Commander of the Australian Fleet, Rear Admiral Tim Barrett, AM, CSC, RAN joined family in welcoming home members of Taskforce 150, who have returned from the Middle East after four months leading maritime counter-terrorism coalition operations.
Rear Admiral Barrett congratulated Commodore Charles McHardie, AM RAN on a successful deployment, which included a record heroin interception and the disruption of two shipments of hashish.
“Taskforce 150 under the leadership of Commodore McHardie made a significant contribution in the fight to secure the high seas for legitimate mariners,” said Rear Admiral Barrett.
“Heroin trafficking is a major source of financial supply for terrorists and the interception of a shipment estimated to have a street value of $100 million is significant. Combined with the seizure of 1,500kg of hashish off the Gulf of Oman and the disruption of around 300kg of hashish in the Gulf of Aden, this rotation of Taskforce 150 has had considerable success.
“While deployed, the taskforce worked closely with coalition partners and regional nations to bring stability and confidence to the region. This earned them high praise from coalition partners and made a significant contribution to maintaining safe passage to some of the world’s most important shipping lanes,” said Rear Admiral Barrett.
Commodore McHardie was supported by a combined Australian and Canadian staff.
“We have had an exceptionally rewarding deployment. Our successes have significantly impacted the hip pocket of international terrorist organisations,” said Commodore McHardie.
The deployment was the fourth time a Royal Australian Navy Officer commanded CTF150, which is one of three task forces commanded by Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) involving 27 nations in the naval partnership.
CMF exists to promote security, stability and prosperity across approximately 2.5 million square miles of international waters.
[mappress] Naval Today Staff, April 18, 2013; Image: Australian Navy