Vice Admiral Vasudeva Anant Kamath, PVSM was a former Flag officer in the Indian Navy. He was the founding Director General of the Indian Coast Guard, which he led from 1978 to 1980. He also served as the 4th Vice Chief of the Naval Staff from 1973 to 1977, the longest tenure in the Indian Navy's history. During the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, he led the Southern Naval Area, for which he was awarded the Param Vishisht Seva Medal.