20 NAVY NEWS, MAY 2007
Genie in a battle
MAKE no mistake: This is
the front line. The crucible
THE RN has just relinquished command of the
of Royal Navy operations.
largest naval force committed to the war on
The crossroads of
terror, Coalition Task Force 150, to the French.
maritime trade.
Lt Cdr ‘Grassy’ Meadows from the CTF150 staff
It stretches from the Red Sea
reviews 142 Arabian nights (and days) involving the
to the Indo-Pakistan border, to ‘genie of maritime security’...
the Seychelles and the shores of
Kenya – 2½ million square miles
of ocean and sea bordered by
‘just-in-time’ supply chain. As the fi rst Royal Saudi Naval
6,500 nautical miles of coastline
Most cargo is in transit on the Force ship prepares to conduct
in 14 nations.
high seas – so Western economies its inaugural patrol with the task
Nine out of ten cargo ships
are extremely vulnerable to the group, probably sometime in the
moving between Europe and Asia
slightest interruption to trade at next couple of months, important
pass through here. So too do two
sea. ground work was laid by CTF 150
in every three oil tankers.
Illegal use of the sea – people, staff.
A century ago, Jackie Fisher
drugs, and arms traffi cking – is a “It is well documented that
labelled the Suez Canal, Horn of
chronic disease in the task force’s the threats on the high seas range
Africa and the Strait of Hormuz as
operational area, providing from terrorism, piracy, criminal
‘choke points’ where trade on the
a background against activity, disasters at
high seas – vital to the prosperity
which the terrorist can sea, or a multiplicity
of the Empire – converged.
hide. of activities that
A century on, the Empire has
And so coalition could present
faded but the waters of Coalition
vessels operate themselves as
Task Force 150 remain the
across the whole threats,” explained
‘spaghetti junction’ of maritime
of the task force’s Cdre Williams.
trade.
domain, ready “We are not
These are waters which ships of
to react to any here just for our
His or Her Majesty have patrolled
situation: search and own purposes, but to
for centuries. The ships have
rescue, protecting help others develop
changed, so too the enemies, but
the main shipping their capabilities as
the fundamentals are the same:
routes, deterring smuggling well in dealing with these
the safeguard of the oceans.
or protecting key economic threats.”
At the helm of CTF 150 for
infrastructure. While the threat should not be
the past five months has been
Ships routinely conduct a wide underestimated, nor should it be
Cdre Bruce Williams, who with
range of maritime operations to overplayed.
his multi-national team has
prevent and deter illegal activity The vast majority of vessels
challenged enemies of freedom on
on the high seas, and to work with using these waters are doing so
the high seas.
local navies and authorities to legally; the presence of Allied
● Royal Marine Capt Jamie Barrow (centre) with his interpreter Hamad Al Haddad (left) chat with the
The task force is a changeable
safeguard legitimate activity and warships offers more than just
master of a dhow during boarding operations by HMS Campbeltown and (below) a boarding party heads
beast. The ships change. The
use of their territorial waters. reassurance and security.
off in Campbeltown’s RIB to conduct a search
people at the top change. The
It is a mission mostly unseen There is a great deal of
nations involved change: 19 navies
and invariably unsung (you won’t humanitarian support offered to
in all have contributed to the force
see it reported in the papers or on the crews of the dhows which ply
since its inception six years ago.
TV unless, perhaps, something their trade in these waters.
Every RN vessel which passes
goes very wrong – or very right). The boarding crews offer
through the Suez Canal into the
But Cdre Williams is adamant assistance and advice and some
Red Sea and on into the Gulf or
that the task force has played a key logistic support to all those who
Indian Ocean will have played
role in global security. go about their everyday legitimate
some role in the task force’s
“I believe that the presence of business.
important mission – even if all the
Coalition naval vessels in the region This ‘human touch’ by the
vessel did was pass through and
can be compared to an insurance British-led task force has been
provide a presence in the region.
policy for your house but with openly appreciated by the region’s
From his headquarters in
a vital difference. The insurance maritime community, who
Bahrain, Cdre Williams directed
policy pays if the house fl oods. frequently acknowledge that they
an eclectic force of maritime patrol
Our aim is to stop it fl ooding in welcome the additional security
aircraft, RFA support vessels and
the fi rst place,” he explained. which comes with the presence of
warships with their boarding teams
“As a result of the Coalition’s coalition warships in their area.
to keep trade fl owing by sea.
presence, we have seen a decrease And it’s a human touch which
“This enormous volume of
in unregulated activity on the seas, will continue under French
seaborne traffi c creates a maritime
and with the Coalition’s help, leadership.
‘Spaghetti Junction’,” he warns.
regional coastguard capability has Aboard the FS Somme in
“A major maritime accident
increased.” Bahrain, Cdre Williams handed
or act of terrorism might stop or
In the UK, we’ve long become over command of CTF150 to his
interrupt this vital fl ow, resulting
used to ‘purple’ staffs – RN, RAF Gallic successor, Rear Admiral
in economic chaos that would
and Army working side-by-side. Alain Hinden.
have a serious affect on the global
In Bahrain, it’s a ‘rainbow’ He did so convinced of the need
economy.”
staff drawn from the various for – and success of – this unsung
On the surface everything looks
nationalities committed to the international ‘force for good’.
rosy.
security mission. “CTF 150 represents the front
There is booming development
Since taking charge of the line in Coalition operations to
in and around cities and ports of
rainbow at the end of December, provide maritime security to a
the Arabian peninsula, including
Cdre Williams has seen 29 vessels politically and economically vital ● (Below) HMS Campbeltown’s Lynx conducts a sweep of the ocean at sunset
the rapid expansion of the cruise
from seven nations committed to yet fragile part of the world,” Cdre Pictures: LA(Phot) Des Wade, FRPU Whale Island
industry – even to the extent
the battle against global terrorism Williams declared.
of the recent establishment of
at various times. “Its people have performed to
routine weekly cruises through the
Most recently attached to the expectation and beyond, without
Strait of Hormuz between Oman,
force flying the White Ensign issue and to great effect.”
the United Arab Emirates and
have been HM Ships Monmouth,
Bahrain.
Sutherland and Campbeltown.
Trade moving by sea is also
The latter’s visit to
enjoying a boom – so much so that
Jeddah was
it’s expected to double in the next
particularly
two decades.
timely as
But ashore, warehouses which
Saudi Arabia has
stocked items for three months in
now added its weight
the 1970s today hold them for as
to the Coalition.
little as three weeks – part of the
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