KUALA LUMPUR – Admiral Datuk Zulhelmy Ithnain, has been appointed the 19th Chief of the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN).
He has held the position of Acting Chief of Navy since Aug 1 this year and was promoted from Vice-Admiral to Admiral upon his appointment as Chief of Navy, succeeding Admiral Tan Sri Abdul Rahman Ayob, who will retire on Dec 2.
According to a statement from the Strategic Communication Division of the RMN Headquarters, the pinning-on of the rank was done by Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin at the Wisma Pertahanan Auditorium here today.
Born on Jan 2, 1968 in Dato Keramat here, Zulhelmy received his secondary education at the Royal Military College from 1981 to 1985 before joining the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) as a Cadet Officer in 1986 and being commissioned as a Sub-Lieutenant in the Executive branch two years later.
“Zulhelmy’s career as a submariner began in 1993 when he earned his submarine qualification badge after completing submarine training at HMAS Platypus, Australia, and later completed the submarine course in Brest, France, where he earned his command qualification aboard the Agosta Class Submarine.
“History was made when he successfully brought home KD Tunku Abdul Rahman from France in a two-month voyage to Malaysia on July 10, 2009,” the statement added.
Among the significant posts held during his service were Commander of the Submarine Force, Assistant Chief of Staff for Development (J5) at the Joint Force Headquarters, Assistant Chief of Staff for Planning and Development at the RMN Headquarters, Commander of the Naval Region 1, President of the National Centre for Defence Studies, and Deputy Chief of Navy.
Zulhelmy holds a Master’s Degree in National Security Administration and received the Outstanding Alumni Award from the National Defence College of the Philippines. He is also an alumnus of the United States Naval War College, Rhode Island, and the Royal College of Defence Studies, United Kingdom. – September 23, 2024