Dhaka, 10 March 2019: Bangladesh Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Aurangzeb Chowdhury was promoted to the rank Admiral. The Naval Chief was adorned with the new rank at Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) in Dhaka today. In presence of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, General Aziz Ahmed Chief of Bangladesh Army and Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Masihuzzaman Serniabat adorned the rank. Prime Minister’s Security Affairs Adviser Major General (retd) Tarique Ahmed Siddique, PM’s Principal Secretary Md. Nojibur Rahman and PM’s Military Secretary Major General Mia Md Jainul Abedin were present.
Admiral Aurangzeb Chowdhury, NBP, OSP, BCGM, PCGM, BCGMS, ndc, psc assumed the command of Bangladesh Navy as the 15th Chief of Naval Staff on 26th January 2019. The long and highly versatile career of the Admiral Aurangzeb Chowdhury spans across national and international assignments. It encompasses critical and sensitive Command, Staff and Instructional experiences within Navy as well as in Coast Guard, Inter-Services Organizations and Ministries. Vice Admiral Aurangzeb was born in a respectable family on the 28th of September 1959. He joined Bangladesh Navy in 1978. Eventually, he attended officer’s naval training in German Naval Academy, Federal Republic of Germany, where he secured the top position in order of merit.
During his career, Admiral Aurangzeb went through various education and training courses both at home and abroad. Namely, he has done Gunnery Specialization Course in India and came out first. He also did Surface Warfare Course in Naval Amphibious School in Coronado, USA in 1984 and became an honour graduate. Furthermore, he completed his Naval Staff Course from Germany and Shipbuilding Technology Course from South Korea. He also attended National Defence Course and Capstone Course in National Defence College in Bangladesh. Besides, he has participated in the Flag Officers Component Commander Course in Hawaii under Pacific Command.
Apart from military studies, Admiral Aurangzeb is also very keen on higher civil education. He successfully completed BA and MDS (Masters in Defence Studies) from National University, MBA from Bangladesh Open University and MPhil from Bangladesh University of Professionals (BUP). Presently Admiral Aurangzeb is pursuing his PhD under BUP.
During his long and illustrious career in the Navy, Admiral Aurangzeb successfully commanded ships of all sizes including Frigates and major logistics, training and administrative bases of Bangladesh Navy. He has held BN top command posts which include the position of Assistant Chief of Naval Staff (Operations), Assistant Chief of Naval Staff (Personnel), Commander Chattogram Naval Area, Commodore Superintendent Dockyard, Naval Secretary and a variety of other Directorial Positions at the Naval Headquarters.
Besides, he also held significant appointments, such as that of the Commandant of Marine Academy, Principal of Marine Fisheries Academy and Zonal Commander of Bangladesh Coast Guard Force. Prior to assumption of the command of Bangladesh Navy, Admiral Aurangzeb had been the Director General of Bangladesh Coast Guard (BCG) Force since 15 February 2016, during his incumbency his prudent vision allowed massive development projects to take place for the overall improvement of the force. Most notably, BCG was awarded Gold Medal for its contribution in Fisheries sector during his tenure as Director General.
Admiral Aurangzeb received numerous Commendations from the Chief of Naval Staff and Administrative Authorities for his outstanding performance and professional excellence in the Navy. He is also a recipient of Performance Gold Medal for his extraordinary attainments during training in the Federal Republic of Germany. He was awarded the highest achievement awards from navy namely ‘Nou Bahini Padak’ (NBP), ‘Osamanyo Sheba Padak’ (OSP) and ‘Bangladesh Coast Guard Medal’ (BCGM), ‘Bangladesh Coast Guard Medal Seba’ (BCGMS) as well as ‘President Coast Guard Medal (PCGM) from Coast Guard in recognition of his supreme professional excellence and distinguished services both in Bangladesh Navy and Bangladesh Coast Guard Force respectively. Moreover, he has been awarded the second highest scouts award ‘Silver Hilsha’ by the Hon’ble President of the Peoples Republic of Bangladesh. He also received National Integrity Strategy Award-2018 while serving as the Director General of Coast Guard Force under Ministry of Home Affairs.
The Admiral takes great interest in sports and other activities. He has won the BN squash Championship a number of times and as a young officer, he took part in a great many other sports such as hockey, cricket, basketball et cetera. He is also an avid reader and is proficient in German and knows some elementary French.
Admiral Aurangzeb is happily married to Dr. Afroza Aurangzeb, who is a Gynaecologist and they are blessed with one son who is a Software Engineer & one daughter who is pursuing an undergraduate degree in Physics.
