From Combined Maritime Forces Public Affairs

MANAMA, Bahrain – Combined Maritime Forces’ (CMF) Combined Task Force (CTF) 153 recently deployed uncrewed surface vessels (USVs) on a continuous patrol of the Red Sea for more than 50 days, marking CMF’s first maritime surveillance patrol using these vessels.

The Australian-led CTF 153 controlled four USVs between February and April, and patrolled a 219,000 square kilometer operating area, spanning approximately half of the Red Sea, monitoring for illicit activity.

The U.S. Navy’s Task Force (TF) 59, which develops doctrine for and experiments with uncrewed systems and artificial intelligence technologies, provided CTF 153 with the vessels.

The USVs maintained a constant, all-weather watch over the ocean while sharing real-time radar, day and night video feed back to the operators at CMF Headquarters.

CTF 153 operators, with assistance from civilian and U.S. Navy specialists, maintained direct control over the vessels remotely during the patrol.

A first-of-its-kind patrol for CMF, this patrol marked a key milestone in the expansion of CMF’s collaborative maritime security model. The operation was the result of nearly a year of preparations by Italian and Australian-led CTF 153 command staff, working in close collaboration with TF 59.

Royal Australian Navy Capt. Jorge McKee, commander of CTF 153, said the operation made a valuable contribution to Red Sea maritime security, yielding many lessons.

“As well as giving the task force real-time visibility of on-water activity, the deployment produced important observations of maritime traffic that is easily shared with regional partners,” he said. “Nothing beats having eyes out on the water. The [USVs] give us lots of eyes for many weeks without leaving to re-supply in a port.”

McKee also said this was an important step towards taking illicit activity off the high seas.

“We know that if there is nobody looking, criminals and other non-state actors will exploit any gap they can find. The high-seas are shared spaces for the common prosperity of all people, but if nobody is looking we know that smugglers will move drugs and weapons, illegal fisherman will plunder the oceans, and pirates will rob or hijack ships,” McKee said. “This operation demonstrates the value of extra eyes on the water, and helps us to know where to put warships in the right place to seize illicit cargo, and protect innocent mariners.”

Established on 17 April, 2022, CTF 153 is one of five task forces under CMF and was under Australian command from October 1, 2024 until April 9, 2025. Its mission is to deter and impede illicit non-state actors in the Red Sea, Bab al-Mandab and Gulf of Aden.

CTF153’s area of responsibility includes some of the world’s most important shipping lanes, connecting the Mediterranean Sea with the Indian Ocean and the greater Middle East region.

Combined Maritime Forces, a 46-nation naval partnership headquartered in Bahrain, is the world’s largest multinational naval partnership. It is committed to upholding the rules-based international order at sea, promoting security, stability and prosperity across approximately 3.2 million square miles of international waters, including crucial shipping lanes.