Srinivas Srinivas

As the Principal Director of Naval Armament Inspection, I am responsible to the Vice Chief of Naval Staff for all matters related to serviceability, safety and sustenance of all types of Naval Armaments held in the Indian Navy inventory. I am also responsible for recruitment, training and HR management of around 1000 strong workforce of military officers and civilians belonging to the Naval Armament Inspection cadre.

I headed a 300 strong workforce with five units reporting to me. My primary responsibility was ensuring serviceability and safety of all Naval Armaments held by ships, submarines, aircraft and shore establishments of Western Naval Command. I was also responsible for indigenisation of Naval Armaments in the Western Naval Command. In this leadership role, I was exposed to supply chain of Naval Armaments through interaction with industry in Western India. I was also responsible for running the Naval Armament Training Facility which imparts basic training for young naval officers.

As Commodore(Armament Production and Indigenisation), I was tasked to ensure that orders for indigenous production were successfully executed in time and of the requisite quality. I was also responsible for identifying Naval Armaments still being imported and initiating the indigenisation process. As Commodore(API), I established the organisational structure for effective indigenisation, identified and interacted with a number of Indian industries and successfully developed import substitutes.

As CNA(OF), I was responsible for ensuring timely and quality production at 21 Ordnance Factories producing stores for the Indian Navy. Under my command, record production was achieved against Naval production orders. A number of bottlenecks and long pending issues were resolved and free flow production was established. I gained experience of interacting with the entire value chain of Naval Armament production in India from raw materials to the finished product.

As Additional Director of Quality, Reliability and Safety Directorate of DRDO Headquarters, I was responsible for formulating Quality and Reliability policy of DRDO. I was also permanent member of trial team in respect of products being fielded for user trials. I was involved in successful field trials and induction of DRDO products such as Multi Mode Hand Grenade, Anti Thermal Anti Laser Grenade, various Radar and Electronic Warfare systems. I also conducted a number of training programs for DRDO scientists regarding Quality and Reliability.

As Principal Inspector at NSTL, Visakhapatnam, I was responsible for acceptance of the first heavy weight torpedo and first anti torpedo decoy system designed and developed in India by DRDO. I ensured that Indian Navy's Qualitative Requirements were strictly adhered to by NSTL during the design process and provided valuable inputs to the design team ensuring success to the mission.

I was Joint Director of Armament Indigenisation and Production division of Naval Headquarters. In my tenure, a number of conventional armament were successfully indigenised and supplied to the Indian Navy. I was responsible for the configuration control of the design drawings and ensuring that the design is successfully translated in production.

As Chief Inspector of Naval Armament Kanpur, I headed a unit responsible for providing inspection coverage for Naval Armament production at 4 Ordnance Factories and 1 DRDO lab in Kanpur. During my tenure, 76 mm barrel was successfully indigenised for the first time by Field Gun Factory Kanpur.

As staff officer(armament) at Headquarter Naval Aviation, I was responsible for advising Flag Officer Naval Aviation on all matters relating to Air Armament.

• Contributed to short- and long-term strategic planning.
• Delivered data outcomes to internal and external staff to drive continuous improvement.
• Participated in risk assessment analysis for all Naval Armament and carefully analysed issues impacting sustenance.

• Inspected and examined materials and finished parts and products for defects and wear to verify conformance with blueprints, diagrams, and template specifications.
• Improved quality assurance procedures to minimize errors and increase effectiveness of inspections.
• Identified repair and upgrade requirements needed to meet safety and quality standards.
• Led audit and inspection schedules for staff and contractors, meeting strict deadlines.

As NAIO, I was responsible for establishing the Instrumentation set up for the Rocket Motor Static Firing Facility, a first of the kind facility within the Armed Forces. I designed, procured and successfully established the sensor to data acquisition chain during my tenure. I was part of a team responsible for designing unique life extension programs for missiles. I was awarded Commendation by the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief for my efforts.

As an undertrainee, I successfully completed the Naval Technical Staff Course and stood first in the Order of Merit for which I was awarded the rolling trophy. I also obtained full seniority during the training.