COMBINED
MARITIME FORCES - DEFENCE & SECURITY
News: US Invites India to Place Naval
Officer in Combined Maritime Forces in Bahrain
What's
in the news?
●
The United States of America has invited
India to place a naval officer in the Combined Maritime Forces or CMF in
Bahrain.
●
This was after discussions between the
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and US Defence Secretary, Lloyd Austin during
the 2 plus 2 dialogue.
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.