Devendra Kumar Joshi

Devendra Kumar Joshi was born to Shri Hira Ballabh Joshi, an Indian Forest Service Officer and Smti. Hansha Joshi on July 4, 1954. After completing his early education in various schools wherever his father was posted, he moved to Hansraj College, Delhi. While studying in Delhi, he was selected into the Executive Branch of the Indian Navy in January 1972 and was subsequently commissioned in 1974.

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 belong 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 for me. However, once I had made up my mind, they were fully supportive".[5]

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

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

He graduated from the Naval Academy and was commissioned into the Executive Branch of the Indian Navy on April 1, 1974. Admiral D K Joshi is also an alumnus of the Naval War College, USA, the College of Naval Warfare, Mumbai, and the National Defence College, New Delhi.

Admiral 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). Admiral D K Joshi has also been Senior Instructor (Navy) at Defence Services Staff College (Wellington). He was the Defence Advisor in the Indian High Commission at Singapore from 1996 to 1999,[6] with concurrent accreditation to the Philippines.

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-services 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). Subsequently, Admiral Devendra Kumar Joshi was elevated as the 21st Chief of Naval Staff of the Indian Navy, having assumed office on 31 August 2012.[7][8]

Admiral D. K. Joshi (centre) with the then Defence Minister A. K. Antony and the then Defence Secretary Shashi Kant Sharma (extreme-left).

Admiral D K Joshi witnessing flying operations on board INS Viraat aircraft carrier of Indian Navy, which he earlier commanded.

Admiral Joshi resigned following a fire aboard Kilo-class submarine INS Sindhuratna on 26 February 2014.[3] 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.[9]

The Islands Development Agency (IDA) was constituted on 1 June 2017 [under the Chairmanship of Home Minister] and Admiral D K Joshi PVSM, AVSM, YSM, NM, VSM (Retd.) was designated as its Vice-Chairman, following the Prime Minister's review meeting on the development of Indian Islands Territories. The major mandate of the Islands Development Agency includes guiding the policies, programmes and formulation of Integrated Master Plans for Comprehensive Development of the Islands. Islands Development Agency (IDA), with support of the NITI Aayog, is undertaking the holistic development of the Islands territories of India, while giving due consideration to their unique maritime and territorial bio-diversity.

The fourth IDA Review Meeting taken by the Prime Minister of India on 30 June 2018, with Chairman IDA Hon’ble Home Minister and Vice-Chairman Admiral D K Joshi present.

The first IDA Meeting held on 24 July 2017. IDA has so far met six times since constitution, with the fourth review meeting held on 30 June 2018, being Chaired by the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India himself. With the re-constitution of Islands Development Agency, the Government of India has been fast-tracking the holistic development its Islands territories.[10][11]

Admiral D K Joshi (Retd.) took oath on 8 October 2017 as the thirteenth Lt. Governor of the Andaman & Nicobar Islands, a territory which is the largest archipelago system in the Bay of Bengal, composed of 836 islands, islets and rocks.[12][13] He concurrently remains designated as Vice-Chairman Islands Development Agency also.

Admiral D K Joshi, PVSM, AVSM, YSM, NM, VSM (Retd.), the Lieutenant Governor of Andaman & Nicobar Islands[14]

He is married to Chitra Joshi and the couple has two daughters.