Vice Admiral Ajit Kumar
PVSM
Param Vishisht Seva Medal (PVSM) (IAST: ) is a military award of India. It was constituted in 1960 and since then it is awarded in recognition to peace-time service of the most exceptional order and may be awarded posthumously. All ranks of the ...
,
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 Di ...
,
VSM,
ADC is a retired
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 sig ...
Admiral. He served as
Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief (FOC-in-C)
Western Naval Command
The Western Naval Command is one of the three command–level formations of the Indian Navy. It is headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra. As the senior–most of the three formations, the command is responsible for the all naval forces in the ...
. He assumed the position on 31 January 2019 after
Vice Admiral Girish Luthra's retirement and superannuated on 28 February 2021. Prior to this appointment, he served as
Vice Chief of Naval Staff.
Early life and education
He is an alumnus of
Sainik School, Kazhakootam,
Kerala
Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South C ...
and
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 ...
, Pune. He has also attended the Naval Higher Command Course and the
Naval War College
The Naval War College (NWC or NAVWARCOL) is the staff college and "Home of Thought" for the United States Navy at Naval Station Newport in Newport, Rhode Island. The NWC educates and develops leaders, supports defining the future Navy and associ ...
,
Newport
Newport most commonly refers to:
*Newport, Wales
*Newport, Rhode Island, US
Newport or New Port may also refer to:
Places Asia
*Newport City, Metro Manila, a Philippine district in Pasay
Europe
Ireland
*Newport, County Mayo, a town on the ...
(2004).
Career
He was commissioned in the navy on 1 July 1981. He is a missile and gunnery specialist. He has commanded six ships including INS Kulish; INS Talwar; INS Mumbai and INS Mysore. He was deputed to the Mauritian Coast Guard on his first assignment where, over two and a half years, he commanded two patrol vessels. His staff assignments include Director Maritime Warfare Centre, Visakhapatnam; Commanding Officer of
INS Dronacharya; Chief Staff Officer (Operations) of the
Western Naval Command
The Western Naval Command is one of the three command–level formations of the Indian Navy. It is headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra. As the senior–most of the three formations, the command is responsible for the all naval forces in the ...
.
In September 2009, he was promoted to flag rank as a
Rear Admiral
Rear admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, equivalent to a major general and air vice marshal and above that of a commodore and captain, but below that of a vice admiral. It is regarded as a two star " admiral" rank. It is often rega ...
. Subsequently, his assignments included Assistant Chief of Personnel (Human Resources Development) at IHQ of MoD;
Flag Officer Commanding Eastern Fleet
Flag Officer Commanding Eastern Fleet (FOCEF) is the title of the Indian Navy Officer who commands the Eastern Fleet, headquartered in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. The FOCEF is a Two Star Officer holding the rank of Rear Admiral. The Current FO ...
(FOCEF) and Chief of Staff of
Southern Naval Command. He was promoted to the rank of
Vice Admiral on 1 December 2013. As a Vice Admiral, he has served as the
Commandant of Indian Naval Academy
The Commandant of the Indian Naval Academy is the head and in-charge of all the functioning of the Indian Naval Academy. The Commandant of the Academy is a Three-star rank officer holding the rank of Vice Admiral. He is supported by the Deputy ...
(December 2013 to February 2016). During his tenure as the commandant, there was expansion of the academy and different naval schools across the country were shifted to the main campus at
Ezhimala
Ezhimala, a hill reaching a height of , is located near Payyanur, in Kannur district of Kerala, south India. It is a part of a conspicuous and isolated cluster of hills, forming a promontory, north of Kannur (Cannanore). The Indian Naval Ac ...
. He has also served as the Deputy Chief of Integrated Defence Staff (Operations) and as Deputy Chief of Integrated Defence Staff (Policy Planning & Force Development) at the HQ of MoD.
He was appointed as
Vice Chief of Naval Staff on 30 October 2017, succeeding
Vice Admiral Karambir Singh
Admiral Karambir Singh, PVSM, AVSM, ADC (born 3 November 1959), is a former flag officer of Indian Navy, who served as the 24th Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS). The "Grey Eagle" (senior-most serving naval aviator) of the Navy, he replaced Ad ...
.
During his career, he has been awarded
Param Vishisht Seva Medal
Param Vishisht Seva Medal (PVSM) ( IAST: ) is a military award of India. It was constituted in 1960 and since then it is awarded in recognition to peace-time service of the most exceptional order and may be awarded posthumously. All ranks of the ...
,
Ati Vishisht 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 Di ...
,
Vishisht Seva Medal
The Vishisht Seva Medal (VSM) is a decoration of the Indian Armed Forces. It is awarded to recognize "distinguished service of a high order" to all ranks of the Indian Armed Forces.
From 1980, the Yudh Seva Medal was introduced to recognize exc ...
for his service.
Awards and decorations
Personal life
He and his wife Sunita Kumar have a daughter. He is interested in reading and yoga.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kumar P, Ajit
Sainik School alumni
Living people
Year of birth missing (living people)
Vice Chiefs of Naval Staff (India)
Flag Officers Commanding Eastern Fleet
Indian Navy admirals
National Defence Academy (India) alumni
Commandants of the Indian Naval Academy
Naval War College alumni
Recipients of the Param Vishisht Seva Medal
Recipients of the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal
Recipients of the Vishisht Seva Medal