DEFENCE CHIEF VISITS S'PORE-LED COUNTER-PIRACY TASK FORCE IN BAHRAIN

Chief of Defence Force (CDF) Major-General (MG) Ng Chee Meng recently visited the headquarters of a Singapore-led counter-piracy task force in Bahrain.

Known as Combined Task Force (CTF) 151, the multinational task force was formed in 2009 and conducts patrols in the Internationally Recommended Transit Corridor in the Gulf of Aden. The Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) took command of the task force for the third time on 7 Mar. Rear-Admiral Giam Hock Koon from the Republic of Singapore Navy, who heads the command team, will hand over command of CTF 151 to the Pakistan Navy come 6 Jun.

When MG Ng visited the CTF 151 command team on 23 May, he learnt from team members about the counter-piracy situation in the region and the command team's operations. He commended them on their contributions, saying: "Thank you all for a job well done. The fact that no pirate attacks have taken place during your presence here speaks volumes of your capabilities and professionalism.

"Your success also demonstrates our ability to work with international partners to protect sea lines of communication."

On MG Ng's visit, Chief of Staff of CTF 151 Lieutenant Colonel Douglas Goh said: "This mission has been a challenging but fulfilling one, and it is encouraging for the team to know that we have CDF's support for our contributions here."

As part of his trip, MG Ng met with Commander of the United States Naval Forces Central Command Vice Admiral John W. Miller, who also commands the US 5th Fleet, and the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF). MG Ng also met with Commodore Simon Ancona, the Deputy Commander of the CMF.