Royal Australian Navy assumes command of Combined Task Force 150

The Royal Australian Navy took over the command of Combined Task Force (CTF) 150 of the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) which had previously been lead by the Pakistan Navy.

Commodore Jaimie Hatcher of the Royal Australian Navy assumed command of Combined Task Force (CTF) 150 from Rear Admiral Muhammad Moazzam Ilyas of the Pakistan Navy on December 8, 2015, at a ceremony at CMF headquarters in Bahrain.

He will lead a team of 17 Royal Australian Navy, one Australian Army, one Defence civilian, one Australian Federal Policeman and seven Canadian Navy personnel, for almost five months of operations.

For the last four months, under the command of the Pakistan Navy, CTF 150 has been working to deter terrorists and smugglers from using the seas as an avenue to finance crime and terrorist activity.

Passing over command, Rear Admiral Muhammad Moazzam Ilyas said: “By its very nature, the threat of terrorism transcends national boundaries and requires a combined response from stakeholders. CMF has proven that this provides a framework to ensure global and regional maritime security while acknowledging the individual concerns and sensitivities of member countries.”

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