COMBINED
MARITIME FORCE - DEFENCE AND SECURITY
News:
UAE withdraws from
U.S.-led maritime coalition
What's
in the news?
●
The United Arab Emirates has withdrawn
from a U.S.-led maritime coalition tasked with securing tense Gulf waterways
that are vital to the global oil trade.
Key
takeaways:
●
The UAE "withdrew its
participation" in the 38-nation Combined Maritime Forces two months ago, a
Foreign Ministry statement said, without giving reasons for the move.
Combined
Maritime Force:
●
The Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) is a multinational maritime partnership,
which exists to uphold the Rules-Based
International Order (RBIO) by countering illicit non-state actors on the
high seas and promoting security, stability, and prosperity across
approximately 3.2 million square miles of international waters, which encompass
some of the world’s most important shipping lanes.
Headquarters: Manama, Bahrain.
Members:
●
CMF has 38 member nations such as Australia, Bahrain, Belgium, Brazil,
Canada, Denmark, Djibouti, Egypt, France, Germany, Greece, India, Iraq, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Republic of Korea,
Kuwait, Malaysia, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, the
Philippines, Portugal, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Seychelles, Singapore, Spain,
Thailand, Türkiye, UAE, United Kingdom, United States, and Yemen.
Features:
1.
Combined Task Forces:
CMF
has four Combined Task Forces such
as
●
CTF 150 (Maritime Security Operations outside
the Arabian Gulf)
●
CTF 151 (Counter-Piracy)
●
CTF 152 (Maritime Security Operations
inside the Arabian Gulf)
●
CTF 153 (Red Sea Maritime Security)
●
CTF 154 (Maritime Security Training)
2.
Commanded by:
●
CMF is Commanded by a U.S. Navy Vice Admiral, who also serves as Commander US Naval
Forces Central Command (NAVCENT) and US Navy Fifth Fleet.
●
CMF’s Deputy Commander is a United Kingdom
Royal Navy Commodore. Other senior staff roles at CMF’s headquarters are filled
by personnel from member nations.
●
All four commands are co-located at US
Naval Support Activity Bahrain.
3.
Active Region:
●
It is active in crucial Gulf waters where tankers have been seized and attacked in
recent months.
4.
Flexible Organisation:
●
CMF is a coalition of the willing and does not prescribe a specific level of
participation from any member nation.
●
Participation in the CMF-B is voluntary
and it is neither mandated by a political agreement nor a military one.
●
The contribution from each country,
therefore, varies depending on its ability to contribute assets and the
availability of those assets at any given time.