DJIBOUTI (Oct. 13, 2026) – Combined Maritime Forces’ counter-piracy task force strengthened ties with regional and international partners during a visit to Djibouti, Oct. 8-13.
Combined Task Force (CTF) 151 held senior-level talks ahead of a focused counter-piracy operation in the Gulf of Aden.
“Deterring piracy is not something any one navy does on its own,” said Republic of Korea Navy Capt. Yoon Hyun-woo, commander of CTF 151. “What matters is that the commanders responsible for this sea know each other before anything happens, share what they see and have already agreed how they will act together. That work is done face to face, in visits like this one, and it is what ‘Beyond Borders, Stronger Together’ means in practice.”
Task force leaders met representatives of the Djibouti Navy and Djibouti Coast Guard to discuss coastal surveillance, maritime interdiction procedures and information sharing.Djibouti sits at the southern entrance to the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, one of the world’s busiest maritime trade routes.
The talks examined how offshore surveillance and reporting by coalition forces could be linked more closely with observations and responses by regional partners near the coast.
CTF 151 also attended the European Union Naval Force Operation Atalanta task force change-of-command ceremony and met the outgoing and incoming force commanders. The meetings reaffirmed arrangements for patrol coordination, information sharing and mutual support at sea.
Talks with Japanese and Spanish maritime patrol aircraft detachments focused on making the best use of limited airborne surveillance assets, avoiding duplicated patrol coverage and exchanging operational information quickly.
The visit ended aboard a warship assigned to CTF 151, where personnel carried out a tabletop exercise rehearsing the coalition response to a piracy incident.
CTF 151 conducts counter-piracy operations across the Gulf of Aden, Somali Basin and wider Indian Ocean, working with regional and international partners to protect freedom of navigation and the safe passage of legitimate trade.
Merchant vessels transiting the region are encouraged to report to United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, follow best management practices and report suspicious activity immediately.
CMF, headquartered in Bahrain with U.S. Naval Forces Central Command and U.S. 5th Fleet, is the largest multinational naval partnership in the world, with 47 nations committed to upholding the international rules-based order at sea. It promotes security, stability and prosperity across approximately 3.2 million square miles of international waters, encompassing some of the world’s most important shipping lanes.
