Vice Admiral Rajesh Dhankhar, has officially taken over as the Director General of Project Seabird, India’s largest defense infrastructure initiative currently underway at the Karwar Naval Base. He succeeds Vice Admiral Tarun Sobti, in a formal change of command ceremony held at the Headquarters of Project Seabird in New Delhi.
Vice Admiral Dhankhar, a seasoned officer with 34 years of distinguished service in the Indian Navy, was commissioned on July 1, 1990. A specialist in Navigation and Direction, he has an impressive academic background, being an alumnus of the Naval Academy, Defence Services Staff College, and having completed the Higher Command Course in Japan.
Throughout his illustrious career, Vice Admiral Dhankhar has served in key appointments on various frontline warships, including INS Pondicherry, Godavari, Kora, and Mysore. His instructional roles at the Project 15 Training Team, Navigation & Direction School, and MIDS Wing Officer’s Cadet School in Singapore have further demonstrated his expertise and commitment to the Navy.
In command roles, Vice Admiral Dhankhar has served as the Executive Officer onboard INS Delhi, and as Commanding Officer of INS Gharial, Mumbai, and the aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya. His notable staff appointments include pivotal roles at the Directorate of Naval Plans and the Directorate of Personnel, where he served as Principal Director and later as Commodore (Personnel).
At Flag rank, he has held significant positions including Chief Staff Officer (Training), Flag Officer Sea Training, Commandant of the Naval War College, and Flag Officer Commanding Eastern Fleet. As Chairman of the Carrier Acceptance Trials Team, he played a crucial role in overseeing the acceptance trials of INS Vikrant, India’s first indigenously built aircraft carrier.
Vice Admiral Dhankhar is a recipient of the prestigious Nao Sena Medal (Gallantry) awarded in 2015 for his role in the Non-Combatant Evacuation Operations (NEO) that safely evacuated Indian nationals from Aden and Al-Hodeida, Yemen.
During his recent tenure as Fleet Commander of the Eastern Fleet, Vice Admiral Dhankhar ensured the fleet maintained a high level of combat readiness and operational activity, including participating in numerous bilateral and multilateral naval exercises such as MILAN 24.
