Vice Admiral R Hari Kumar set to take charge as Indian Navy Chief on Nov 30

Vice Admiral R Hari Kumar is set to take over as the country's next Navy chief on November 30. He handed over charge of Western Naval Command to Vice Admiral Ajendra Bahadur Singh on Monday at a ceremony. He will succeed Admiral Karambir Singh, who is the incumbent Indian Navy chief. 

Before Kumar was appointed as the Commanding-in-Chief of the Western Naval Command on February 28 this year, he was heading the Eastern Naval Command.

Earlier this month, Defence Ministry spokesperson A Bharat Bhushan Babu had said in a statement, "The Government has appointed Vice Admiral R Hari Kumar as the next Chief of the Naval Staff with effect from the afternoon of November 30. The present Chief of the Naval Staff retires from service on November 30."

Who is Vice Admiral R Hari Kumar, the next Indian Navy Chief?

Born on 12 April 1962, Vice Admiral R Hari Kumar joined the 61st course of the National Defence Academy in 1979 and was a part of the Juliet squadron. He was commissioned into the Indian Navy's executive branch on 1 January 1983. Reports suggest that during his long and distinguished service, spanning nearly 39 years, he has served in a variety of command staff and instructional appointments. He has also served in the Civil and Military Operations Centre in Mogadishu during his second phase of the UN intervention in Somalia. 

Vice Admiral Hari Kumar's sea command includes INS Nishank, missile Corvette INS Kora and the guided-missile destroyer INS Ranvir. In addition, he also commanded Indian Navy's aircraft carrier INS Viraat and had served as Fleet Operations Officer of the Western Fleet. The Indian Navy officer has undergone courses at the Naval War College, US, the Army War College, Mhow and the Royal College of Defence Studies, UK. 

Notably, he has been decorated with the Param Vishist Seva Medal (PVSM), which is awarded in recognition of peace-time service of the most exceptional order, Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (AVSM), a military award in the country felicitated to recognise 'distinguished service of an exceptional order,' and Vishist Seva Medal (VSM), a decoration of the Armed Forces to recognise 'distinguished service of a high order.'

He hails from Kerala and his alma mater are Jawarharlal Nehru University for his bachelor's degree and King's College London for master's. Vice Admiral Hari Kumar also holds an MPhil in Defence and Strategic Studies from the University of Mumbai. 

(With agency Inputs)