion to Flag Rank, Bhalla took over as the Assistant Chief of Personnel (Human Resource Development) (ACOP HRD) at naval headquarters. ACOP is an assistant principal staff officer appointment. On 20 December 2021, he assumed the office of the
Flag Officer Commanding Eastern Fleet (FOCEF), taking over from
Rear Admiral Tarun Sobti who commanded the
Eastern Fleet from February to December 2021. On 26 January 2022, he was awarded the
Nao Sena Medal for devotion to duty. As FOCEF, he was the officer in tactical command during the
President's fleet review (PFR) held in February 2022. On 1 April 2023, he was promoted to the rank of
Vice Admiral and appointed Chief of Staff,
Western Naval Command, taking over Vice Admiral
Krishna Swaminathan. On 26 January 2024, he was awarded the
Ati Vishisht Seva Medal. On 10 May 2024, he took over as the
Chief of Personnel. On 31 October 2025, he was appointed the
Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Eastern Naval Command succeeding Vice Admiral
Rajesh Pendharkar. ==Awards and decorations==