The Philippines Assumes Command of Bahrain-based Combined Maritime Forces Task Force 151 on Anti-Piracy
Rear Admiral Ko Seung-bum (leftmost) of the Republic of Korea Navy, and Outgoing Commander of CTF 151, turns over command of said Task Force to Capt. Mateo Carido (rightmost) of the PHL Navy during a Change of Command Ceremony held at the headquarters of the CMF in Bahrain on 21 August 2023. Commodore Phil Dennis (center), Deputy Commander of the CMF, presided over the Ceremony.
(L-R) Amb. Muhammad Ayub of Pakistan, Amb. Masayuki Miyamoto of Japan, Amb. Koo HeonSang of the Republic of Korea, RADM Ko Seung-bum, Commodore Phil Dennis, Capt. Mateo Carido, Amb. Anne Jalando-on Louis of the Philippines, Amb. Esin Gakil of Türkiye, Chargé d’ Affaires, a.i. Daniella C. Chaves of Brazil, RADM Donn Anthony Miraflor and Brigadier General Edwin Amadar at the Change of Command Ceremony on 21 August 2023.
29 August 2023 – The Philippines makes history by assuming command of the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) Task Force 151 on Anti-Piracy during the Change of Command Ceremony that was held at the US Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT), the headquarters of the CMF, in Juffair, Kingdom of Bahrain, on 21 August 2023. It is the first time that the Philippines is heading a CMF Task Force.
Philippine Ambassador Anne Jalando-on Louis graced the Change of Command Ceremony, together with Rear Admiral Donn Anthony Mirasol, Commander of the Naval Forces Western Mindanao, and Brigadier General Edwin Amadar, Fleet-Marine Ready Force Commander, who represented the Philippine Navy. The Ceremony was presided over by Commodore Phil Dennis, Deputy Commander of the CMF.
The Ambassadors of the Republic of Korea, Japan, Türkiye and Pakistan, the Chargé d’ Affaires of Brazil, military officials, members of the Filipino Community and other guests also attended the event.
Captain Mateo G. Carido of the Philippine Navy and current AFP Senior National Representative to the CMF succeeded Rear Admiral Ko Seung-bum of the Republic of Korea Navy as Commander of the CMF Task Force 151 until 24 January 2023. Capt. Carido, and six other Philippine Navy officers, will be part of the 19-member CTF 151 team, together with officers from the navies of Japan, Republic of Korea, Oman, Thailand, Brazil, Türkiye, Spain, Singapore, Australia and Italy.
Commodore Phil Dennis (center) with the outgoing CTF 151 team and the incoming PHL-led CTF 151 team.
The CMF, which is housed at the US NAVCENT in Bahrain, is the largest multinational naval partnership in the world tasked to promote the security and stability across approximately 3.2 million square miles of international waters in the region with important shipping lanes. The CMF Task Force 151 is in charge of conducting maritime security operations to deter, disrupt and suppress piracy and armed robbery at sea outside the Horn of Africa. END
