Recently, India formally commenced cooperation with the Bahrain-based multilateral partnership, Combined Maritime Forces (CMF).
What is Combined Maritime Forces (CMF)
- The Combined Maritime Forces is a multinational naval partnership to promote security, stability and prosperity across approximately 3.2 million square miles of international waters, which encompass some of the world’s most important shipping lanes.
- The 34-nation grouping is commanded by a U.S. Navy Vice Admiral, who also serves as Commander U.S. Naval Forces CENTCOM and U.S. Fifth Fleet.
- CMF has 34 member nations: Australia, Bahrain, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Egypt, France, Germany, Greece, Iraq, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Republic of Korea, Kuwait, Malaysia, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Pakistan, the Philippines, Portugal, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Seychelles, Singapore, Spain, Thailand, Turkey, UAE, United Kingdom, United States, and Yemen.
- All three commands are co-located at U.S. Naval Support Activity Bahrain.
- Pakistan is a full member of Combined Maritime Forces .
- CMF comprises four task forces: CTF 150 (maritime security and counter-terrorism), CTF 151 (counter piracy), CTF 152 (Arabian Gulf security and cooperation), CTF 153 (Red Sea Maritime Security) .
- It is a flexible organisation and members are not bound by either a political or military mandate.
- At the India-U.S. 2+2 in April 2022, India had announced that it would join the CMF as an Associate Partner.
- Joining the CMF is the latest in a series of multilateral engagements by the Indian Navy as part of India’s widening military diplomacy.
- The Indian Navy could be contributing a warship when required, however, there is no deployment as of now.
- The Indian Navy has a Liaison Officer posted at the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) in Bahrain who will also function as the point person for cooperation with the CMF.
