Commander Combined Task Force 151 (CTF 151), Rear Admiral Daisuke Kajimoto, Japan Maritime Self Defence Force (JMSDF), has just returned from 3 days in Djibouti where he met with ministers and key members of the Djibouti Armed Forces in order to develop counter piracy strategies in the region.
During his visit, Rear Admiral Kajimoto met with the Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mohamed Ali Hassan who confirmed the requirement for cooperation and communication in the fight against piracy, he stated “The maintenance of security in the region must be a collective effort…Djibouti will continue to work with willing partners in pursuit of this goal.”
A key component of the development of counter-piracy efforts is building the necessary capabilities in the region. As such, Rear Admiral Kajimoto met with the heads of the Djibouti Navy, Colonel Abdourahman Aden Cher and the Djibouti Coast Guard, Colonel Wais Omar Bogoreh to discuss how CMF can assist in this regard. He also met their Minister of Defencee Mr Ali Hasan Bahdon. Rear Admiral Kajimoto said “We are extremely grateful for the support and hospitality offered by Djibouti…we hope to return this generosity through our capacity building work’.
Located in the centre of a strategically important, yet volatile region, Djibouti hosts a number of international forces who contribute to security and stability in the area. Therefore, Rear Admiral Kajimoto took the opportunity to visit Combined Joint Task Force (Horn of Africa), French forces in Djibouti and the EUNAVFOR maritime patrol and recce aircraft detachments in order to reinforce mutual support in maritime security operations.
In addition, he conducted a tour of the Japanese Deployment Support Group for Counter-Piracy Enforcement forces facility and visited Japanese Ship (JS) Setogiri. JS Setogiri is the current surface component of JMSDF’s force for counter-piracy and is tasked with the provision of escorts in the Internationally Recognised Transit Corridor. The air component is provided by JMSDF’s P3Cs which operate maritime surveillance sorties over the Gulf of Aden in support of CTF151’s mission. Rear Admiral Kajimoto is concurrently the commander of JMSDF Escort Flotilla 3, JS Setogiri’s parent unit, so this provided a perfect opportunity to meet with the crew, to understand the challenges they face, to offer his support and thank them for their continued hard work. RAdm Kajimoto now returns to Bahrain to continue the CTF 151 mission to disrupt piracy at sea in order to protect global maritime commerce and secure freedom of navigation.
Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) 