The Chief of the Naval Staff (India), also known as the Navy Chief, abbreviated to CNS, is a statutory position in 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 ...

held by a four star

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, ...

. As the highest ranking officer to serve solely in the

, the chief is the professional head of the naval branch and the principal naval adviser to the

Minister of Defence A defence minister or minister of defence is a Cabinet (government), cabinet official position in charge of a ministry of defense, which regulates the armed forces in sovereign states. The role of a defence minister varies considerably from coun ...

. The CNS, in a separate capacity, is also a member of the

National Security Council A national security council (NSC) is usually an executive branch governmental body responsible for coordinating policy on national security issues and advising chief executives on matters related to national security. An NSC is often headed by a na ...

and thereby an advisor to the president and the prime minister. The CNS is typically the most senior naval officer in 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 ...

, unless the

Chairman 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 ...

is a naval officer. The CNS heads the military staff of the Indian Navy and advises both the president of the Republic and the

prime minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...

on naval affairs. The current CNS is

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, ...

R. Hari Kumar Admiral Radhakrishnan Hari Kumar (born 12 April 1962) is a serving flag officer in the Indian Navy. He is the 25th and current Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS). Previously, he served as the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Naval Co ...

. The 25th Navy Chief, he took over from

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 ...

, who retired on 30 November 2021 after four decades of service from the navy.

Office of the Chief of the Naval Staff

At Independence, the head of the Navy was designated the "Commander-in-Chief, Royal Indian Navy." On 21 June 1948, the title of "Chief of the Naval Staff" was added, with a re-designation to "Chief of the Naval Staff and Commander-in-Chief, Royal Indian Navy". The "Royal" designation was dropped when India became a republic on 26 January 1950. Thus re-designating the head of Indian Navy to "Chief of the Naval Staff and Commander-in-Chief, Indian Navy". The "Commanders-In-Chief (Change in Designation) Act, 1955" re-designated the head of Indian Navy to "Chief of Naval Staff". The post was held by a

three-star rank An officer of three-star rank is a senior commander in many of the armed services holding a rank described by the NATO code of OF-8. The term is also used by some armed forces which are not NATO members. Typically, three-star officers hold the ...

Vice Admiral until 1968, when it was upgraded to the

four-star rank A four-star rank is the rank of any four-star officer described by the NATO OF-9 code. Four-star officers are often the most senior commanders in the armed services, having ranks such as (full) admiral, (full) general, colonel general, army gen ...

of a full

. Appointments to the office are made by the

Appointments Committee of the Cabinet The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) appoints several top posts within the Government of India. The committee is composed of the Prime Minister of India (''ex-officio'' Chairman) and the Minister of Home Affairs. Originally the Minis ...

(ACC). The Chief of the Naval Staff generally reaches

superannuation A pension (, from Latin ''pensiō'', "payment") is a fund into which a sum of money is added during an employee's employment years and from which payments are drawn to support the person's retirement from work in the form of periodic payments ...

upon serving three years or at the age of 62, whichever is earlier.

Appointees

Commander-in-Chief, Royal Indian Navy (1947–1948)

Chief of the Naval Staff and Commander-in-Chief, Royal Indian Navy (1948–1950)

Chief of the Naval Staff and Commander-in-Chief, Indian Navy (1950–1955)

Chief of the Naval Staff (1955–present)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chief Of Naval Staff (India)

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

Indian military appointments Indian Navy appointments