R. Hari Kumar

Vice Admiral R. Hari Kumar PVSM, AVSM, VSM (born 12 April 1962) is the current Vice Chief of Defence Staff.[2] In his prior appointments, he served as the Chief of Personnel, the Flag Officer Commanding Western Fleet, and as the Chief of the Staff of the Western Naval Command. He was the Commandant of the Naval War College, Goa and served as a naval advisor to the government of Seychelles.[3][4] He is an alumnus of National Defence Academy and holds an M.Phil. in Defence and Strategic Studies from the University of Mumbai.

Vice Admiral R. Hari Kumar PVSM, AVSM, VSM
Vice Admiral R. Hari Kumar
Born	12 April 1962 Trivandrum, Kerala, India
Allegiance	India
Service/branch	Indian Navy
Years of service	1 January 1983 – present
Rank	Vice Admiral
Service number	02540-Y[1]
Commands held	Integrated Defence Staff Western Fleet INS Viraat INS Ranvir INS Kora INS Nishank
Awards	Param Vishisht Seva Medal Ati Vishisht Seva Medal Vishisht Seva Medal

Early life and education

Kumar was born on 12 April 1962 in Trivandrum, Kerala,[4] where he graduated from Mannam Memorial Residential High School. He completed a pre-degree course at the Government Arts College in Thiruvananthapuram.[3]

He joined the 61st course of the National Defence Academy (NDA) in January 1979 and was assigned to the Juliet squadron. He graduated from the NDA in December 1981.[3][4] In 1996, he attended the Naval Staff Course at the US Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island.[4] He completed his bachelors from Jawaharlal Nehru University, and his masters from King's College London. He holds an MPhil in Defence and Strategic Studies from the University of Mumbai.[3]

As a part of his professional training, he attended the Army Higher Command Course at the Army War College in 2004, and also at the Royal College of Defence Studies in 2009.[3] He pursued his postgraduate diploma in a shipping management course from the Narottam Morarjee Institute of Shipping in Mumbai.[4]

Career

RAdm. R. Hari Kumar, FOC Western Fleet, and RAdm. A. B. Singh interacting with local populace in Lakshadweep during disaster relief exercises in 2014.

Kumar was commissioned into the Indian Navy on 1 January 1983. His positions included gunnery officer (GO) of the INS Ranjit, commissioning the GO VIII of the INS Ranvir and commissioning the GO of the INS Kuthar. He also served as executive officer (EXO) of INS Vipul. As a commanding officer, he commanded the Coast Guard Ship C-01, the missile boat INS Nishank, the Rajput-class destroyer INS Ranvir, Kora-class missile corvette INS Kora, and Centaur-class aircraft carrier INS Viraat.[3][4]

His fleet appointments include Fleet Gunnery Officer and Fleet Operations Officer of the Western Fleet. His staff assignments include Command GO of the Western Naval Command, and naval advisor to the Government of Seychelles. He also served as the Training Commander for the INS Dronacharya. He also served as the Commandant of the Naval War College, Goa.

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.

Flag rank

On promotion to flag rank, Kumar served as the Chief of the Staff of the Western Naval Command. In December 2013, he took over as the Flag Officer of Sea Training at Kochi. He subsequently took command of the Western Fleet. While serving as the Flag Officer Commanding Western Fleet (FOCWF), he was promoted to the rank of Vice Admiral.[5][6][7] On 1 August 2018, he assumed charge as the Chief of Personnel, succeeding Vice Admiral Anil Kumar Chawla.[4]

Personal life

Kumar is married to Kala Nair, with whom he has a daughter. He enjoys swimming, playing badminton, and walking.[3]

Military Awards and Decorations

During his career, he has been awarded the Vishisht Seva Medal (VSM) in 2010, the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (AVSM) in 2016 and the Param Vishisht Seva Medal (PVSM) in 2021 for his service.[1][3][4][8][9][10]

Param Vishisht Seva Medal	Ati Vishisht Seva Medal	Vishisht Seva Medal

Gallery

• 
  Israeli VAdm. Ram Rutberg with Kumar and other personnel
• 
  VAdm. S. P. S. Cheema and Air Marshal BS Dhanoa being briefed by Kumar
• 
  Maldivian naval officers welcome Indian Navy personnel at Port Louis, Mauritius, in 2014.
• 
  INS Godavari decommissioning ceremony

References

1. "365 Republic Day Gallantry and Other Defence Decorations Announced". Press Information Bureau, Government of India. 25 January 2016. Retrieved 30 January 2019.
2. @HQ_IDS_India (1 December 2019). "V Adm R Hari Kumar, AVSM, VSM assumed the Appt of CISC on 02 Dec 19" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
3. "Chief of Personnel (COP)". Indian Navy. Indian Navy. Retrieved 18 November 2018.
4. "Vice Admiral R Hari Kumar, AVSM VSM Assumes Charge as Chief of Personnel". Indian Navy. Indian Navy. Retrieved 18 November 2018.
5. "Appointments". Pressreader. SP's NavalForces. Retrieved 18 November 2018.
6. "Navy appoints new fleet commanders". The Hindu. S. Anandan. Retrieved 18 November 2018.
7. "In top naval appointments, Rear Admiral R Hari Kumar is the new Western Fleet commander, Rear Admiral MS Pawar gets Maharashtra & Guajrat, & Rear Admiral A B Singh gets Eastern Fleet". The Times Of India. Rajat Pandit. Retrieved 18 November 2018.
8. "Republic Day Gallantry and other Defence Decorations". Press Information Bureau, Government of India. 25 January 2010. Retrieved 30 January 2019.
9. "Distinguished Service and Gallantry Award Winners on Republic Day 2021". pib.gov.in.
10. "President Shri Ram Nath Kovind approves 455 Gallantry & other defence decorations to Armed Forces personnel on Republic Day". PIB. 25 January 2021.