New Delhi [India], November 1 (ANI): Vice Admiral B. Sivakumar, AVSM, VSM, assumed the position of the 40th Chief of Materiel on 1 November 2025. He is a distinguished alumnus of the 70th Course at the National Defence Academy and was commissioned as an Electrical Officer in the Indian Navy on July 1, 1987.

The Flag Officer holds a Master's Degree in Electrical Engineering from IIT Chennai, is a postgraduate in Higher Defence Management from Osmania University, MPhil from Madras University and is an alumnus of the National Defence College.

During his distinguished and illustrious service of over 38 years, the Flag Officer has held various key appointments in the Naval Headquarters, HQ ATVP, Naval Dockyards and Command Headquarters. He has served onboard frontline warships, Indian Navy ships Ranjit, Kirpan and Akshay, and has commanded the premier Electrical Training Base, INS Valsura, as stated in the release.

The release further stated that Admiral holds the rare distinction of being at the helm of affairs of both the key Electrical Directorates of Weapons Equipment and Electrical Engineering at NHQ, and has served in both Naval Dockyards on the East and West coasts.

He has extensive experience in various diverse fields, including technologies, projects, and technical administration. As a Flag Officer, he has served as Additional Director General (Technical) for Project Seabird, Chief Staff Officer (Technical) at HQWNC, and Admiral Superintendent of Naval Dockyard, Mumbai.

On completion of his tenure as the Assistant Chief of Materiel (Information Technology & Systems) at Naval Headquarters, he was promoted to the rank of Vice Admiral and appointed as Programme Director, HQ ATVP, followed by Controller of Warship Production & Acquisition and Director General Naval Projects at Visakhapatnam. In recognition of his distinguished service, the Admiral has been awarded the Vishisht Seva Medal and Ati Vishisht Seva Medal.

Vice Admiral B Sivakumar, AVSM, VSM, takes over as Chief of Materiel from Vice Admiral Kiran Deshmukh, AVSM, VSM, who hands over the baton on completion of over 39 years of glorious service.

Well known as a distinguished leader and a thorough professional Flag Officer of the Indian Navy, Vice Admiral Kiran Deshmukh has displayed a fine combination of professional excellence and leadership to steer the Navy technically towards being future-ready and ensuring that Indian Naval Platforms are combat-ready and capable of undertaking a full spectrum of operations.

The highest readiness of naval assets during Operation Sindoor, despite a prolonged deployment, is a testament to his foresight, planning, and leadership. (ANI)