Newly appointed Commander Combined Task Force (CCTF) 151 Rear Admiral Oguz Karaman from the Turkish Navy conducted a successful cross-deck evolution to Republic of Singapore Ship INTREPID, commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Vince Tan, in his first official engagement on 23 September 2012.
RDML Karaman, who is commanding CTF 151 at sea from the Turkish flagship TCG GEMLIK, and three members of his staff, had the opportunity to meet with the senior officer in RSS INTREPID, Colonel Frederick Chew, the Commanding Officer LTC Tan and other personnel from the ship and Task Group.
The visit included a number of presentations, a tour of the ship and allowed the CCTF to learn first hand about the capability of INTREPID but more importantly discuss how the two ships can work together to optimize their air and surface capabilities in the fight against piracy.
“Meeting Col. Chew and personnel from INTREPID was very constructive in ensuring our mutual efforts are in synch and continue to counter piracy effectively in the IRTC region,” said RDML Karaman. He went on to state, “I am very encouraged from our open lines of communication that our joint capabilities will provide a strong force in deterring piracy. RSS INTREPID is a valuable asset in my task force and I look forward to working with them.”
Whilst welcoming the RDML and his staff, Col. Chew reaffirmed their commitment to the mission and how beneficial it was to meet in person to discuss the combined efforts of both assets.
“The Singapore Navy is honoured to host CCTF 151 Rear Admiral Oguz Karaman onboard,” said Col. Chew. It is important for us to be able to hear, firsthand, the Commander’s appreciation of the battlespace and his priorities, so that we can best plug in and bring value to the Combined Force”.
The CTF 151 staff is a multi-national composition including personnel from Australia, Netherlands, Pakistan, Turkey and the United States.
Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) 