Admiral Rabinder "Robin" Kumar Dhowan

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 ...

, YSM, ADC was the 22nd Chief of Naval Staff of the

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 ...

. He assumed office on 17 April 2014, succeeding Admiral D.K. Joshi.

Military career

Dhowan graduated from the

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 ...

(45th Course, Charlie squadron) on 1 January 1975. He was honoured with a "telescope" for being the "Best Cadet", and was later awarded the 'Sword of Honour' on completion of his midshipman training. He has commissioned an acting sub-lieutenant on 3 May 1975. He is a "Navigation and Direction" specialist, and during his career he has commanded the missile corvette INS Khukri, and guided missile destroyers INS ''Ranjit'' and . From 2002 to 2005, he was the Naval Adviser at the Indian High Commission at London.

Flag rank

After his elevation to

flag rank A flag officer is a commissioned officer in a nation's armed forces senior enough to be entitled to fly a flag to mark the position from which the officer exercises command. The term is used differently in different countries: *In many countries ...

, he served in various staff and instructional assignments. He was the Assistant Chief of Naval Staff (Policy and Plans) in the Integrated Headquarters (Navy) and then commanded the

Eastern Fleet Eastern may refer to: Transportation *China Eastern Airlines, a current Chinese airline based in Shanghai * Eastern Air, former name of Zambia Skyways *Eastern Air Lines, a defunct American airline that operated from 1926 to 1991 * Eastern Air ...

. He also served as the Chief of Staff at Headquarters,

Eastern Naval Command The Eastern Naval Command is one of the three command-level formations of the Indian Navy. It is headquartered in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. The command is responsible for the all naval forces in the Bay of Bengal and parts of the Indian Ocea ...

Visakhapatnam , image_alt = , image_caption = From top, left to right: Visakhapatnam aerial view, Vizag seaport, Simhachalam Temple, Aerial view of Rushikonda Beach, Beach road, Novotel Visakhapatnam, INS Kursura submarine museu ...

and the Chief Staff Officer (Operations) at 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 ...

. He then took charge as the Commandant of the

, Khadakvasla, and later served as a Deputy Chief of Naval Staff. He was appointed as the Vice Chief of Naval Staff in August 2011. He is an alumnus of

Defence Services Staff College The Defence Services Staff College (DSSC) is a defence service training institution of the Ministry of Defence, Government of India. It trains officers of all three services of the Indian Armed Forces – ( Indian Military Service, Indian Nav ...

, and

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 ...

, Rhode Island, USA, and has completed the

Sea Harrier The British Aerospace Sea Harrier is a naval short take-off and vertical landing/vertical take-off and landing jet fighter, reconnaissance and attack aircraft. It is the second member of the Harrier family developed. It first entered servic ...

Direction course in the U.K.

Personal life

Admiral RK Dhowan with Minu Dhowan and S

Former Indian Navy chiefs with Admiral Robin K

Admiral Dhowan is married to Minu Dhowan, and the couple have a daughter and two sons. He plays golf and does yachting.

Advisor

Currently, he is a member of the

Board of Advisors An advisory board is a body that provides non-binding strategic advice to the management of a corporation, organization, or foundation. The informal nature of an advisory board gives greater flexibility in structure and management compared to th ...

of India's International Movement to Unite Nations (I.I.M.U.N.).

Awards

Defence Secretary RK Mathur, and CNS Admiral RK Dhowan during the Golden Jubilee celebration of the DND

References

, - , - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Dhowan, Robin K. Chiefs of the Naval Staff (India) Vice Chiefs of Naval Staff (India) Deputy Chiefs of Naval Staff (India) Commandants of the National Defence Academy Living people Indian Navy admirals Flag Officers Commanding Eastern Fleet Recipients of the Param Vishisht Seva Medal Recipients of the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal Year of birth missing (living people) Naval War College alumni Recipients of the Yudh Seva Medal Indian naval attachés Defence Services Staff College alumni National Defence Academy (India) alumni