Admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in some navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force, and is above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet, ...

Arun Prakash,

PVSM Param Vishisht Seva Medal (PVSM) (IAST: ) is a military award of India. It was constituted in 1960 and since then it is awarded in recognition to peace-time service of the most exceptional order and may be awarded posthumously. All ranks of the ...

AVSM Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (AVSM) is a military award of India given to recognize "distinguished service of an exceptional order" to all ranks of the armed forces. The award is a peacetime equivalent of Uttam Yuddh Seva Medal, which is a Wartime Dis ...

, VrC, VSM (born October 1944) is a former Flag Officer of the

Indian Navy The Indian Navy is the maritime branch of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Navy. The Chief of Naval Staff, a four-star admiral, commands the navy. As a blue-water navy, it operates sig ...

. He served as the Chief of the Naval Staff from 31 July 2004 to 31 October 2006 and as the

Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee The Chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee (Chairman COSC) is a position in the Indian Armed Forces, usually held by a four-star officer serving as the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) of the Indian military. The position holder chairs the Chiefs of ...

from 31 January 2005 to 31 October 2006. He is one of India's most decorated naval officers. Prakash was born in a military family and raised in Jammu and Kashmir. He joined the

National Defence Academy The National Defence Academy (NDA) is the joint defence service training institute of the Indian Armed Forces, where cadets of the three services i.e. the Indian Army, the Indian Navy and the Indian Air Force train together before they go on ...

, graduating in 1964. He was commissioned into the Indian Navy in 1966. Trained as a

naval aviator Naval aviation is the application of military air power by navies, whether from warships that embark aircraft, or land bases. Naval aviation is typically projected to a position nearer the target by way of an aircraft carrier. Carrier-based a ...

, he served on India's first

aircraft carrier An aircraft carrier is a warship that serves as a seagoing airbase, equipped with a full-length flight deck and facilities for carrying, arming, deploying, and recovering aircraft. Typically, it is the capital ship of a fleet, as it allows a ...

. During the

Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 The Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 was a military confrontation between India and Pakistan that occurred during the Bangladesh Liberation War in East Pakistan from 3 December 1971 until the Pakistani capitulation in Dhaka on 16 Decem ...

, he was attached with the No. 20 Squadron IAF. He was awarded the

Vir Chakra Vir Chakra (pronunciation: ʋiː ɾ a tʃ a kɾa) is an Indian wartime military bravery award presented for acts of conspicuous gallantry in the presence of the enemy on the battlefield and is third in precedence in wartime gallantry awards and ...

for leading airstrikes deep into enemy territory. After the war, in 1976, he attended the

Indian Air Force Test Pilot School The Indian Air Force Test Pilot School is a unit of the Indian Air Force (IAF) that evaluates aircraft and systems for induction into user organisations. Most new aircraft types and major airborne systems must have ASTE's stamp of approval to b ...

. He subsequently commanded the

Chamak-class missile boat The ''Chamak''-class missile boats (NATO code Osa II class) of the Indian Navy were an Indian variant of the Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental coun ...

. He also commanded the naval squadron

INAS 300 The INAS 300 is the longest serving combat unit of the Indian Navy, based at INS Hansa. History The White Tigers were commissioned on 7 July 1959 at RNAS Brawdy, United Kingdom with the Indian High Commissioner to UK, Vijay Laxmi Pandit, in ...

and led its conversion to the

Sea Harrier The British Aerospace Sea Harrier is a naval short take-off and vertical landing/vertical take-off and landing jet fighter, reconnaissance and attack aircraft. It is the second member of the Harrier family developed. It first entered servic ...

. He then commanded the

Leopard-class frigate The Type 41 or ''Leopard'' class were a class of anti-aircraft defence frigates built for the Royal Navy (4 ships) and Indian Navy (3 ships) in the 1950s.Purvis, M.K., 'Post War RN Frigate and Guided Missile Destroyer Design 1944-1969', Transact ...

which was converted to a training ship. He also commanded the Nilgiri-class frigate . In 1990, he was appointed the third

commanding officer The commanding officer (CO) or sometimes, if the incumbent is a general officer, commanding general (CG), is the officer in command of a military unit. The commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually given wide latitu ...

of the aircraft carrier . As a Commodore, He also commanded the naval air station

INS Hansa INS Hansa, is an Indian naval air station located near Dabolim in Goa, India. Data current as of October 2006. It is India's biggest naval airbase. The military air base has a civil enclave, that operates as Dabolim Airport. History ''INS Ha ...

in Goa. Prakash was promoted to Flag rank in 1993 and appointed Assistant Chief of Naval Staff (Air) (ACNS Air). In 1995, he took command of the

Eastern Fleet Eastern may refer to: Transportation *China Eastern Airlines, a current Chinese airline based in Shanghai * Eastern Air, former name of Zambia Skyways *Eastern Air Lines, a defunct American airline that operated from 1926 to 1991 *Eastern Air L ...

as the 21st

Flag Officer Commanding Eastern Fleet Flag Officer Commanding Eastern Fleet (FOCEF) is the title of the Indian Navy Officer who commands the Eastern Fleet, headquartered in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. The FOCEF is a Two Star Officer holding the rank of Rear Admiral. The Current FOC ...

(FOCEF). After a two-year stint, he took over as Assistant Chief of Personnel (ACOP). Promoted to Vice Admiral, he served as the

Commandant of the National Defence Academy The Commandant of the National Defence Academy is the head and overall in-charge of the National Defence Academy. The Commandant of the Academy is a Three-star rank officer from the three Services in rotation. He is supported by the Deputy Comm ...

from 1997 to 1999, after which he took over as Chief of Personnel at Naval HQ. In 2001, he was appointed the first Commander-in-Chief of the newly-created

Andaman and Nicobar Command The Andaman and Nicobar Command (ANC) is the first and only Joint warfare, tri-service Theater (warfare), theater command of the Indian Armed Forces, based at Port Blair in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, a Union Territory of India. It was cre ...

. He subsequently had stints as the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief

Western Naval Command The Western Naval Command is one of the three command–level formations of the Indian Navy. It is headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra. As the senior–most of the three formations, the command is responsible for the all naval forces in the A ...

and

Vice Chief of the Naval Staff Vice Chief of the Naval Staff (VCNS) may refer to: *Vice Chief of the Naval Staff (India) *Vice Chief of the Naval Staff (Pakistan) * Vice Chief of the Naval Staff (United Kingdom) The Vice Chief of the Naval Staff (V.C.N.S.) was a senior appoint ...

. On 31 July 2004, Prakash assumed office as the 18th Chief of the Naval Staff. He took over as the

on 31 January 2005 from

General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...

Nirmal Chander Vij General Nirmal Chander Vij PVSM, UYSM, AVSM (born 3 January 1943, in Jammu) was the 21st Chief of Army Staff of the Indian Army. He held the office from 1 Jan 2003 to 31 Jan 2005. Early life and education General Vij was born on 3 January 194 ...

Early life and education

Prakash grew up in the

Kashmir Valley The Kashmir Valley, also known as the ''Vale of Kashmir'', is an intermontane valley concentrated in the Kashmir Division of the Indian- union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. The valley is bounded on the southwest by the Pir Panjal Range and ...

, where his father rose to be a District Commissioner of

Leh Leh () ( lbj, ) is the joint capital and largest city of Ladakh, a union territory of India. Leh, located in the Leh district, was also the historical capital of the Kingdom of Ladakh, the seat of which was in the Leh Palace, the former res ...

. His two elder brothers also joined the

Indian Armed Forces The Indian Armed Forces are the military forces of the Republic of India. It consists of three professional uniformed services: the Indian Army, Indian Navy, and Indian Air Force.—— Additionally, the Indian Armed Forces are supported by ...

, serving in the

Indian Army The Indian Army is the land-based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head is the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), who is a four- ...

. He graduated from the

in 1964,

in 1976, the

Defence Services Staff College , motto_lang = sa , mottoeng = ''To War with Wisdom'' , established = (as the ''Army Staff College'', Deolali) , type = Defence Service Training Institute , affiliation = , endowment = , administrative_staff = , faculty = , presi ...

in 1979, and the U.S.

Naval War College The Naval War College (NWC or NAVWARCOL) is the staff college and "Home of Thought" for the United States Navy at Naval Station Newport in Newport, Rhode Island. The NWC educates and develops leaders, supports defining the future Navy and associat ...

in 1990.

Career

Early career

Prakash was commissioned into the Indian Navy as an acting sub-lieutenant on 1 January 1966. He specialised in

naval aviation Naval aviation is the application of military air power by navies, whether from warships that embark aircraft, or land bases. Naval aviation is typically projected to a position nearer the target by way of an aircraft carrier. Carrier-based a ...

, qualifying as a pilot in the Sea Hawk jet fighter, flying from the deck of the

in 1968. As a junior officer, he served afloat in ''Vikrant'', , and INS ''Delhi''. His assignments in naval aviation included flying Islander aircraft with Indian Navy Air Squadron 550,

Vampire A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the Vitalism, vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead, undead creatures that often visited loved ones and caused mi ...

and Kiran aircraft with Indian Navy Air Squadron 551, and Seahawk aircraft with Indian Navy Air Squadron 300.

Indo-Pakistani War of 1971

In the 1971 Indo-Pakistan War, then

Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...

Prakash flew

Hawker Hunter The Hawker Hunter is a transonic British jet-powered fighter aircraft that was developed by Hawker Aircraft for the Royal Air Force (RAF) during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It was designed to take advantage of the newly developed Rolls-R ...

aircraft for the 20th Squadron Lightnings. For his gallantry in air action over

West Pakistan West Pakistan ( ur, , translit=Mag̱ẖribī Pākistān, ; bn, পশ্চিম পাকিস্তান, translit=Pôścim Pakistan) was one of the two Provincial exclaves created during the One Unit Scheme in 1955 in Pakistan. It was d ...

and

Jammu and Kashmir Jammu and Kashmir may refer to: * Kashmir, the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent * Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), a region administered by India as a union territory * Jammu and Kashmir (state), a region administered ...

, he received the

. The Vir Chakra citation reads:

During the operations against Pakistan in December, 1971, Lieutenant Arun Parkash was a deputation to the Indian Air Force. On the 4th December, 1971, he led an Indian Air Force strikes mission to an enemy airfield. In this mission, he destroyed enemy’s heavy transport on ground and returned to base. On the 5th December, 1971, he led a very deep penetration day operational strike into enemy territory and attacked enemy air-fields heavily defended by air and ground forces. It destroyed enemy’s Heavy Transport Aircraft, attacked troops and supplies and returned to base. Throughout, Lieutenant Arun Parkash displayed gallantry, leadership and devotion to duty of a high order.

INS Vikrant circa 1984 carrying a unique complement of Sea Harriers, Sea Hawks, Allouette & Sea King helicopters and Alize ASW

Post-War

Promoted to

Lieutenant Commander Lieutenant commander (also hyphenated lieutenant-commander and abbreviated Lt Cdr, LtCdr. or LCDR) is a commissioned officer rank in many navies. The rank is superior to a lieutenant and subordinate to a commander. The corresponding rank i ...

on 1 May 1976, he flew the

Super Constellation The Lockheed L-1049 Super Constellation is an American aircraft, a member of the Lockheed Constellation aircraft line. The L-1049 was Lockheed's response to the successful Douglas DC-6 airliner, first flying in 1950. The aircraft was also produc ...

that year for maritime air reconnaissance with Indian Navy Air Squadron 312. He later commanded the missile boat INS ''Chatak'', the training frigate , the antisubmarine warfare frigate INS Vindhyagiri, and the aircraft carrier

INS Viraat INS ''Viraat'' (Sanskrit: Virāṭa meaning ''Giant'') was a of the Indian Navy. INS ''Viraat'' was the flagship of the Indian Navy before was commissioned in 2013. The ship was completed and commissioned in 1959 as the Royal Navy's , and dec ...

. He was promoted to

Commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain. ...

on 1 July 1980, and in 1983, while in command of Indian Navy Air Squadron 300, he supervised the training of Indian Navy crew members in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

for the

and ferried the newly acquired aircraft back to India. He commanded two Air Squadrons and the naval air station INS ''Hansa''. In his aviation assignments, he logged more than 2,500 hours in the air in single and multi-engined, shore-based and carrier-based aircraft. He was promoted to

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

on 1 July 1986.

Flag Rank

On 4 January 1993, Prakash was promoted to the rank of

Rear Admiral Rear admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, equivalent to a major general and air vice marshal and above that of a commodore and captain, but below that of a vice admiral. It is regarded as a two star "admiral" rank. It is often regarde ...

and appointed Assistant Chief of Naval Staff (Air) (ACNS Air). On 1 April 1995, after a two-year stint as ACNS, he was appointed the 21st

. He was in command of the

for about a year-and-a-half. In late-1996, he moved to Naval HQ as Assistant Chief of Personnel (ACOP). He was then promoted to the rank of Vice Admiral on 31 July 1997, and took over as the

, an appointment he served in till 19 March 1999. He then moved to NHQ, having been appointed Chief of Personnel. In October 2001, he became the first Commander-in-Chief of the newly established

. Then, on 31 December 2002, he took over as the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief (FOC-in-C)

. Following this assignment, he was appointed as the Vice Chief of Naval Staff, serving for a brief period from October 2003 to July 2004.

Chief of Naval Staff

Prakash was promoted to Full

and was appointed the 20th Chief of Naval Staff on 31 July 2004. With the retirement of

, Admiral Prakash took over as the

on 31 January 2005. While serving as Chief of Naval Staff, Prakash played an important role in renewing the

's relationships with the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

and in developing a vision of India's maritime strategy. Prakash retired as Chief of Naval Staff in October 2006. He retired from the post of Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee at the same time.

Decorations and Medals

Published writings

* ''From the Crow's Nest: A Compendium of Speeches and Writings on Maritime and Other Issues'', New Delhi: Lancer Publishers, 2007.

References

Sources

Official Biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Prakash, Arun 1944 births Living people People from Anantnag Indian Navy admirals Indian naval aviators Defence Services Staff College alumni Naval War College alumni Recipients of the Param Vishisht Seva Medal Recipients of the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal Recipients of the Vir Chakra Recipients of the Vishisht Seva Medal Flag Officers Commanding Eastern Fleet Commandants of the National Defence Academy Chiefs of Personnel (India) Commanders-in-Chief, Andaman and Nicobar Command Vice Chiefs of Naval Staff (India) Chiefs of the Naval Staff (India)