US, Partners Launch Task Force For Maritime Security Training In Middle East - Pentagon

The United States and its partners launched a new task for maritime security training in the Middle East, the US Naval Forces Central Command said on Monday

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 22nd May, 2023) The United States and its partners launched a new task for maritime security training in the middle East, the US Naval Forces Central Command said on Monday.

The Combined Task Force (CTF) 154 was commissioned during a ceremony at the US 5th Fleet headquarters in Bahrain. It is CMF's fifth task force. The fourth Combined Task Force, CTF 153, was established in April 2022 for maritime security in the Red Sea.

"The U.S.-led multinational partnership, Combined Maritime Forces (CMF), established a new task force May 22 that will train partner navies and improve operational capabilities to enhance maritime security in the Middle East," the statement said.

The training will take place at various locations across the Middle East, enabling more CTF partner nations to participate in training programs without ships or aircraft, particularly during courses that are facilitated ashore, it added.

The training will include maritime awareness, maritime law, maritime interdiction, maritime rescue and assistance, and leadership development.

Each training opportunity will be tailored to meet partner requests ranging from basic to advanced levels, the statement said.

CMF is a multinational partnership established in 2001 to combat illicit non-state actors on the high seas and promote security, stability, and prosperity, as well as to counter the threat of piracy in the region. Headquartered in Bahrain, the partnership consists of 38 member nations, including Australia, Canada, France, Germany, India, Iraq, Italy, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Yemen.

CMF is the largest multinational naval partnership in the world, according to the US Naval Forces Central Command.

Earlier this month, White House Strategic Communications Coordinator John Kirby said that in the coming weeks, the US will seek to increase coordination and interoperability of the international maritime security construct in the Arabian Gulf amid alleged Iranian interference with commercial maritime activity.