Rear Admiral Ashraful Hoq Chowdhury Joins as 4th Vice-Chancellor of BSMR Maritime University

Rear Admiral Ashraful Hoq Chowdhury, NBP, OSP, BCGM, ndu, afwc, psc, assumed the significant position of 4th Vice-Chancellor of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Maritime University (BSMRMU), Bangladesh, on 9 September 2024. Commissioned into the Executive Branch of the Bangladesh Navy on 1 January 1988, Rear Admiral Chowdhury is a gunnery specialised officer. His distinguished naval career includes commanding various naval ships, such as missile boats, patrol crafts, OPVs, and the frigate BNS ABU BAKR, along with command of the naval base BNS HAJI MOHSIN.

Throughout his career, Rear Admiral Chowdhury has held notable inter-service appointments, including Director General of CMR at the Armed Forces Division, Colonel GS in the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI), Senior Instructor (Navy), and Directing Staff at the Defence Services Command and Staff College (DSCSC), Mirpur.

During his tenure as Commander of Flotilla (West) (COMFLOT West), he oversaw the first successful test firing of an anti-submarine torpedo. He later took command of the Khulna Naval Area as COMKHUL before being appointed Director General of the Bangladesh Coast Guard, a prestigious position. His academic credentials include being an alumnus of the National Defence University in Beijing, the Armed Forces War College, National Defence College Mirpur, DSCSC Mirpur, and the US Naval War College in Rhode Island.

Rear Admiral Chowdhury's dedication to global peacekeeping was exemplified by his service in the United Nations Mission in Sudan under the Blue Helmet mandate. He has represented the Bangladesh Navy at various seminars and high-level delegations both domestically and internationally and served as a Senate member of BSMR Maritime University.