Kelechi Ndukwe, a Nigerian-American naval officer, has become the first Nigerian to reach the rank of Navy captain in the United States, marking a significant milestone in history.
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Kelechi Ndukwe’s achievement was made public to Nigerians on X (formerly Twitter) by Abike Dabiri-Erewa, the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) boss.
“A hearty congratulations to Navy Captain Kelechi R. Ndukwe, who has been promoted to the rank of Navy Captain from Commander in the US. He is the first Nigerian American to command a US warship. #ProudlyNigerian,”Erewa said on X. Kelechi Ndukwe, who has spent over 20 years in the US Navy, started as an auxiliary officer in 2003 after completing a master’s in National Security and Strategy in 2002 from the US Naval War College. In 2021, he was placed in command of the USS Halsey (DDG-97), an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, after serving as second-in-command to DeVere J. Crooks, who had been in charge since 2019.
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Before commanding the USS Halsey in 2021, Kelechi Ndukwe commanded the USS Devastator (MCM 6), a Bahrain-based minesweeper from 2013-2015. He also has vast experience leading warships in different parts of the world, such as the Horn of Africa, the Mediterranean Sea, and the Western Pacific Ocean. Kelechi has served as a weapons officer and combat systems officer in the US Navy, such as the USS Fitzgerald in Yokosuka, Japan, between June 2010 and December 2011. 2006-2008, he worked as a congressional liaison officer in Washington, DC. From 2004 to 2006, Kelechi worked as the fire control officer of the USS Normandy in Norfolk and auxiliary officer at the USS Thorn in Norfolk from 2003 to 2004. He also worked as America’s highest-ranking military officer in the office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS) chairman.
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Kelechi Ndukwe now joins the list of Nigerians in the US Navy who are making the country proud, such as Victor Angunbiade, who works as the Navy reserve supply officer and was honoured for “100 percent accountability” in July 2020, and Beauty McGowan, who was awarded as a “high-performing sailor” while she was serving in a US Navy assault ship, the USS Iwo Jima.
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