Flag Officer Commanding Karnataka Naval Area (FOK) is a senior appointment in the
Indian Navy. One of the five Area Commanders of the Indian Navy, the FOK is a
two star Two star, two stars and similar may refer to:
* A grading of a hotel, restaurant, film, etc. in a star (classification) scheme
* Two star petrol, a class of Leaded petrol formerly sold in the UK
* Two-star rank, a senior military rank
* Two-Handed ...
admiral holding 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 ...
. The FOK is responsible for the operations and administration of all units and establishments in
Karnataka, including the
Naval Base Karwar. The Current FOK is
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 ...
K. M. Ramakrishnan,
VSM, who assumed office on 1 April 2023.
History
In 1999, following
Pokhran-II, then
Defence Minister
A defence minister or minister of defence is a 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 country to country; in som ...
George Fernandes approved ''Project Seabird'' to pursue the construction of the new naval base at
Karwar in the state of
Karnataka. The first phase of construction of the base was completed in 2005 and the base was commissioned on 31 May 2005.
Headquarters Karnataka Naval Area (HQKNA) thus came into being on 31 May 2005.
Commodore K. P. Ramachandran, VSM was appointed the first Commodore-in-Charge Karwar (COMINKAR). The COMINKAR also discharged the duties of Naval Officer-in-Charge Karnataka (NOIC (KTK)) and
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 ...
INS Kadamba
INS Kadamba or Naval Base Karwar or Project Seabird is an Indian Navy base located near Karwar in Karnataka. The first phase of construction of the base, code-named ''Project Seabird'', was completed in 2005 and the base was commissioned on 3 ...
. After three incumbents serving as COMINKAR, the billet was upgraded to
two-star rank and rechristened ''Flag Officer Commanding Karnataka Naval Area'' (FOK) in 2011.
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 ...
Atul Kumar Jain was the first FOK who took over on 3 October 2011.
Organisation
The FOK is assisted by the NOIC (KTK), a
one-star appointment. The NOIC (KTK) also serves as the chief staff officer at Headquarters Karnataka Naval Area (HQKNA). The FOK is responsible to 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 ...
for the operations and administration of all units and establishments in
Karnataka. This includes all ships and submarines based at the Karwar Naval Base as well.
The establishments under the FOK include:
* The Naval Base Karwar
INS Kadamba
INS Kadamba or Naval Base Karwar or Project Seabird is an Indian Navy base located near Karwar in Karnataka. The first phase of construction of the base, code-named ''Project Seabird'', was completed in 2005 and the base was commissioned on 3 ...
* The naval hospital
INHS Patanjali
INHS Patanjali is the naval hospital of the Indian Navy at Karwar, Karnataka which was commissioned on 26 December 2006. INHS Patanjali is the second naval establishment commissioned at Karwar. It has an initial capacity of 141 beds upgradeable ...
* The missile and ammunition base
INS Vajrakosh INS Vajrakosh is a missile and ammunition base of the Indian Navy at Karwar, Karnataka and is the third naval establishment. It was commissioned on 9 September 2015 by the Defence Minister of India, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, Mr. Manohar Par ...
* Naval Ship Repair Yard (NSRY) Karwar
*
Sagar Prahari Bal
The Sagar Prahari Bal (SPB) meaning Ocean Sentinel Force, is a unit of the Indian Navy, formed in March 2009, which is entrusted with the responsibility of patrolling India's coastal waters. The force consists of 2,000 personnel and is equipped w ...
, Karwar
List of Commanders
See also
*
INS Kadamba
INS Kadamba or Naval Base Karwar or Project Seabird is an Indian Navy base located near Karwar in Karnataka. The first phase of construction of the base, code-named ''Project Seabird'', was completed in 2005 and the base was commissioned on 3 ...
References
Bibliography
*
{{Indian Navy
Indian Navy
Indian military appointments
Indian Navy appointments