Brussels: Europe and the Arabs
Rosie Diaz, a spokeswoman for the British government, said, "The British Navy's assumption of command of the Combined Duty Force confirms our continued commitment to support the security of maritime navigation in the region, as these forces will do everything in their power to maintain maritime security and international freedom of navigation across the Arabian Sea, the Gulf of Oman and the Indian Ocean, and to combat the activities of terrorist organizations." And drug dealers, and this came in a tweet by the British spokeswoman on Twitter, in her comment on what was published by Al-Jazeera newspaper under the title
The Royal Saudi Naval Forces hand their British counterpart command of the Mixed Duty Force in Bahrain
According to the details of the news, "The Royal Saudi Naval Forces - Wednesday - handed over to the British Royal Naval Forces the responsibility of commanding the Mixed Duty Force (CTF-150), in a special ceremony held at the headquarters of the US Naval Base in the Kingdom of Bahrain.
The handover and reception ceremonies were held, in the presence of His Excellency the Commander of the Royal Saudi Naval Forces, Lieutenant General Fahd bin Abdullah Al-Ghafili, the Commander of the Central Command of the US Naval Forces, the US Fifth Fleet and the Mixed Naval Forces, Lieutenant General Brad Cooper, the Commander of the British Component and Deputy Commander of the Combined Maritime Forces, Commodore Philip Dennis, and Commander The Royal Bahraini Navy, Rear Admiral Mohammed Yousef Al-Assam, and a number of ambassadors, attachés and diplomatic corps in Manama.
During the ceremony, Colonel James Byrne of the British Royal Naval Forces officially received command of Force (CTF-150) from Rear Admiral Abdullah bin Mutaib Al-Mutairi of the Royal Saudi Naval Forces.
The Navy had assumed command of the Mixed Duty Force (CTF 150) for three periods, during which the force carried out a number of specific operations. For the purpose of enforcing maritime security in areas of responsibility and to ensure the free and safe flow of global shipping lanes, as well as to deter and stop non-governmental organizations from carrying out criminal and terrorist activities.
The Navy took over command of the force for the first time in July 2018 from the British Royal Navy, while it took over for the second time in August 2020 from the French Navy, and for the third time in July 2022 from the Pakistani Navy.
The Combined Duty Force (CTF 150), led by the Royal Saudi Naval Forces, from July 21, 2022 AD to January 18, 2023 AD, built new strategies in the operational concept, which contributed to the implementation of two focused operations called “Saif Al-Bahr 1,2”, and two other rapid operations. They were called "Sea Shield 1 and 2", during which fifty-seven operations were carried out to exercise the right to visit and search suspected boats, resulting in six seizures and destruction of drugs in quantities estimated at 19,723 kg, with a total value of more than $315 million and a market value estimated at $4 billion.
The Combined Marine Duty Force (CTF 150) was established in 2002, and is one of four mixed duty forces: Duty Force (CTF 151), Duty Force (CTF 152), in addition to the newly established Duty Force (CTF 153). These four forces operate under the command of the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) in the US Fifth Fleet in Bahrain, and it is considered the largest international maritime partnership in the world, and its tasks are to carry out maritime security operations in large areas of operations estimated at about 200 million square meters; It includes the Gulf of Oman, the Arabian Sea, the Indian Ocean, and the Gulf of Aden; For the purpose of combating terrorism and activities supporting it, such as smuggling people, drugs, weapons and coal; And to help ensure freedom of international navigation, and the safe and secure flow of international trade in those areas that are the hub and center of world trade and the main artery of the global economy.
The Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) includes thirty-four countries among them; Australia, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Pakistan, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America, in addition to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia