Maritime Raid Force Recaptures Ship From Pirates
CMF forces seize control of M/V Magellan Star from pirates.
Australian Frigate HMAS Melbourne Joins CMF
MANAMA, Bahrain – The Australian frigate HMAS Melbourne arrived this week to participate in counter-piracy and maritime security operations with the 25-nation Combined Maritime Forces (CMF). The Adelaide class guided missile frigate left her home port of Sydney, Australia, in mid-August and will relieve Anzac class frigate HMAS Parramatta, which has been in the region since March. CMF units are committed to working together in order to promote security and prosperity across some 2.5 million square miles of international waters in the Middle East, which encompass some of the world’s most important shipping lanes. Its main focus areas are defeating terrorism, preventing piracy, reducing illegal activities, and promoting a safe maritime environment. HMAS Melbourne has a ship’s company of 238 men and women. Additionally, 13 Australian service personnel are assigned to CMF Headquarters, Manama, Bahrain, fulfilling a diverse range of staff roles ranging from watchkeepers to legal advisors. Captain John…
Turkey Assumes Command of CTF-151
Rear Admiral Sinan Ertugrul of the turkish Navy assumes command of CTF-151.
Colonel Dashti Assumes Command of Combined Task Force 152
Kuwait – Command of Combined Task Force 152 (CTF-152) has passed from Kuwaiti Brigadier General Jassim al Ansari to his fellow countryman Colonel Abdullah Dashti. A handover ceremony took place at Naval Operations Center, Mohammed Al Ahmed Naval Base, Kuwait, August 10. The ceremony was attended by Commodore Tim Fraser Royal Navy, Deputy Commander Combined Maritime Forces (DCCMF), as well as the CTF-152 staff and watch team members. Kuwait elected to rotate their commanders roughly half way through their seven month command period in order for two senior officers to gain valuable experience of leading a multi-national task force. CTF-152 is one of three task forces operated by Combined Maritime Forces (CMF), a 24 nation coalition based in Bahrain. It operates in the Arabian Gulf conducting Maritime Security Operations in conjunction with Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) partners to prevent destabilising activities and promote maritime security. Activities conducted by CTF-152 include…
Combined Task Force 152 Conducts Maritime Evolution in Arabian Gulf
Commander, Combined Task Force (CTF) 152, and several international and regional navies and coast guards, successfully completed Stakenet, a maritime infrastructure protection evolution in the North Arabian Gulf July 11 – 14. This year’s Stakenet included approximately 14 vessels and support from the Kuwait Navy and Coast Guard, United Arab Emirates, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, France, United Kingdom and United States. It was the third evolution in a series of maritime engagements designed to exercise the establishment of local sea control to protect key economic and energy related maritime infrastructure. Stakenet also demonstrated the ability of multi-national navies and coast guards to communicate effectively while overcoming language barriers, and their ability to enhance cooperation between different nations that use different operating procedures. This type of deliberate and collaborative engagement is characteristic of the CTF 152 mission, and further illustrates the Kuwaiti military’s professionalism and aptitude as a regional naval…
CTF 150 Conducts Successful Maritime Security Operations Evolution
Combined Task Force (CTF) 150 conducted a Maritime Security Operations (MSO) evolution in the Gulf of Aden and Bab Al Mandab sea areas from the 25th – 30th June. This operation was a key achievement for the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) regional engagement in the CTF 150 area of operation and building of maritime Pattern of Life (POL). Coalition warships from the United Kingdom and United States along with German Maritime Patrol and Reconnaissance Aircraft (MPRA) participated in the operation. Besides regional engagement, particular attention was paid to the collection of maritime pattern of life data, building cooperation with Yemeni fisherman and utilizing the knowledge of Yemen Naval personnel about local issues and maritime environment. The operation also included interaction with the Royal Saudi Naval Forces (RSNF) warships Al Riyadh and Makkah. MSO are conducted to support the basic themes of anti-terrorism, violent extremism, narcotic smuggling, human smuggling and or…
Commanders of Counter Piracy Tasks Forces 151 & 508 Meet to Discuss Current and Future Operations
MANAMA, Bahrain – Rear Admiral Beom Rim Lee, Commander, Combined Task Force (CTF) 151, met today with Commodore Michiel B. Hijmans, head of Combined Task Force (CTF) 508, today to advance mutual strategy, communications and operations between the two tasks forces conducting anti-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden and Somali Basin. CTF 151, embarked on ROKS Kang Gam Chan, is the counter-piracy task force of Combined Maritime Forces, and CTF 508 is the NATO component embarked on HNLMS de Zeven Provincien. Pirates have adjusted to both the current monsoon conditions in the Somali Basin and the increased naval forces presence in the Internationally Recommended Transit Corridor (IRTC) in the Gulf of Aden forcing them to find targets of opportunity elsewhere, the two CTF commanders agreed. The successful hijacking of M/V Motivator and other thwarted attempts in the southern Red Sea lead to a discussion for the need of increased…
CTF 151 Commander Meets with Djiboutian Defence Minister, Head of Navy
MANAMA, Bahrain – Rear Admiral Beom Rim Lee, Commander, Combined Task Force (CTF) 151, met with the Djiboutian Minister of Defence and the head of the country’s naval forces during a port visit to Djibouti this week. Rear Admiral Lee is embarked on ROKS Kang Gam Chan, CTF-151 flagship. During the meeting with Defence Minister Ougoureh Kifleh Ahmed, the two noted the strategic, geographical, commercial and communications position of Djibouti, and both agreed to continued and increased support of each other’s mission to secure the safe passage of merchant and private vessels through the Gulf of Aden. “Recently, pirates have become active in the southern Red Sea, placing further logistical strain on the international forces focused on deterring and disrupting piracy in the area,” Lee said. “Djibouti’s commitment to provide assistance however and wherever it can, is greatly appreciated by Combined Task Force 151, as I’m sure it is the…