On 6 May 2012, he was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Navy, succeeding Vladimir Vysotsky, who had occupied the post for almost five years.

[1] He served as assistant commander of a corvette, then executive officer of the Kotlin-class destroyer Vozbuzhdennyy.

[1] In 1986-1987, Chirkov completed Higher Special Officers’ Classes in Leningrad, and became commander of the infamous Krivak-class frigate Storozhevoy.

In an interview with news agency RIA Novosti, Chirkov said: "The most important thing for Russia is to build a fleet with the support of the president and like-minded persons.

In March 2016, Russian media announced Chirkov's retirement for health reasons.