Admiral Nirmal Kumar Verma (born 14 November 1950) is a former senior

naval officer An officer is a person who holds a position of authority as a member of an armed force or uniformed service. Broadly speaking, "officer" means a commissioned officer, a non-commissioned officer, or a warrant officer. However, absent cont ...

who served as the Chief of the Naval Staff of

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 ...

, from 31 August 2009 to 31 August 2012. In November 2012, he was appointed as the High Commissioner to Canada.

Early life

Born on 14 November 1950, he joined the

at the age of 19. He studied at Goethals Memorial School Kurseong, Royal Naval Staff College in the United Kingdom, 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 associ ...

in 1993 in the United States.

Military career

Verma took charge of the Naval Academy in Goa, and subsequently became commander of a series of Indian Navy ships, including INS Ranvir (D54) and INS Viraat, India's only aircraft carrier. He then took over as the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief (FOC-in-C) of the Eastern Naval Command, and was appointed Chief of the Indian Navy upon the retirement of Sureesh Mehta on 31 August 2009. During his career he has been awarded several decorations, including the Param Vishisht Seva Medal and the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal. He took over as the Chairman, Chief's of Staff Committee on 30 July 2011 from the then outgoing Chief of Air Staff

Air Chief Marshal Air chief marshal (Air Chf Mshl or ACM) is a high-ranking air officer originating from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by air forces of many countries that have historical British influence. An air chief marshal is equivalent to an Adm ...

P V Naik.

Awards

Post Retirement

Adm Verma was appointed as High Commissioner of India to Canada in 2012. He is currently a CNO Distinguished International Fellow at the US

References

, - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Verma, Nirmal Kumar Chiefs of the Naval Staff (India) Vice Chiefs of Naval Staff (India) 1951 births Living people High Commissioners of India to Canada Naval War College alumni Recipients of the Param Vishisht Seva Medal Indian Navy admirals Commandants of the Indian Naval Academy Recipients of the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal