Pakistan Navy - new role

Online News; April 23, 2006
Pakistan navy to take control of RMSF today
Karachi: The official handover of command of Regional Maritime Security Force (RMSF) to the Pakistan Navy will take place today (Monday) in Bahrain.

United States Ambassador to Pakistan Ryan C. Crocker congratulated the Pakistan Navy on its impending takeover of Coalition Task Force 150 ("CTF-150") at a reception at the American Consul General’s residence in Karachi.

The official handover of command to the Pakistan Navy will take place on Monday, April 24, in Bahrain.

Coalition Task Force 150 is a maritime security force responsible for operations in the Gulf of Oman, Gulf of Aden, the Red Sea and the North Arabian Sea.

This will be the first time for the Pakistan Navy at the helm of this important task force, which is made up primarily of ships from NATO countries. The only two non-NATO ally members are Pakistan and New Zealand.

"In taking command of CTF-150, Pakistan is again showing its strong commitment to regional security," said Ambassador Crocker.

Attending the reception were several officers of the Pakistan Navy, including Commander Pakistan Fleet Admiral Asif Humayun.

CTF-150 is part of the Global War on Terror, aimed at preventing terrorist organizations from attacking important maritime structures and disrupting terrorist shipments of arms and materials through the Persian Gulf.

CTF-150 is part of regional maritime security operations that preserve the free and secure use of the world’s oceans for legitimate mariners and prevent terrorists from using the world’s oceans unchecked.