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, ...

Radhakrishnan Hari Kumar (born 12 April 1962) is a serving flag officer 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 ...

. He is the 25th and current Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS). Previously, he served 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 ...

. In his prior appointments, he served as the Chief of Integrated Defence Staff, Chief of Personnel, Controller Personnel Services, the

Flag Officer Commanding Western Fleet Flag Officer Commanding Western Fleet (FOCWF) is the title of the Indian Navy Officer who commands the Western Fleet, headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra. The FOCWF is a two star admiral holding the rank of Rear Admiral. The appointment is conside ...

, Flag Officer Sea Training and the Chief of the Staff of the Western Naval Command. He was the

Commandant Commandant ( or ) is a title often given to the officer in charge of a military (or other uniformed service) training establishment or academy. This usage is common in English-speaking nations. In some countries it may be a military or police ran ...

of the

Naval War College, Goa The Naval War College (NWC) is a premier training institution of the Indian Navy, located in Goa. The college aims at developing leadership qualities of the officers of the Indian Armed Forces at the strategic and operational level. It is one of th ...

and served as a naval advisor to the government of Seychelles. He is an alumnus of

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 ...

, 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 ...

, the

Army War College, Mhow The Army War College, Dr.Ambedkar Nagar (A.W.C.) is a defence service training and research institution of the Indian Army located in Mhow, Madhya Pradesh. It develops and evaluates concepts and doctrines for tactics and logistics for the army. ...

and the

Royal College of Defence Studies The Royal College of Defence Studies (RCDS) instructs the most promising senior officers of the British Armed Forces, His Majesty's Diplomatic Service and Civil Service in national defence and international security matters at the highest level ...

Early life and education

Kumar was born on 12 April 1962 in

Thiruvananthapuram Thiruvananthapuram (; ), also known by its former name Trivandrum (), is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala. It is the most populous city in Kerala with a population of 957,730 as of 2011. The encompassing urban agglomeration populati ...

, to M. Radhakrishnan Nair and B. Vijayalakshmi. His father worked with the

Fertilisers and Chemicals Travancore The Fertilisers and Chemicals Travancore Limited, abbreviated as FACT, is an Indian central public sector undertaking under the ownership of Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers, Government of India. It is headquartered in Kochi, Kerala. It wa ...

in the sales department. He attended the Sacred Hearts Convent School, Thanjavur, Carmel Convent School,

and Mannam Memorial Residential High School,

. He completed his pre-degree course at the

Government Arts College, Thiruvananthapuram Government Arts College, Thiruvananthapuram, also known as H.H. The Maharaja's College for Arts, is one of the oldest undergraduate and postgraduate, coeducational college located in Trivandrum, Kerala. It was established in the year 1948. The c ...

. He joined the 61st course of the

(NDA) in January 1979 and was assigned to the Juliet squadron. He graduated from the NDA in December 1981. In 1996, he attended the Naval Staff Course at the

United States 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 associa ...

Newport, Rhode Island Newport is an American seaside city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island. It is located in Narragansett Bay, approximately southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, Providence, south of Fall River, Massachusetts, south of Boston, ...

. He attended the Army Higher Command Course at the

in 2004 and the

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

in 2009. He holds a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

from

Jawaharlal Nehru University Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) is a public major research university located in New Delhi, India. It was established in 1969 and named after Jawaharlal Nehru, India's first Prime Minister. The university is known for leading faculties and r ...

and a master's degree from

King's College London King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public research university located in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of King George IV and the Duke of Wellington. In 1836, King's ...

. He holds an

MPhil The Master of Philosophy (MPhil; Latin ' or ') is a postgraduate degree. In the United States, an MPhil typically includes a taught portion and a significant research portion, during which a thesis project is conducted under supervision. An MPhil m ...

in Defence and Strategic Studies from the

University of Mumbai The University of Mumbai is a collegiate university, collegiate, State university (India), state-owned, Public university, public research university in Mumbai. The University of Mumbai is one of the largest universities in the world. , the un ...

. He also holds a

postgraduate diploma A postgraduate diploma (PgD, PgDip, PGDip, PG Dip., PGD, Dipl. PG, PDE) is a postgraduate qualification awarded after a university degree, which supplements the original degree and awards them with a graduate diploma. Countries that award postg ...

in shipping management from the Narottam Morarjee Institute of Shipping in

Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...

Career

Kumar was commissioned into the

on 1 January 1983. He specialised in gunnery. His positions included gunnery officer (GO) of the

Rajput-class destroyer The ''Rajput''-class guided-missile destroyers built for the Indian Navy are modified versions of Soviet Union, Soviet s. They are also known as Kashin-II class. The ships were built in the former Soviet Union after considerable Indian design m ...

, the commissioning GO of and commissioning GO of the Khukri-class corvette . He also served as executive officer (EXO) of Veer-class corvette . As a

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 ...

, he commanded the Coast Guard Ship C-01, the missile boat , the , missile

corvette A corvette is a small warship. It is traditionally the smallest class of vessel considered to be a proper (or " rated") warship. The warship class above the corvette is that of the frigate, while the class below was historically that of the slo ...

, and . He was awarded the

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 exc ...

for his command of the ''Ranvir'' when the mid-life upgrade was completed in which the ship was retrofitted with the

BrahMos The BrahMos (also designated as PJ-10)supersonic cruise missiles. His fleet appointments include Fleet Gunnery Officer and Fleet Operations Officer of the

Western Fleet The Red Sea Fleet Command or officially Western Fleet (WF), also called ''" West Coast Fleet ",'' is a regional naval fleet and one of the two main formations of the Saudi Arabian Navy, with headquarters at Royal Naval Base at Jeddah, Western Pr ...

. His staff assignments include Command GO of the

, and naval advisor to the Government of Seychelles. He also served as the Training Commander of the gunnery school

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 ...

. During the second phase of the UN intervention in Somalia, from December 1992 to June 1993, he served in the Civil and Military Operations Centre in

Mogadishu Mogadishu (, also ; so, Muqdisho or ; ar, مقديشو ; it, Mogadiscio ), locally known as Xamar or Hamar, is the capital and List of cities in Somalia by population, most populous city of Somalia. The city has served as an important port ...

Flag rank

On promotion to flag rank, Kumar was appointed the first Commandant of the

in January 2012. After a two-year stint, he was appointed Flag Officer Sea Training (FOST) and was responsible for the operational sea training of all personnel of Naval and Coast Guard ships and submarines. On 1 October 2014, he took command of the

. While serving as the

(FOCWF), he was promoted to the rank of Vice Admiral. In October 2015, he relinquished command of the Western Fleet, handing over to Rear Admiral

Ravneet Singh Ravneet Singh Bittu is an Indian politician. He previously served as the leader of Indian National Congress in Lok Sabha from 11 March 2021 to 18 July 2021. Bittu was elected to the Lok Sabha, lower house of the Parliament of India from Ludhian ...

. For his command of the fleet, he was awarded 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 ...

on 26 January 2016. He was then appointed Chief of the Staff of the

in Mumbai. He subsequently moved to Naval HQ as the Controller, Personnel Services (CPS). On 1 August 2018, he assumed charge as the Chief of Personnel (COP), succeeding Vice Admiral Anil Kumar Chawla. Get help with editing After an 18-month tenure as COP, Kumar was promoted to Commander-in-Chief (C-in-C) grade and appointed Chief of Integrated Defence Staff (CISC). During his tenure as CISC, the

Department of Military Affairs Department of Military Affairs (DMA) is the department in charge of military matters within the Indian Ministry of Defence. Headed by the Chief of Defence Staff, as its ''ex-officio'' secretary, the DMA provides integration between the armed f ...

was created by the

Government of India The Government of India (ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, c ...

and the appointment of Chief of Defence Staff was created. For his tenure as CISC, he was awarded the

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 ...

on 26 January 2021. On 28 February 2021, he was appointed

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 ...

, taking over from Vice Admiral Ajit Kumar P.

Chief of Naval Staff

On 9 November 2021, the

appointed Kumar as the next Chief of Naval Staff. He took office after superannuation of

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 Adm ...

on 30 November 2021.

Personal life

Kumar is married to Kala Nair, with whom he has a daughter. He enjoys swimming, playing badminton, and walking.

Awards and decorations

During his career, he has been awarded the

(VSM) in 2010, the

(AVSM) in 2016 and the

(PVSM) in 2021 for his service.

Gallery

File:Vice Admiral Ram Rutberg, Commander-In-Chief of Israeli Navy, with Rear Admiral R Hari Kumar and other Indian Navy personnel.jpg, Israeli Ram Rutberg with Kumar and other personnel File:Vice Admiral SPS Cheema and Air Marshal BS Dhanoa being briefed on the operations in progress by Rear Admiral R Hari Kumar.jpg, VAdm. S. P. S. Cheema and Air Marshal BS Dhanoa being briefed by Kumar File:Maldivian naval officers welcome Indian Navy personnel at Port Louis, Mauritius in 2014 (2).jpg, Maldivian naval officers welcome Indian Navy personnel at

Port Louis Port Louis (french: Port-Louis; mfe, label= Mauritian Creole, Polwi or , ) is the capital city of Mauritius. It is mainly located in the Port Louis District, with a small western part in the Black River District. Port Louis is the country's ec ...

, Mauritius, in 2014. File:INS Godavari decommissionng ceremony (05).jpg, INS ''Godavari'' decommissioning ceremony File:Rear Admiral R Hari Kumar Flag Officer Commanding Western Fleet & Rear Admiral AB Singh interacting with local populace in Lakshadweep during HADR 2014.JPG, RAdm R. Hari Kumar, FOCWF (third from right), and RAdm A. B. Singh (second from right) interacting with local populace in

Lakshadweep Lakshadweep (), also known as Laccadives (), is a union territory of India. It is an archipelago of 36 islands in the Arabian sea, located off the Malabar Coast. The name ''Lakshadweep'' means "one lakh islands" in Sanskrit, though the Lac ...

during disaster relief exercises in 2014.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kumar, R. Hari 1962 births Living people Indian Navy admirals Chiefs of the Naval Staff (India) Chiefs of Personnel (India) Commandants of Naval War College, Goa Flag Officers Commanding Western Fleet Flag Officers Sea Training Indian naval attachés National Defence Academy (India) alumni Naval War College alumni Army War College, Mhow alumni Graduates of the Royal College of Defence Studies Alumni of King's College London University of Mumbai alumni Recipients of the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal Recipients of the Vishisht Seva Medal Jawaharlal Nehru University alumni Military personnel from Thiruvananthapuram Recipients of the Param Vishisht Seva Medal