Rear Admiral Khondkar Misbah-ul-Azim Named New Chief of Naval Staff

 *Rear Admiral Khondkar Misbah-ul-Azim Named New Chief of Naval Staff*

The Government of Bangladesh has appointed Rear Admiral Khondkar Misbah-ul-Azim, NBP, NPP, ndu, afwc, psc, MPhil, PhD, as the new Chief of Naval Staff of the Bangladesh Navy. According to a Ministry of Defence notification issued on 16 July 2026, he will assume office on 23 July 2026 after being promoted to Vice Admiral. He succeeds Admiral M Nazmul Hassan and will serve a three-year term until 22 July 2029.

Rear Admiral Azim joined the Bangladesh Navy on 1 January 1987 and was commissioned in the Executive Branch on 1 July 1989 after completing his training at the Royal Malaysian Navy with distinction. He ranked first in both seniority and merit in his batch (87-A).

He holds a PhD in Maritime Governance from Bangladesh University of Professionals and is a distinguished graduate of the Defence Services Command and Staff College and the Armed Forces War Course. During his career, he served as Commander Chattogram Naval Area, Commander Dhaka Naval Area, Commander Submarine, and Commandant of the Bangladesh Naval Academy. He also held key appointments as Director of Naval Operations and Director of Naval Plans at Naval Headquarters, and commanded several warships including BNS Umar Farooq.

He participated in United Nations peacekeeping missions in Lebanon and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and most recently served as Bangladesh’s Ambassador to Oman. Rear Admiral Azim has been awarded the Noubahini Padak, Nou Paradarshita Padak, National Integrity Award, and the Chief of Naval Staff’s Commendation on three occasions.

He is married to Begum Nurtaz Azim and the couple has two daughters.