By Misbah-ur-rehman
The CTF 150 is among one of the three command task forces under the CMF- Combined Maritime Forces, which was established in 2002. The chief purpose of this task force is to conduct security operations in maritime domain outside of the Arabian Gulf region to ensure the safeguard and security of legitimate commercial activities and transition of shipments, free from any outside non state challenges and threats.
Recently, Command of CTF 150 was transferred to Pakistan, where Pakistan Navy Commodore Viqar Muhammad released Capt. Brendon Clark of Royal New Zealand Navy, in Bahrain in January this year at a Naval Support Activity, as a Commander of Combined Task Force 150.
While speaking at the ceremony, Commander CTF-150 Commodore Viqar Muhammed reiterated that Pakistan Navy is fully prepared and motivated to efficiently fulfill this responsibility and contribute to the maritime stability and security of the region. He emphasised that we believe in collaborative efforts to ensure maritime security and continue to work with zeal and zest to secure and safeguard stability and peace in international waters.
Viqar Muhammed has served for Operational Training and Evaluation as the Commodore and reporting from headquarters of Pakistan Navy for FOST- Flag Officer Sea Training. Having the transfer of Command of CTF 150 to Pakistan, it is the 12th time the country is leading this Task Force.
During the transfer of Command Ceremony, Brendon Clarke said that, he was honored and privileged to have been Commanded the great Combined Task force 150, leading a high performing, agile and a professional team. He said that they have achieved remarkable results as a staff, clutching in wholesale of the region at 74.5 million dollars’ worth Narcotics, which is the second largest pull in the value of dollars during the history of CMF Command team since 20 years.
Captain Clark was the first Commander of Combined Task Force from New Zealand’s’ Royal Navy. He is going to go back to Auckland, New Zealand and serve at Devonport Naval Base as the Captain of Fleet Operational Readiness. It also works to uphold the security of waters, and to disrupt, deter and deny any kind of terrorism activities and countering any illegal activities at seas.
Over the time of few years, number of participant states in Combined Military Force CMF has increased to 34 in total. CTF 150 and its coalition partners function to deny and deter any terrorist organization to benefit from taking the seas for transiting or smuggling any illicit narcotics. This signifies a mutual threat to the prosperity as well as security of the region.
The domain of duty of the task force expands over a 2 million square miles, which covers the Red Sea, Indian Ocean, Somali Basin, Gulf of Oman and Gulf of Aden. It also includes the perilous check points of Bab el Mandeb, Suez Canal and Strait of Hormuz. During all these years, it is regarded as a production and an effective team, which has grown with the addition of each nation while playing their unique roles and responsibilities, as well as their special and perspective talents in the planning and executing phases.
A record was broken in December 2018, when the warship of Royal Navy, HMS Dragon, conducted the major drug pull out in the history of Combined Military Forces, while destroying and seizing a package of ten thousand kilo grams of illicit narcotics from 2 dhows, in under forty eight hours under the command of Combined Task Force.
The successes Combined Task Force 150 has gained so far are achieved during the deployment of different states and their teams and their devotion and efforts in coalition with other Combined Military Forces member states. With cooperation and coalition, the Task Force has achieved regional coalition and cooperation interoperability, while aiding to the security of maritime domain by halting the use of deep seas as a passageway for illegal activities, which are in return used to fund terrorist activities across the globe.
