Captain Kelechi Ndukwe becomes first Nigerian to command US Navy War Ship

A Nigerian-American, Kelechi Ndukwe has been promoted to the rank of Navy Captain from Commander.

He is the first Nigerian to have a command of US Navy War Ship.

As the first Nigerian-American to command the ship, the new role is the zenith of his over 20-year career in the US navy, which started with him working as an auxiliaries officer in 2003, a year after obtaining a master’s degree in national security and strategy studies from the US Naval War College.

In 2021, Kelechi took over as the commanding officer of USS Halsey (DDG-97), an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer. Before he took over from DeVere J. Crooks who had commanded the ship since November 2019, he had been serving as the second-in-command.

The USS Halsey (DDG 97) is not the first US navy ship Ndukwe will be commanding. From 2013 to 2015, the graduate of chemical engineering was the commanding officer for the USS Devastator (MCM 6), a minesweeper based in Bahrain.

Ndukwe has served in multiple warships in various parts of the world including the Mediterranean Sea, Horn of Africa, Arabian Gulf, and Western Pacific Ocean.

His LinkedIn profile states that he has also served in various other roles such as; weapons officer and combat systems officer of USS Fitzgerald in Yokosuka, Japan, from June 2010 to December 2011; as a navy congressional liaison officer in Washington DC, from July 2006 to August 2008.

He also served as the fire control officer of USS Normandy in Norfolk, from 2004 to 2006; and auxiliaries officer of USS Thorn, also in Norfolk, from 2003 to 2004.

Ndukwe, who graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 2002, has also worked in the office of the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff (CJCS), America’s highest-ranking military officer.

He is on the list of other US naval officers making Nigeria proud, including Victor Agunbiade, the navy reserve supply officer honoured in July 2020 for “100 percent accountability” as well as Beauty McGowan, who received a ‘high-performing sailor’ award while serving on the USS Iwo Jima, a US navy assault ship.

Confirming his promotion, Segun Victor Agunbiade on X (formerly Twitter) @segunvictor73 said: “Ladies and Gentlemen, meet the newest US Navy Captain Kelechi Ndukwe. The first Nigerian to have a command of US Navy War Ship! Congratulations on your promotion Captain! Well deserved!!!”

The chairman, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), Abike Dabiri-Erewa in her congratulatory message said: “A hearty congratulations to Navy Captain Kelechi R Ndukwe who has been promoted to the rank of Navy Captain from Commander, in the US NAVY He is the first Nigerian American to Command a US warship #ProudlyNigerian.”