The Kuwait Naval Force turned over command of a multinational naval task force to the Royal Bahrain Naval Force (RBNF) during a ceremony at the U.S. Navy base in Manama, Bahrain, August 25.
Royal Bahrain Naval Force Captain Rashed Ameen assumed command of Combined Task Force (CTF) 152 from Kuwait Naval Force Commodore Saif Alhamlan, Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) reported.
“I would like to commend the CTF 152 crew for their dedication and professionalism during my tenure in command,” said Alhamlan, who served as the Task Force Commander since February.
Bahrain Defense Force (BDF) Chief of Staff Lieutenant-General Theyab bin Saqr Al Nuaimi attended the ceremony. Commander of United States Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT), and Commander of United States Fifth Fleet (C5F) Vice-Admiral Charles Bradford Cooper was also present, Bahrain News Agency (BNA) said.
The RBNF received the commanding of CTF 152 for the first time on March 4, 2008 and the second time on January 6, 2011.
Established in 2004, CTF 152 conducts maritime security operations in the Arabian Gulf. The Royal Bahrain Naval Force now leads the task force for the first time in 11 years.
“I would like to congratulate our brethren from Kuwait Navy for having completed their tenure successfully and most efficiently. Over the last few years, CTF 152 has been extremely successful in maintaining peace in the region,” said Captain Rashed Ameen, the new Task Force Commander.
In another development, Bahrain’s Coast Guard Commander, Brigadier Jassim Mohammed Al Ghatam, received in Manama, the newly appointed Military Attaché of the US Embassy, Colonel Christopher Floyd.
He welcomed the US official, hailing the distinguished ties with the US Coast Guard, and the special relations with the US Naval Activities Support Centre stationed in Bahrain to enhance maritime security. (CMF; BNA; Photo © CMF (Left to Right): Kuwait Naval Force Commodore Saif Alhamlan; Vice Admiral Brad Cooper, Commander of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command, U.S. 5th Fleet and Combined Maritime Forces; Royal Bahrain Naval Force Captain Rashed Ameen
