Admiral Arun Prakash, PVSM, AVSM, VrC, VSM (born October 1944) is a former Flag Officer of the Indian Navy.

Promoted to vice admiral, he served as the commandant of the National Defence Academy from 1997 to 1999, after which he took over as Chief of Personnel at Naval HQ.

Prakash grew up in the Kashmir Valley, where his father rose to be a District Commissioner of Leh.

In the 1971 Indo-Pakistan War, then Lieutenant Prakash was one of two naval pilots deputed to the Indian Air Force.

For his gallantry in air action over West Pakistan and Jammu and Kashmir, he received the Vir Chakra.

[1] The Vir Chakra citation reads: During the operations against Pakistan in December 1971, Lieutenant Arun Prakash was one of the two naval pilots on deputation to the Indian Air Force.

On 5 December he led a very deep penetration day operational strike into enemy territory and attacked airfields heavily defended by air and ground forces.

He destroyed enemy's heavy transport aircraft, attacked troops and supplies and returned to base.

Throughout, Lieutenant Arun Prakash displayed gallantry, leadership and devotion to duty of a high order.

[11] On 1 April 1995, after a two-year stint as ACNS, he was appointed the 21st Flag Officer Commanding Eastern Fleet.

He was then promoted to the rank of vice admiral on 31 July 1997,[12] and took over as the Commandant of the National Defence Academy, an appointment he served in till 19 March 1999.

Following this assignment, he was appointed the Vice Chief of Naval Staff, serving for a brief period from October 2003 to July 2004.

[1] With the retirement of General Nirmal Chander Vij, Admiral Prakash took over as the Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee on 31 January 2005.