Combined Task Force 151
Encyclopedia
Combined Task Force 151 or CTF-151 or Combined Task Force One Five One is an international naval task force
, set up in response to piracy
attacks in shipping lanes off the coast of Somalia
. They are part of the 25 nation coalition Combined Maritime Forces based in Bahrain
.
CTF 151 operates in the Gulf of Aden and off the eastern coast of Somalia covering an area of approximately 1.1 million square miles.
CTF 151 is a multinational task force established in January 2009 to conduct counterpiracy operations under a mission-based mandate throughout the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) area of responsibility to actively deter, disrupt and suppress piracy in order to protect global maritime security and secure freedom of navigation for the benefit of all nations.
CTF 151 has previously been commanded by members of the United States Navy
, the Republic of Korea Navy
, the Republic of Singapore Navy
, the Turkish Navy
and the Royal New Zealand Navy
. The command staff is composed of personnel from a number of coalition countries, and it manages daily operations from on board a CTF 151 Ship.
On January 8, 2009, at the United States Fifth Fleet headquarters in Manama, Bahrain, Vice Admiral
William E. Gortney
, USN, announced the formation of CTF-151 to combat the piracy threat off Somalia, with Rear Admiral
Terence E. McKnight
in command. The was designated as the first flagship
of Combined Task Force 151, serving as an afloat forward staging base (AFSB) for the following force elements:
Initially, CTF-151 consisted of the San Antonio, , and , with additional warships expected to join this force. Twenty countries were expected to contribute to the force, including Republic of Korea, Canada
, Denmark
, France
, the Netherlands
, Pakistan
, Singapore
, and the United Kingdom
, all of which have already pledged participation.
On April 5, 2009, United States Rear Adm. Michelle J. Howard
, assumed command of CTF-151 and Expeditionary Strike Group 2. On the 29 May, the Australian Government pledged its support, re-tasking Australian Warship from duties in the Persian Gulf
to the taskforce.
's Combined Task Force 151 caught the first pirate in 50 years in the Gulf of Aden on Feb. 11, 2009. 16 Somalis were captured in two separate incidents. The actions by the United States Navy were authorized by the United States Joint Chiefs of Staff
via a Counter Piracy Execute Order that authorized the task force to capture pirates in the Horn of Africa region. The actions were covered by an ABC News
team that was embedded with the Combined Task Force 151 including Lara Setrakian
.
Task force
A task force is a unit or formation established to work on a single defined task or activity. Originally introduced by the United States Navy, the term has now caught on for general usage and is a standard part of NATO terminology...
, set up in response to piracy
Piracy
Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence at sea. The term can include acts committed on land, in the air, or in other major bodies of water or on a shore. It does not normally include crimes committed against persons traveling on the same vessel as the perpetrator...
attacks in shipping lanes off the coast of Somalia
Somalia
Somalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...
. They are part of the 25 nation coalition Combined Maritime Forces based in Bahrain
Bahrain
' , officially the Kingdom of Bahrain , is a small island state near the western shores of the Persian Gulf. It is ruled by the Al Khalifa royal family. The population in 2010 stood at 1,214,705, including 235,108 non-nationals. Formerly an emirate, Bahrain was declared a kingdom in 2002.Bahrain is...
.
CTF 151 operates in the Gulf of Aden and off the eastern coast of Somalia covering an area of approximately 1.1 million square miles.
CTF 151 is a multinational task force established in January 2009 to conduct counterpiracy operations under a mission-based mandate throughout the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) area of responsibility to actively deter, disrupt and suppress piracy in order to protect global maritime security and secure freedom of navigation for the benefit of all nations.
CTF 151 has previously been commanded by members of the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
, the Republic of Korea Navy
Republic of Korea Navy
The Republic of Korea Navy or the ROK Navy is the branch of the South Korean armed forces responsible for conducting naval operations and amphibious landing operations. The ROK Navy includes the Republic of Korea Marine Corps, which is a quasi-autonomous organization...
, the Republic of Singapore Navy
Republic of Singapore Navy
The Republic of Singapore Navy is the naval component of the Singapore Armed Forces , responsible for the defence of Singapore against sea-borne threats and protection of its sea lines of communications. Operating within the crowded littoral waters of the Singapore Strait, the RSN is regarded as...
, the Turkish Navy
Turkish Navy
The Turkish Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the Turkish Armed Forces.- Ottoman fleet after Mudros :Following the demise of the Ottoman Empire in the aftermath of World War I, on November 3, 1918, the fleet commander of the Ottoman Navy, Liva Amiral Arif Pasha, ordered all flags to be...
and the Royal New Zealand Navy
Royal New Zealand Navy
The Royal New Zealand Navy is the maritime arm of the New Zealand Defence Force...
. The command staff is composed of personnel from a number of coalition countries, and it manages daily operations from on board a CTF 151 Ship.
Formation
Between 2002 and 2004, a first naval coalition in charge of fighting terrorism in the area was dubbed Task Force 151.On January 8, 2009, at the United States Fifth Fleet headquarters in Manama, Bahrain, Vice Admiral
Vice admiral (United States)
In the United States Navy, the United States Coast Guard, the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Corps, and the United States Maritime Service, vice admiral is a three-star flag officer, with the pay grade of...
William E. Gortney
William E. Gortney
William Evans "Bill" Gortney is a vice admiral in the United States Navy. He is the current Director of the Joint Staff. He previously served as Commander of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command/5th Fleet...
, USN, announced the formation of CTF-151 to combat the piracy threat off Somalia, with Rear Admiral
Rear Admiral
Rear admiral is a naval commissioned officer rank above that of a commodore and captain, and below that of a vice admiral. It is generally regarded as the lowest of the "admiral" ranks, which are also sometimes referred to as "flag officers" or "flag ranks"...
Terence E. McKnight
Terence E. McKnight
Rear Admiral Terence E. McKnight, United States Navy, is a former American naval officer in command a new multi-national naval force tasked to confront piracy activities off the coast of Somalia.-Educational Background:...
in command. The was designated as the first flagship
Flagship
A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, reflecting the custom of its commander, characteristically a flag officer, flying a distinguishing flag...
of Combined Task Force 151, serving as an afloat forward staging base (AFSB) for the following force elements:
- 14-member U.S. Navy visit, board, search and seizure (VBSS)Visit, Board, Search, and SeizureVisit, board, search, and seizure is the term for maritime boarding actions and tactics, designed to capture enemy vessels, to combat terrorism, piracy and smuggling, and to conduct customs, safety and other inspections, as employed by modern navies, marine and maritime services, military and...
team. - 8-member United States Coast GuardUnited States Coast GuardThe United States Coast Guard is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven U.S. uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency...
Law Enforcement Detachment (LEDET) 405Law Enforcement DetachmentsLaw Enforcement Detachments or LEDETs are specialized, deployable maritime law enforcement teams of the United States Coast Guard. First established in 1982, their primary mission is to deploy aboard U.S. and allied naval vessels to conduct and support law enforcement, interdiction, or security...
. - Scout SniperScout SniperScout Sniper is a secondary MOS designator of U.S. Marine Corps infantrymen and reconnaissance Marines that have successfully graduated from a USMC Scout Sniper School. Scout Snipers provide close reconnaissance and surveillance to the infantry battalion...
Platoon, 2nd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment2nd Battalion 6th Marines2nd Battalion, 6th Marines is an infantry battalion in the United States Marine Corps based out of Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Also known as "The Ready Battalion" or "2/6 Spartans", it consists of approximately 800 Marines and Sailors and falls under the command of the 6th Marine Regiment and...
, 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (26 MEU)26th Marine Expeditionary UnitThe 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit is one of seven Marine Expeditionary Units currently in existence in the United States Marine Corps. The Marine Expeditionary Unit is a Marine Air-Ground Task Force with a strength of about 2,200 personnel. The MEU consists of four major parts: a command element,...
cross-decked from the . - 3rd platoon of the 26 MEU 'Golf' Infantry Company, a military police detachment, and intelligence personnel.
- Fleet Surgical Team 8 with level-two surgical capability to deal with trauma, surgical, critical care and medical evacuation needs.
- Approximately 75 Marines with six AH-1W Super CobraAH-1 SuperCobraThe Bell AH-1 SuperCobra is a twin-engine attack helicopter based on the US Army's AH-1 Cobra. The twin Cobra family includes the AH-1J SeaCobra, the AH-1T Improved SeaCobra, and the AH-1W SuperCobra...
and two UH-1N HueyUH-1N Twin HueyThe Bell UH-1N Twin Huey is a medium military helicopter that first flew in April, 1969. The UH-1N has a fifteen seat configuration, with one pilot and fourteen passengers. In cargo configuration the UH-1N has an internal capacity of 220 ft³ . An external load of 5,000 lb can be carried...
helicopters from the Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 264 (HMM-264)HMM-264Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 264 is a United States Marine Corps tiltrotor squadron consisting of MV-22 Osprey transport aircraft. The squadron, known as the "Black Knights", is based at Marine Corps Air Station New River, North Carolina and normally falls under the command of Marine Aircraft...
of the 26th MEU cross-decked from the USS Iwo Jima. - Three HH-60H helicopters from Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron 3 (HS-3) cross-decked from the .
Initially, CTF-151 consisted of the San Antonio, , and , with additional warships expected to join this force. Twenty countries were expected to contribute to the force, including Republic of Korea, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
, Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
, and the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, all of which have already pledged participation.
On April 5, 2009, United States Rear Adm. Michelle J. Howard
Michelle J. Howard
Michelle Janine Howard is an American Rear Admiral in the United States Navy. She currently serves as Chief of Staff to the Director for Strategic Plans and Policy, J-5, Joint Staff....
, assumed command of CTF-151 and Expeditionary Strike Group 2. On the 29 May, the Australian Government pledged its support, re-tasking Australian Warship from duties in the Persian Gulf
Persian Gulf
The Persian Gulf, in Southwest Asia, is an extension of the Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.The Persian Gulf was the focus of the 1980–1988 Iran-Iraq War, in which each side attacked the other's oil tankers...
to the taskforce.
Actions
The United States NavyUnited States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
's Combined Task Force 151 caught the first pirate in 50 years in the Gulf of Aden on Feb. 11, 2009. 16 Somalis were captured in two separate incidents. The actions by the United States Navy were authorized by the United States Joint Chiefs of Staff
Joint Chiefs of Staff
The Joint Chiefs of Staff is a body of senior uniformed leaders in the United States Department of Defense who advise the Secretary of Defense, the Homeland Security Council, the National Security Council and the President on military matters...
via a Counter Piracy Execute Order that authorized the task force to capture pirates in the Horn of Africa region. The actions were covered by an ABC News
ABC News
ABC News is the news gathering and broadcasting division of American broadcast television network ABC, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company...
team that was embedded with the Combined Task Force 151 including Lara Setrakian
Lara Setrakian
Lara Setrakian is an American correspondent for Bloomberg Television and ABC News based in Dubai.Lara is an international news reporter with a focus on political economy. Setrakian was instrumental in Bloomberg Television’s live on the ground coverage of the 2011 Egyptian Revolution...
.
Commanders
- Rear Admiral Kaleem Shaukat, PNPakistan NavyThe Pakistan Navy is the naval warfare/service branch of the Pakistan Armed Forces. Pakistan's Navy is responsible for Pakistan's coastline along the Arabian Sea and the defense of important civilian harbors and military bases...
- Rear Admiral Sinan ERTUĞRUL, TNTurkish NavyThe Turkish Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the Turkish Armed Forces.- Ottoman fleet after Mudros :Following the demise of the Ottoman Empire in the aftermath of World War I, on November 3, 1918, the fleet commander of the Ottoman Navy, Liva Amiral Arif Pasha, ordered all flags to be...
- Rear Admiral Lee Beom-rim, ROKN
- Rear Admiral Bernard Miranda, RSNRepublic of Singapore NavyThe Republic of Singapore Navy is the naval component of the Singapore Armed Forces , responsible for the defence of Singapore against sea-borne threats and protection of its sea lines of communications. Operating within the crowded littoral waters of the Singapore Strait, the RSN is regarded as...
- Rear Admiral Harris Chan, RSNRepublic of Singapore NavyThe Republic of Singapore Navy is the naval component of the Singapore Armed Forces , responsible for the defence of Singapore against sea-borne threats and protection of its sea lines of communications. Operating within the crowded littoral waters of the Singapore Strait, the RSN is regarded as...
- Rear Admiral Terence E. McKnightTerence E. McKnightRear Admiral Terence E. McKnight, United States Navy, is a former American naval officer in command a new multi-national naval force tasked to confront piracy activities off the coast of Somalia.-Educational Background:...
, USN - Rear Admiral Michelle J. HowardMichelle J. HowardMichelle Janine Howard is an American Rear Admiral in the United States Navy. She currently serves as Chief of Staff to the Director for Strategic Plans and Policy, J-5, Joint Staff....
, USN - Rear Admiral Caner Bener, TNTurkish NavyThe Turkish Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the Turkish Armed Forces.- Ottoman fleet after Mudros :Following the demise of the Ottoman Empire in the aftermath of World War I, on November 3, 1918, the fleet commander of the Ottoman Navy, Liva Amiral Arif Pasha, ordered all flags to be...
- Rear Admiral Scott E. Sanders, USN
- Capt. Jim Gilmour, RNZN
See also
- Piracy in SomaliaPiracy in SomaliaPiracy off the coast of Somalia has been a threat to international shipping since the second phase of the Somali Civil War in the early 21st century...
- Maritime Security Patrol AreaMaritime Security Patrol AreaThe Maritime Security Patrol Area is specified patrol zone in the Gulf of Aden. Its borders are unmarked, but are a narrow, rectangular corridor between Somalia and Yemen, within the northern sector of the gulf...
- Combined Task Force 150Combined Task Force 150Combined Task Force 150 is a multinational coalition naval task force working under the 25 nation coalition of Combined Maritime Forces and is based in Bahrain established to monitor, inspect, board, and stop suspect shipping to pursue the "War on Terrorism" and in the Horn of Africa region ...
- Operation AtalantaOperation AtalantaOperation Atalanta is a current military operation undertaken by the European Union and the European Union Naval Force. It is part of a larger global action by the EU in the Horn of Africa to deal with the Somali crisis; for example World Food Programme ships food aid to ports in Somalia and...
- Maersk Alabama hijackingMaersk Alabama hijackingThe Maersk Alabama hijacking was a series of events involving piracy that began with four Somali pirates seizing the cargo ship southeast of the Somali port city of Eyl. This event ended with the action of 12 April 2009. It was the first successful pirate seizure of a ship registered under the...