Admiral Karambir Singh, PVSM,

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 ...

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(born 3 November 1959), is a former flag officer 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 si ...

, who served as the 24th Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS). The "Grey Eagle" (senior-most serving naval aviator) of the Navy, he replaced Admiral

Sunil Lanba Sunil (सुनील) is a first name for males, often found in the South Asian community. The Sanskrit word ' means "dark", "very blue", and is also an epithet of Krishna. Notable people * Sunil (actor), Indian Telugu film actor * Sunil (d ...

as the CNS after his retirement on 31 May 2019. Prior to his ascension, Admiral Singh served as the Vice Chief of the Naval Staff and Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Naval Command.

Early life and education

Born on 3 November 1959 in

Jalandhar Jalandhar is the third most-populous city in the Indian state of Punjab and the largest city in Doaba region. Jalandhar lies alongside the Grand Trunk Road and is a well-connected rail and road junction. Jalandhar is northwest of the state ...

Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising a ...

, Admiral Singh is a second generation military officer. He attended the Barnes School in

Deolali Deolali, or Devlali (), is a small hill station and a census town in Nashik district of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Now it is part of Nashik Metropolitan Region. Deolali has an important army base. Deolali Camp, one of the oldest Indian m ...

, before joining the 56th course of the

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 ...

, where he was in the Hunter Squadron. He is an alumnus of the

Defence Services Staff College , motto_lang = sa , mottoeng = ''To War with Wisdom'' , established = (as the ''Army Staff College'', Deolali) , type = Defence Service Training Institute , affiliation = , endowment = , administrative_staff = , faculty = , pres ...

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and the College of Naval Warfare, Mumbai.

Career

He was commissioned into the

in July 1980 and earned his wings as a helicopter pilot in 1982. He has extensive experience with the

HAL Chetak HAL may refer to: Aviation * Halali Airport (IATA airport code: HAL) Halali, Oshikoto, Namibia * Hawaiian Airlines (ICAO airline code: HAL) * HAL Airport, Bangalore, India * Hindustan Aeronautics Limited an Indian aerospace manufacturer of fig ...

, Kamov Ka-25 and

Kamov Ka-28 The Kamov Ka-27 (NATO reporting name 'Helix') is a military helicopter developed for the Soviet Navy, and currently in service in various countries including Russia, Ukraine, Vietnam, China, South Korea, and India. Variants include the Ka-29 a ...

helicopters. Singh has commanded the Coast Guard ship ICGS ''Chand Bibi'', the corvette INS ''Vijaydurg'', and the guided missile destroyers INS ''Rana'' and INS ''Delhi''. He also served as the 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 ...

. Ashore, he served at Naval Headquarters as the Joint Director Naval Air Staff, and as Captain Air and Officer-in-Charge of the Naval Air Station at Mumbai. He was also a member of the Aircrew Instrument Rating and Categorisation Board (AIRCATS).

Flag rank

On promotion to flag rank, Singh was appointed as the Chief of Staff, Eastern Naval Command. His other important flag appointments include Chief of Staff of the Tri-Services Unified Command at Andaman & Nicobar Islands and as the Flag Officer Commanding Maharashtra and Gujarat Naval Area (FOMAG). As the Director General of Project Seabird, he stewarded the development of the Navy's new base at Karwar. He went on serve as the Deputy Chief of the Naval Staff, following which he was appointed as Vice Chief of Naval Staff. He assumed office of the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Eastern Naval Command on 31 October 2017, succeeding Vice Admiral Harish Bisht. In a career spanning close to 39 years, he has been awarded the Param Vishist Seva Medal and the

Ati Vishist 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 23 March 2019, 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, ...

named him Chief of Naval Staff, superseding Vice Admiral Bimal Verma. He is the first helicopter pilot to have served as Chief of Staff of the Indian Navy. He superannuated on 30 November 2021, and was succeeded as Chief of Naval Staff by Vice Admiral R. Hari Kumar.

Bi-lateral visits as CNS

Awards and decorations

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Singh, Karambir Living people Chiefs of the Naval Staff (India) Vice Chiefs of Naval Staff (India) Deputy Chiefs of Naval Staff (India) Indian Navy admirals Recipients of the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal Recipients of the Param Vishisht Seva Medal 1959 births National Defence Academy (India) alumni Indian naval aviators Defence Services Staff College alumni