Vice Admiral Rajesh Dhankhar Takes Charge of Project Seabird

Vice Admiral Rajesh Dhankhar has taken over as the director general of Project Seabird, supervising the Indian Navy's largest defence infrastructure project at Karwar Naval Base. The officer, with a distinguished career spanning 34 years, replaces Vice Admiral Tarun Sobti and brings extensive experience in naval operations and strategic planning.

Vice Admiral Rajesh Dhankhar on Wednesday assumed duties as director general of Project Seabird, the largest defence infrastructure project currently in progress at Karnataka's Karwar Naval Base, according to the Indian Navy.

He succeeded Vice Admiral Tarun Sobti in a change of guard ceremony held at the project's New Delhi headquarters.

Project Seabird aims to expand the critical and strategically located naval base. Commissioned into the Indian Navy on July 1, 1990, Dhankhar specialises in navigation and direction and has served on various warships including Pondicherry, Godavari, Kora, and Mysore.

Dhankhar, an alumnus of the Naval Academy, Defence Services Staff College, and a graduate of Japan's Higher Command Course, has also served as an instructor in prominent naval training institutes.

His command tenures include appointments onboard INS Delhi, INS Gharial, Mumbai, and Vikramaditya. He also held significant staff roles at the Directorate of Naval Plans and the Directorate of Personnel.

Dhankhar was awarded the Nao Sena Medal (Gallantry) in 2015 for his role in evacuating Indian nationals from Yemen. As Eastern Fleet Commander, he ensured a high level of combat readiness and led numerous operational and diplomatic engagements, including 'Milan 24' with friendly foreign navies.

(With inputs from agencies.)