Vice Admiral CR Praveen Nair, AVSM, NM, has taken over as Controller Personnel Services (CPS) at Naval Headquarters. He assumed charge on July 31, 2025, beginning his tenure with a tribute at the National War Memorial in New Delhi to honour the fallen heroes of the Indian Armed Forces.
Commissioned into the Indian Navy on July 1, 1991, Vice Admiral Nair is a Surface Warfare Officer with a specialization in Communications and Electronic Warfare. His career spans over three decades, marked by command of major Indian warships including the Missile Corvette INS Kirch, the Guided Missile Destroyer INS Chennai, and the flagship Aircraft Carrier INS Vikramaditya.
His earlier appointments include Flag Officer Commanding Western Fleet, Assistant Chief of Naval Staff (Policy & Plans), and Commandant of the Indian Naval Academy. He holds an M.Phil. in Defence and Strategic Studies from Mumbai University and is an alumnus of the US Naval War College, where he received the Robert E. Bateman International Award and the Vice Admiral James H. Doyle Prize.
Vice Admiral Nair was awarded the Nao Sena Medal in 2000 for devotion to duty and the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal in 2025 for distinguished service. His new appointment as CPS places him in charge of personnel management and human resource strategy at a time when the Indian Navy is expanding its force structure to meet growing maritime challenges.
His tenure comes amid major recruitment plans, including the induction of over 1,100 civilian personnel, and increased naval infrastructure development in strategic regions such as the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. As CPS, he is expected to play a crucial role in aligning the Navy’s personnel policies with its modernisation goals in the Indo-Pacific.
