R. Hari Kumar

Early life and education Kumar was born on 12 April 1962 in Thiruvananthapuram, to M. Radhakrishnan Nair and B. Vijayalakshmi to a Malayali Nair family. His father worked with the Fertilisers and Chemicals Travancore in the sales department. He was the eldest of three boys born to the couple.

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.

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 of the gunnery school INS Dronacharya. 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 was appointed the first Commandant of the Naval War College, Goa 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 Western Fleet. While serving as the Flag Officer Commanding Western Fleet (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. For his command of the fleet, he was awarded the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal on 26 January 2016. He was then appointed Chief of the Staff (CoS) of the Western Naval Command in Mumbai. During his tenure as CoS, the International Fleet Review 2016 took place. He subsequently moved to Naval HQ as the Controller of Personnel Services (CPS). On 1 August 2018, he assumed charge as the Chief of Personnel (COP), succeeding Vice Admiral Anil Kumar Chawla. During his tenure as CISC, the Department of Military Affairs was created by the Government of India and the appointment of Chief of Defence Staff was created. For his tenure as CISC, he was awarded the Param Vishisht Seva Medal on 26 January 2021. On 28 February 2021, he was appointed Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Western Naval Command, taking over from Vice Admiral Ajit Kumar P.

Chief of Naval Staff On 9 November 2021, the Government of India appointed Kumar as the next Chief of Naval Staff. He took office after superannuation of Admiral Karambir Singh on 30 November 2021 and served there till 30 April 2024.

Personal life Kumar is married to Kala Nair (née Haripad), with whom he has a daughter. He enjoys swimming, playing badminton and walking.

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.

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