R. Hari Kumar

He served as 25th Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS). Previously, he served as the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Naval Command. 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 Sea Training and 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. He is an alumnus of National Defence Academy, the Naval War College, the Army War College, Mhow and the Royal College of Defence Studies.

Admiral Radhakrishnan Hari Kumar PVSM, AVSM, VSM, ADC
Official portrait, 2022
25th Chief of the Naval Staff
In office 30 November 2021 (2021-11-30) – 30 April 2024 (2024-04-30)
President	Ram Nath Kovind Droupadi Murmu
Prime Minister	Narendra Modi
Preceded by	Karambir Singh
Succeeded by	Dinesh K Tripathi
Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Western Naval Command
In office 28 February 2021 (2021-02-28) – 29 November 2021 (2021-11-29)
Preceded by	Ajit Kumar P
Succeeded by	Ajendra Bahadur Singh
Vice Chief of Defence Staff
In office 4 January 2020 (2020-01-04) – 28 February 2021 (2021-02-28)
Preceded by	Office established
Succeeded by	Atul Kumar Jain
Personal details
Born	(1962-04-12) 12 April 1962 (age 62) Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India
Spouse	Kala Nair ​ (m. 1989)​
Children	1
Awards	Param Vishisht Seva Medal Ati Vishisht Seva Medal Vishisht Seva Medal
Military service
Allegiance	India
Branch/service	Indian Navy
Years of service	1 January 1983 – 30 April 2024
Rank	Admiral
Commands	Western Naval Command Integrated Defence Staff Western Fleet INS Viraat INS Ranvir INS Kora INS Nishank
Service number	02540-Y

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

Kumar was educated at Sacred Hearts Convent School, Thanjavur, Carmel Convent School, Thiruvananthapuram, and at Mannam Memorial Residential High School, Thiruvananthapuram. He completed his pre-degree course at the Government Arts College, Thiruvananthapuram.

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. In 1996, he attended the Naval Staff Course at the United States Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island. He attended the Army Higher Command Course at the Army War College, Mhow in 2004 and the Royal College of Defence Studies, London in 2009.

He holds a bachelor's degree from Jawaharlal Nehru University and a master's degree from King's College London. He holds an MPhil in Defence and Strategic Studies from the University of Mumbai. He also holds a postgraduate diploma in shipping management from the Narottam Morarjee Institute of Shipping in Mumbai.

Kumar was commissioned into the Indian Navy on 1 January 1983. He specialised in gunnery. His positions included gunnery officer (GO) of the Rajput-class destroyer INS Ranjit, the commissioning GO of INS Ranvir and commissioning GO of the Khukri-class corvette INS Kuthar. He also served as executive officer (EXO) of Veer-class corvette 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. He was awarded the Vishisht Seva Medal for his command of the Ranvir when the mid-life upgrade was completed in which the ship was retrofitted with the BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles.

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, Personnel Services (CPS). On 1 August 2018, he assumed charge as the Chief of Personnel (COP), succeeding Vice Admiral Anil Kumar Chawla.

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 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 [[GovernmensReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1776395|title=ADMIRAL R HARI KUMAR, PVSM, AVSM, VSM, ADC ASSUMES COMMAND OF THE INDIAN NAVY AS 25th CHIEF OF THE NAVAL STAFF|publisher=PIB|date=2021-11-30}}

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

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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  Israeli VAdm. Ram Rutberg with Kumar and other personnel
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  VAdm. S. P. S. Cheema and Air Marshal BS Dhanoa being briefed by Kumar
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  Maldivian naval officers welcome Indian Navy personnel at Port Louis, Mauritius, in 2014.
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  INS Godavari decommissioning ceremony
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  RAdm R. Hari Kumar, FOCWF (third from right), and RAdm A. B. Singh (second from right) interacting with local populace in Lakshadweep during disaster relief exercises in 2014.