Devendra Kumar Joshi
| Admiral Devendra Kumar Joshi (Retd.) देवेन्द्र कुमार जोशी PVSM, AVSM, YSM, NM, VSM, ADC | |
|---|---|
 D. K. Joshi official portrait | |
| Born |
July 4, 1954 Almora, Uttar Pradesh, India (now Uttarakhand, India) |
| Allegiance |
 India |
| Service/branch |
 Indian Navy |
| Years of service | 1974–2014 |
| Rank |
  Admiral |
| Commands held |
Chief of Naval Staff Western Naval Command Andaman and Nicobar Command INS Viraat INS Ranvir INS Kuthar |
| Awards | |
Admiral (Retd.) Devendra Kumar Joshi, PVSM, AVSM, YSM, NM, VSM, ADC, (Hindi: देवेन्द्र कुमार जोशी, born 4 July 1954) was the 21st Chief of Naval Staff of the Indian Navy, having assumed office on 31 August 2012. He is a specialist in anti-submarine warfare. He resigned on 26 February 2014, taking responsibility for a series of accidents, thus becoming the first Indian Navy Chief to resign.[1][2]
Early life
Joshi was born in Almora, then in Uttar Pradesh and now in Uttarakhand. In an interview with Doordarshan, when asked why he had chosen to join the Navy, he replied, "I think it was the lure of the seas, the pull of the unknown...we belonged to the hills. Of the land, the hilly terrains, one had seen enough!" As he also said in the same interview, "...from both my father's side and my mother's side, for seven generations nobody had been in the services. Therefore, they [my parents] had not even thought of the armed forces as a career option. However, once I had made up my mind, they were fully supportive."[3] He graduated from the naval academy, the Naval War College, USA, the College of Naval Warfare, Mumbai, and the National Defence College, New Delhi.
Personal life
He is married to Chitra Joshi and the couple has two daughters.
Military career
Joshi has served in a variety of command, staff and instructional appointments. His commands at sea include guided missile corvette INS Kuthar, guided missile destroyer INS Ranvir and the aircraft carrier INS Viraat, during which he was awarded Nausena Medal, Vishist Seva Medal and Yudh Seva Medal respectively. He subsequently commanded the Eastern Fleet, wherein he was awarded Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (AVSM). After his elevation to Flag rank, Joshi served in the Integrated Headquarters in all nodal branches. He served in the Personnel Branch as the Assistant Chief of Personnel (Human Resource Development), in Warship Production and Acquisition as the Assistant Controller of the Aircraft Carrier Programme (ACACP), and thereafter in the Operations Branch both as Assistant Chief of Naval Staff (Information Warfare and Operations) and as the Deputy Chief of Naval Staff.
Before taking over as the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Western Naval Command in 2011,[4] he contributed towards inter-service integration, first as the Commander-in-Chief of the Andaman and Nicobar Command, the only tri-service integrated command. He was awarded the Param Vishisht Seva Medal during this time. Later, he served as the Chief of Integrated Defence Staff to Chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee (CISC). Adm. Joshi was also the Defence Advisor in the Indian High Commission at Singapore from 1996 to 1999.[5]
Adm. Joshi resigned following a fire aboard Kilo-class submarine INS Sindhuratna on 26 February 2014.[1] The Times Of India wrote that Admiral D. K. Joshi, who was to serve as the navy chief till August 2015, "was a hard taskmaster who always ran tight ships. He was unforgiving as a commanding officer wherever he served, tightening screws wherever he went." Many naval officers felt that he had lived up to his own exacting standards by resigning.[6]
Awards
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References
- 1 2 "DK Joshi resigns".
- ↑ "Chief of Naval Staff Admiral DK Joshi Resigns". PIB. 26 February 2014. Retrieved 27 February 2014.
- ↑ "Bridging the Gap: An Interaction with Naval Chief - Admiral D. K. Joshi (Doordarshan, 2013) on YouTube
- ↑ "D K Joshi is new chief of Western Naval Command". Times of India. May 1, 2011. Retrieved February 26, 2016.
- ↑ "Press Release:Indian Navy".
- ↑ http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Admiral-DK-Joshi-ran-tight-ships-was-hard-taskmaster/articleshow/31062424.cms
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| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Nirmal Kumar Verma |
Chief of the Naval Staff 2012 to 2014 |
Succeeded by RK Dhowan |
| Preceded by Sanjeev Bhasin |
FOC Western Naval Command 2011 to 2012 |
Succeeded by Shekhar Sinha |
