New international task force for the Red Sea established

The Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) have established a new international naval task force to improve maritime security in the Red Sea region.

During a ceremony at the US Navy's regional headquarters in Bahrain on 17 April, Vice Admiral Brad Cooper, commander of US Naval Forces Central Command, US 5th Fleet and CMF, commissioned Combined Task Force (CTF) 153, the US Navy said.

As the fourth task force of the CMF, CTF 153 will focus on international maritime security and capacity building in the Red Sea, Bab al-Mandeb and the Gulf of Aden. The CMF is the largest permanent multinational naval partnership with 34 nations committed to an international rules-based order at sea. The organisation's other task forces include CTF 150, which now focuses on maritime security in the Gulf of Oman and the Indian Ocean, CTF 151, which leads regional counter-piracy efforts, and CTF 152, which is dedicated to maritime security in the Arabian Gulf.

The task force staff includes up to 15 American and international military personnel from CMF member countries. The staff is currently located aboard the amphibious command ship USS Mount Whitney (LCC 20). When not at sea, CTF 153 personnel work in shore-based offices at CMF Headquarters in Manama, Bahrain.

The CMF was founded in 2001 with 12 like-minded countries to counter the threat of international terrorism. The organisation was later expanded to include the fight against piracy and is expecting another member, Egypt, in 2022.

Source: defenceWeb -19/4