Commodore Kelechi Ndukwe is a senior Nigerian-American naval officer who became the first person of Nigerian descent to command a United States Navy guided-missile destroyer when he took charge of the USS Halsey (DDG-97) in April 2021.
Ndukwe currently serves as commodore of Destroyer Squadron 60 and commander of Task Force 65, both based at Naval Station Rota in Spain, where he oversees maritime security and ballistic missile defence operations across Europe and Africa.
Birth
Kelechi Ndukwe was born in Columbus, Ohio, as the eldest of four children. His parents migrated from Nigeria to the United States in the 1970s.
His mother studied nursing at West Virginia University, where she gave birth to him and his brother Ikechukwu. His father also studied engineering at the same institution while working multiple jobs.
His siblings include Chinedum Ndukwe, who graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 2007, and Ezinne Ndukwe, who graduated in 2010.
Education
Ndukwe obtained a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the University of Notre Dame in 2002 and received his commission as an ensign through the Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps programme that same year.
He later earned the Surface Warfare Officer qualification and completed a master’s degree in National Security and Strategic Studies at the U.S. Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island.
Career
Ndukwe began active naval service in 2003. His first sea assignment was as an auxiliary officer aboard the USS Thorn (DD-988) from 2003 to 2004. He then served as fire control officer on the USS Normandy (CG-60) between 2004 and 2006.
As a department head, he served on the USS Fitzgerald (DDG-62) as weapons officer and later as combat systems officer.
He was selected for early command and appointed executive officer of Mine Countermeasures Crew Swerve on the USS Devastator (MCM-6), later taking full command of the crew from 2013 to 2015 in Bahrain.
He returned to destroyer operations as executive officer of the USS Halsey before assuming command of the ship in April 2021, marking the first time a Nigerian-American officer led an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer.
His shore assignments include work in the Navy Office of Legislative Affairs in Washington, DC, where he liaised with members of the US House and Senate.
He also served as deputy executive assistant in the Surface Warfare Directorate on the Chief of Naval Operations’ staff, and later as branch chief for resources and acquisition management in the J-8 Directorate of the Joint Staff.
He was promoted to captain in August 2024. In November 2025, the US Navy appointed him commodore of Destroyer Squadron 60 and commander of Task Force 65.
Achievements
Ndukwe has served in deployments across the Mediterranean, the Middle East and Japan, and has overseen multinational naval operations in Europe and Africa.
His awards include the Defence Meritorious Service Medal, two Meritorious Service Medals, three Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medals, the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, and several campaign and unit awards.
