TheCable

The US embassy has celebrated Kelechi Ndukwe, the first Nigerian-American to command a US missile destroyer.

On April 1, Ndukwe took over as the commanding officer of USS Halsey (DDG-97), an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer.

The Nigerian-American had been serving as the second-in command of the ship to De Vere J. Crooks who had been the commander since November 2019.

Celebrating the achievement, the US mission in Nigeria, in a statement via a tweet, congratulated Ndukwe for the new role.

“Kelechi Ndukwe is commander of a U.S. Navy Guided Missile Destroyer,” the embassy said.

“He graduated from Notre Dame and the U.S. Naval War College.

“Kelechi also served at the Pentagon in Washington DC.

“He received the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, and the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal.”

“Ndukwe is the first Nigerian-American captain of a Navy ship.”

Kudos to Kelechi Ndukwe on his new role as commander of a U.S. Navy Guided Missile Destroyer. The University of Notre Dame and the U.S. Naval War College alumnus becomes the first Nigerian-American captain of a U.S. Navy ship. Congratulations! pic.twitter.com/SCoaIVBlWd

— U.S. Mission Nigeria (@USinNigeria) April 8, 2021

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TheCable did a profile of Ndukwe from how he started his 18-year career in the US navy which began with him working as an auxiliary officer in 2003 — a year after obtaining a master’s degree in national security and strategy studies from the US Naval War College. You can read it here.