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Suraj Berry | |
|---|---|
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| Allegiance |  India |
| Service/ |  Indian Navy |
| Years of service | January 1987–present |
| Rank |   Vice Admiral |
| Commands held |
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| Awards |
 Nao Sena Medal Vishisht Seva Medal |
Vice Admiral Suraj Berry, AVSM, NM, VSM is a serving Flag officer in the Indian Navy. He currently serves as the Commander-in-Chief, Strategic Forces Command. He previously served as the Chief of Personnel, as the Controller of Personnel Services and as Chief of Staff of the Andaman and Nicobar Command. He has also commanded the Eastern Fleet and was the Commissioning Commanding Officer of the aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya.[1]
Berry was commissioned in the Indian Navy on 1 January 1987. He is a specialist in Gunnery and Missile Warfare.[2] He served on board the Sukanya-class patrol vessel INS Subhadra (P51), the Veer-class corvette INS Pralaya (K91), and the Rajput-class destroyers INS Ranjit (D53) and INS Ranvir (D54), and the lead shipofher class of destroyers INS Delhi (D61).[3]
He has also served as the flag lieutenant to the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Western Naval Command, as the operations officer of a Mobile Missile Coastal Battery, and as the fleet gunnery officer of the Western Fleet.[4]
Berry has commanded the Veer-class missile vessel INS Nirbhik (K88), the Kora-class missile corvette INS Karmuk (P64) and the Talwar-class stealth guided missile frigate INS Talwar (F40).[5] He served as the defence advisor to the High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka and Maldives. In the rank of Captain, he also served as a Director at the Directorate of Staff Requirement at Naval Headquarters.[6]
As a commodore, he served as naval advisor (NA) to the Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Nirmal Kumar Verma. He then was appointed the commissioning commanding officer of the aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya (R33). As CO, he commissioned Vikramaditya on 16 November 2013 at Severodvinsk in Russia and brought her home to Karwar. He then moved to naval headquarters as the Principal Director Strategy, Concepts and Transformation at NHQ.[7]
In October 2016, Berry was promoted to the rank of rear admiral and appointed Assistant Chief of Personnel (Human Resource Development) (ACOP HRD) at Naval HQ. After a two-and-a-half year stint, he was appointed Flag Officer Commanding Eastern Fleet (FOCEF) on 30 March 2019.[8] For his tenure as the FOCEF, he was awarded the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal on 26 January 2020.[9] In February 2020, he moved to Port Blair as the Chief of Staff of the Andaman and Nicobar Command.[10][11]
On 2 August 2021, he was promoted to the rank of Vice Admiral and appointed Controller of Personnel Services (CPS) at NHQ, succeeding Vice Admiral Sanjay Jasjit Singh[7] On 1 April 2023, he was appointed Chief of Personnel.[12][13] After a short stint as COP, he was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Strategic Forces Command (SFC) on 6 October 2023. The SFC is responsible for the management and administration of the country's tactical and strategic nuclear weapons stockpile.[14][15][16]
Berry was awarded the Vishist Seva Medal in 2006 for services during the tsunami relief operations in Sri Lanka and Maldives. He is also the recipient of the Nao Sena Medal in 2015 (awarded for devotion to duty).[17] He was awarded the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal in 2020.[9] He has also been awarded the Chief of Naval Staff Commendation card once and the FOC‑in‑C Western Naval Command commendation card twice.
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Berry is married to Kangana Berry. The couple have two children.[7]
{{cite web}}: External link in |title={{cite web}}: External link in |title=| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| New title First holder |
Commanding Officer, INS Vikramaditya 2013 – 2015 |
Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Flag Officer Commanding Eastern Fleet 2019 – 2020 |
Succeeded by |
| Preceded by Major General Beji Mathews |
Chief of Staff, Andaman and Nicobar Command 2020 - 2021 |
Succeeded by Rear Admiral D. S. Gujral |
| Preceded by | Controller of Personnel Services 2021 – 2023 |
Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chief of Personnel 2023 – 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Commander-in-Chief Strategic Forces Command 2023 – Present |
Incumbent |
