Vice Admiral Rajesh Dhankhar Takes Over As Director General Of Project Seabird

Vice Admiral Rajesh Dhankhar NM has officially assumed the role of Director General of Project Seabird, taking over from Vice Admiral Tarun Sobti. The transition occurred at the Headquarters of Project Seabird in New Delhi. In his new position, Vice Admiral Dhankhar will oversee India's largest defence infrastructure project, currently underway at the Karwar Naval Base.

Commissioned into the Indian Navy on 1 July 1990, Vice Admiral Dhankhar is a specialist in Navigation and Direction. His career spans 34 years, during which he has served in various critical roles, including specialist appointments on warships such as Pondicherry, Godavari, Kora, and Mysore. He is an alumnus of the prestigious Naval Academy and Defence Services Staff College and he has completed the Higher Command Course in Japan.

Throughout his career, Vice Admiral Dhankhar has held significant command positions, including Executive Officer on INS Delhi and Commanding Officer on INS Gharial, Mumbai and Vikramaditya. His notable staff appointments have included roles as Joint Director and Director at the Directorate of Naval Plans, and Principal Director/Commodore at the Directorate of Personnel. In Flag rank, he has served as Chief Staff Officer (Training), Flag Officer Sea Training, Commandant of the Naval War College and Flag Officer Commanding the Eastern Fleet.

One of his most distinguished achievements was leading Non-Combatant Evacuation Operations (NEO) of Indian nationals from Aden and Al-Hodeida, Yemen, in 2015, for which he was awarded the Nao Sena Medal (Gallantry).

As Fleet Commander of the Eastern Fleet over the past ten months, Vice Admiral Dhankhar ensured a high level of combat readiness and operational tempo, including multiple mission-based and operational deployments, as well as several bilateral and multilateral engagements, such as MILAN 24 with friendly foreign navies.

Vice Admiral Dhankhar's new appointment as Director General of Project Seabird marks another significant milestone in his illustrious career, as he now leads one of India's most crucial defence infrastructure initiatives.