CMF Commanders come together
The Commanders from the three Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) Combined Task Forces (CTFs) have met this month to discuss maritime security.
CTF 152 Change of Command
In an unusual event, the outgoing Commander Task Force 152 (CTF 152), Colonel Mohammed Aleid of the Kuwait Naval Force, handed over command to his successor and fellow Kuwaiti, Colonel Nayef Alasker, also of the Kuwait Naval Force.
CTF 152 is part of the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) and coordinates Maritime Security Operations in the region.
CTF 152 meets Mine Warfare Battle Staff
Commander Combined Task Force (CCTF) 152 met with the Second Mine Warfare Battle Staff (2MWBS) onboard RFA Cardigan Bay whilst alongside in Bahrain.
2MWBS is comprised of a team of 17 specialists drawn from multiple warfare and engineering disciplines from regular and reserve arenas. They are embarked on RFA Cardigan Bay, the Afloat Forward Support Base for the UK Mine Counter Measures Force. The Battle Staff rotate every 6 months after conducting multinational exercises and operations in support of the UK’s continued commitment to the Middle East region.
Exercise Falcon Response Roundup
Combined Task Force 152 (CTF152) recently conducted Search and Rescue (SAR), Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS), and First Aid training in the Gulf. The training consisted of both in port and at sea training. It was designed to enhance interoperability between Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) nations and wider maritime forces in the region, any of whom could be called upon to help should a SOLAS event occur for real.
Assisted by the United States Coast Guard (USCG) and United States Navy (USN), CTF152 delivered classroom training in Search Patterns and First Aid, and then undertook a series of realistic Man Overboard (MOB) exercises at sea. The exercise scenarios were deliberately left open to interpretation so that participants could put into practice the skills they had learnt in the classroom in a realistic environment.
CTF 152, Kuwait and Bahrain Commanders share experiences
Building closer ties with the Bahrain Navy, Colonel Mohammed Aleid of the Kuwait Navy and Commander of Combined Task Force (CTF) 152, met with Lt Colonel Nayef Al Jowder the Commanding Officer of Bahrain Warship Abdul Rahman Al Fadel.
 The Captain of the Bahraini Guided Missile Patrol Craft discussed its capabilities and how they can operate closer with CTF 152. The CTF coordinates Theatre Security Cooperation (TSC) activities with many regional partners, including Bahrain, conducts Maritime Security Operations (MSO) and remains prepared to respond to any crisis that may develop in the Gulf.
Saudi Arabia hands over command of CTF 152 to Kuwait
The Royal Saudi Naval Forces have handed over command of the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF), Combined Task Force (CTF) 152 to Kuwait. The ceremony, held in Bahrain, saw Captain Suliman Al-Enazi transfer command to Colonel Mohammad Aleid, Kuwait Naval Force.
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Maritime Forces come together in the Arabian Gulf to practice Search and Rescue Techniques.
As part of a wider integration with Gulf maritime forces, Combined Task Force 152 (CTF 152) planned and supervised a series of Search and Rescue exercises, known as Exercise Falcon Response, off the Kuwaiti coast. The aim of the exercise was for the navies and coast guards of Kuwait, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia to work together in testing and proving specific Search and Rescue techniques. <!–more–> Set against a fictitious scenario in which the Bahrain headquarters of CTF 152 received a distress call from an unknown location, the task groups involved in Falcon Response set about searching for the casualty in the waters of the Gulf. Each vessel in turn was nominated as the On-Site Coordinator (OSC) a task which involved selecting the most appropriate search pattern for the ships to follow, based on their best estimate of where the call came from. They would then coordinate the other ships…
KUWAITI NAVY LEADS STAKENET EXERCISE
Exercise Stakenet, one of a series of routinely planned Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) exercises recently completed, Feb, 9. Â The exercise began on Feb.5 in the northern Arabian Gulf and featured active participation by Kuwaiti Naval Ships (KNS) Al Nokhetha and Maskan, the guided missile destroyers USS John Paul Jones and USS Sterett, patrol craft USS Typhoon and USS Chinook, the British Royal Navy frigate HMS Argyll, a Kuwaiti Coast Guard patrol boat, two Kuwaiti Marine fast boats, U.S. Army Apache attack helicopters, U.S. Navy Maritime Patrol Aircraft, and U,S. Air Force F-16 aircraft.
Kuwait Navy Assumes Command of Combined Task Force 152
KUWAIT NAVY BASE, Kuwait – Command of Combined Task Force 152 (CTF-152) today passed from the United Arab Emirates Navy to the Kuwait Navy at a ceremony at Kuwait Naval Base, Sept 22.
HMS Iron Duke hosts Kuwaiti Staff College
In a long-planned engagement, HMS Iron Duke visited Kuwait while on deployment in the Northern Arabian Gulf to play host to 90 students during Kuwait’s Joint Command and Staff College’s ‘Sea Days’. The event, which is a regular feature in the Staff College’s calendar, proved a chance for the Royal Navy to offer an insight into the military role at sea of a sophisticated warship. With the majority of the students having an air force or army background, the aim was to provide an interesting, first hand experience of the maritime environment with an understanding of HMS Iron Duke’s capability and operations. They were also given an overview of the role of British maritime forces in the Arabian Gulf. The course visited the ship at the beginning of the Maritime Module, providing a practical exposure on which to underpin the theoretical lectures and discussions that would follow. Accompanied by their…