The Head of the Lebanese Navy, Rear Admiral Nazih J’baily, was welcomed to the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) headquarters in Bahrain by Commodore Keith Blount OBE Royal Navy on 11 December 2014.
Rear Admiral J’baily took the opportunity presented by the visit to attend the CMF morning briefing, where CMF’s command team are given an update of overnight activity, before meeting with Commodore Blount, CMF’s Deputy Commander, to discuss mutual concerns in the region.
After a discussion with Commodore Blount, Rear Admiral J’baily was given a series of presentations about the three different task forces: CTF-150, which is responsible for maritime security and counter-terrorism operations; CTF-151, the counter-piracy task force; and CTF-152, which works in close cooperation with Gulf Cooperation Council nations to provide security and reassurance in the Gulf.
Finally, having gained a detailed understanding of the benefits that CMF brings to the region, Rear Admiral J’baily met with Vice Admiral John W Miller, the commander of the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet and CMF, to discuss the work undertaken by CMF in the region.
Captain Mick Turner from the Royal Australian Navy is CMF’s Director of Operations and co-hosted Rear Admiral J’baily’s visit. He said:
The visit by Rear Admiral J’baily provided CMF the opportunity to clearly demonstrate the unique nature of our maritime partnership aimed at promoting regional maritime security in the wider Middle East region, including the benefits of membership and ongoing engagement.
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Press release, Image: Combined Maritime Forces