Jump to content

Sushil Kumar (admiral)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sushil Kumar Isaacs
16th Chief of the Naval Staff
In office
30 December 1998 – 29 December 2001
PresidentK. R. Narayanan
Prime MinisterAtal Bihari Vajpayee
Preceded byVishnu Bhagwat
Succeeded byMadhvendra Singh
Personal details
BornNeyyoor, Kanyakumari district, Tamil Nadu, India
Died(2019-11-27)27 November 2019
New Delhi
AwardsParam Vishisht Seva Medal
Uttam Yudh Seva Medal
Ati Vishisht Seva Medal
Nao Sena Medal
Military service
Allegiance India
Branch/service Indian Navy
Years of service1961 - 2001
Rank Admiral
CommandsChief of the Naval Staff
Southern Naval Command
FORTAN
Battles/warsGoa Liberation of 1961
Indo-Pakistan War of 1965
Indo-Pakistan War of 1971
Kargil War

Admiral Sushil Kumar Isaacs, PVSM, UYSM, AVSM, NM (died 27 November 2019) was an Indian Navy Admiral who served as Chief of Naval Staff (CNS) of the Indian Navy. He was the Director of Naval Operations during Operation Pawan and Operation Cactus and was the CNS during the Kargil War.

Early life

[edit]

A native of Neyyoor (Nagercoil), he joined the Indian Navy and was commissioned in 1961. He ceased to use his surname of Isaacs[1] because it caused confusion with his brother, who shares the same initials and is also a naval officer.[2] He was an alumni of The Bishop's School, Pune

[edit]

A specialist in hydrography and amphibious warfare,[3] Kumar was also a qualified air warfare instructor. He was an alumnus of the National Defence College and was an instructor at the Defence Services Staff College, Wellington. His training abroad included a deputation to the Royal Navy on board HMS Dampier in 1963 and a course in amphibious warfare with the US Navy at Coronado, California, in 1976.[4] He participated in the 1961 invasion of Goa and in both the Indo-Pakistan wars of 1965 and 1971. He was awarded the Nao Sena Medal for gallantry whilst in command of INS Ghorpad.

Kumar was promoted to substantive commander on 1 January 1977 and to captain on 1 January 1983.[5][6] As Director of Naval Operations, he was decorated with the Uttam Yudh Seva Medal for his exceptional conduct in Operation Pawan and in Operation Cactus (Liberation of Maldives).

Flag rank

[edit]

Kumar was promoted to substantive rear admiral on 6 July 1990.[7] Kumar held operational commands and important posts such as the Vice Chief of Naval Staff, the Flag Officer Commanding Maharashtra Naval Area (FOMA), Commander of the Flotilla in Mumbai and Fortress Commander, Andaman and Nicobar Islands (FORTAN). He was the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Southern Naval Command in Kochi, before being appointed the Chief of Naval Staff. Sushil Kumar assumed charge of the Indian Navy, as the 16th Chief of Naval Staff, on 30 December 1998. During his tenure as CNS, He was the highest-decorated serving officer in the Indian Navy, and he retired on 29 December 2001. He was a keen yachtsman and played polo on the international circuit, for which he had an international rating of 4+ goals.[4]

Death

[edit]

Kumar died on 27 November 2019 at the Indian Army Research and Referral Hospital, Delhi at the age of 79. Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his condolences upon this.[8][9]

Awards and decorations

[edit]
Kumar (2nd from left) with former chiefs and Admiral Robin K. Dhowan at the Conclave of Chiefs, 2015
Param Vishisht Seva Medal Uttam Yudh Seva Medal Ati Vishisht Seva Medal Nausena Medal
General Service Medal Poorvi Star Paschimi Star Special Service Medal
Raksha Medal Sangram Medal Sainya Seva Medal Videsh Seva Medal
50th Anniversary of Independence Medal 25th Anniversary of Independence Medal 30 Years Long Service Medal
20 Years Long Service Medal 9 Years Long Service Medal

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Edit from family
  2. ^ Sawant, Gaurav C. (6 January 1999). "Indian Express: Harinder's appointment will be reconsidered: CNS". Indian Express. Archived from the original on 23 September 2013. Retrieved 4 July 2013.
  3. ^ "Admiral Sushil Kumar". Indian Navy Information Resource and Facilitation Centre. 21 February 2005. Retrieved 28 December 2014.
  4. ^ a b "Admiral Sushil Kumar". Bharat Rakshak. Archived from the original on 30 August 2009.
  5. ^ "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Navy Branch)". The Gazette of India. 31 December 1977. p. 1400.
  6. ^ "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Navy Branch)". The Gazette of India. 23 July 1983. p. 1234.
  7. ^ "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Navy Branch)". The Gazette of India. 22 May 1993. p. 970.
  8. ^ "PM condoles demise of former Navy chief Sushil Kumar". Press Trust of India. 27 November 2019. Retrieved 3 December 2019 – via The Week.
  9. ^ Delhi, Special Correspondent New (28 November 2019). "Former Navy Chief Admiral Sushil Kumar dead". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 3 December 2019. {{cite news}}: |first= has generic name (help)
Military offices
Preceded by Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee
1 October 2000 – 29 December 2001
Succeeded by
Preceded by Chief of the Naval Staff
1998–29 December 2001
Succeeded by
Preceded by Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Southern Naval Command
1998-1998
Succeeded by
R. N. Ganesh
Preceded by Vice Chief of the Naval Staff
1996-1998
Succeeded by
Chief of Personnel
1995-1996
Preceded by
P. S. Das
Fortress Commander, Andaman and Nicobar Islands
1994-1995
Succeeded by
R. N. Ganesh