Vice Admiral Ajit Kumar

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 ...

, VSM,

ADC ADC may refer to: Science and medicine * ADC (gene), a human gene * AIDS dementia complex, neurological disorder associated with HIV and AIDS * Allyl diglycol carbonate or CR-39, a polymer * Antibody-drug conjugate, a type of anticancer treatm ...

is a retired

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 ...

Admiral. He served as Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief (FOC-in-C)

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 ...

. He assumed the position on 31 January 2019 after Vice Admiral

Girish Luthra Vice Admiral (India), Vice Admiral Girish Luthra, Param Vishisht Seva Medal, PVSM, Ati Vishisht Seva Medal, AVSM, Vishisht Seva Medal, VSM, Aide-de-camp, ADC is a retired officer of Indian Navy who served as Flag Officer Commanding, Flag Office ...

's retirement and superannuated on 28 February 2021. Prior to this appointment, he served as Vice Chief of Naval Staff.

Early life and education

He is an alumnus of

Sainik School, Kazhakootam Sainik School Kazhakootam, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India, is a residential school for boys under the Ministry of Defence, Government of India, located approximately 18 km away from Thiruvananthapuram city beside Kazhakoottam - Venjaram ...

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...

and

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 ...

, Pune. He has also attended the Naval Higher Command Course and the

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 ...

, Newport (2004).

Career

He was commissioned in the navy on 1 July 1981. He is a missile and gunnery specialist. He has commanded six ships including INS Kulish; INS Talwar; INS Mumbai and INS Mysore. He was deputed to the Mauritian Coast Guard on his first assignment where, over two and a half years, he commanded two patrol vessels. His staff assignments include Director Maritime Warfare Centre, Visakhapatnam; Commanding Officer of

INS Dronacharya INS Dronacharya is the gunnery school of the Indian Navy. It is located in Kochi, Kerala. It is responsible for training 820 officers and 2100 ratings per year in small-arms, naval missiles, artillery, radar and defensive countermeasures. See a ...

; Chief Staff Officer (Operations) of the

. In September 2009, he was promoted to flag rank as a

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 ...

. Subsequently, his assignments included Assistant Chief of Personnel (Human Resources Development) at IHQ of MoD;

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) and Chief of Staff of

Southern Naval Command The Southern Naval Command is one of the three command-level formations of the Indian Navy. It has its headquarters in Kochi, Kerala at INS Venduruthy. It is the Training Command of the Indian Navy. The Command is commanded by a Three Star Fla ...

. He was promoted to the rank of Vice Admiral on 1 December 2013. As a Vice Admiral, he has served as the

Commandant of Indian Naval Academy The Commandant of the Indian Naval Academy is the head and in-charge of all the functioning of the Indian Naval Academy. The Commandant of the Academy is a Three-star rank officer holding the rank of Vice Admiral. He is supported by the Deputy C ...

(December 2013 to February 2016). During his tenure as the commandant, there was expansion of the academy and different naval schools across the country were shifted to the main campus at

Ezhimala Ezhimala, a hill reaching a height of , is located near Payyanur, in Kannur district of Kerala, south India. It is a part of a conspicuous and isolated cluster of hills, forming a promontory, north of Kannur (Cannanore). The Indian Naval Acad ...

. He has also served as the Deputy Chief of Integrated Defence Staff (Operations) and as Deputy Chief of Integrated Defence Staff (Policy Planning & Force Development) at the HQ of MoD. He was appointed as Vice Chief of Naval Staff on 30 October 2017, succeeding Vice Admiral

Karambir Singh Admiral Karambir Singh, PVSM, AVSM, ADC (born 3 November 1959), is a former flag officer of Indian Navy, who served as the 24th Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS). The "Grey Eagle" (senior-most serving naval aviator) of the Navy, he replaced Admir ...

. During his career, he has been awarded

Param Vishisht Seva Medal 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 ...

Ati Vishisht Seva Medal 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 ...

Vishisht Seva Medal The Vishisht Seva Medal (VSM) is a decoration of the Indian Armed Forces. It is awarded to recognize "distinguished service of a high order" to all ranks of the Indian Armed Forces. From 1980, the Yudh Seva Medal was introduced to recognize excep ...

for his service.

Awards and decorations

Personal life

He and his wife Sunita Kumar have a daughter. He is interested in reading and yoga.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kumar P, Ajit Sainik School alumni Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Vice Chiefs of Naval Staff (India) Flag Officers Commanding Eastern Fleet Indian Navy admirals National Defence Academy (India) alumni Commandants of the Indian Naval Academy Naval War College alumni Recipients of the Param Vishisht Seva Medal Recipients of the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal Recipients of the Vishisht Seva Medal