Devendra Kumar Joshi

Admiral Devendra Kumar Joshi (Retd.) देवेन्द्र कुमार जोशी PVSM, AVSM, YSM, NM, VSM, ADC
D. K. Joshi official portrait
Born	(1954-07-04) 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	Param Vishisht Seva Medal Ati Vishisht Seva Medal Yudh Seva Medal Nausena Medal Vishisht Seva Medal

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.

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." 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

File:100323-N-OX597-187 Indian navy Vice Adm. D. K. Joshi, right presents a wooden plaque.jpg

Indian navy Vice Admiral D. K. Joshi as the Commander-in-Chief of the Andaman and Nicobar Command

File:Admiral DK Joshi CNS Desig being welcomed by Outgoing CNS Admiral Nirmal Verma for a ceremonial Parade at South Block, New Delhi.jpg

Admiral D. K. Joshi CNS Designate being welcomed by Outgoing CNS Admiral Nirmal Kumar Verma for a ceremonial Parade at South Block, New Delhi

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, 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.

Adm. Joshi resigned following a fire aboard Kilo-class submarine INS Sindhuratna on 26 February 2014. 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.

Awards

Param Vishisht Seva Medal	Ati Vishisht Seva Medal	Yudh Seva Medal	Nausena Medal
Vishisht Seva Medal	30 Years Long Service Medal	20 Years Long Service Medal	9 Years Long Service Medal

External links

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