Singapore took over command of Combined Task Force (CTF) 151, a multinational counter-piracy task force, from the Pakistan Navy in a ceremony held yesterday at the Naval Support Activity, Bahrain. The ceremony was witnessed by Deputy Commander, Combined Maritime Forces, Commodore (CDRE) Will Warrender, and attended by Singapore's Chief of Navy Rear-Admiral (RADM) Lai Chung Han.

The Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) command team, led by RADM Cheong Kwok Chien from the Republic of Singapore Navy, will lead and coordinate CTF 151's counter-piracy efforts in the Gulf of Aden (GoA) over the next three months. It will also coordinate counter-piracy operations with task forces from the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation and the European Union, as well as with navies from other countries. The SAF command team comprises 50 SAF personnel and 12 international officers from Australia, Brunei, Indonesia, Japan, Pakistan, Republic of Korea, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, United Kingdom and Vietnam.

At the Change of Command Ceremony, RADM Cheong highlighted Singapore's commitment to contributing to international counter-piracy efforts. He said, "We are honoured to be part of the international effort to keep vital sea lines of communication free from piracy. The SAF command team will lead all our coalition forces within CTF 151 to achieve the common mission to deter and disrupt piracy in the Gulf of Aden."

This year's deployment marks the fourth time that the SAF will be leading the CTF, and the 10th SAF deployment to the multinational anti-piracy efforts in the Gulf of Aden. Since the start of the SAF's contribution to CTF 151 in 2009, Singapore has deployed a total of 1,400 servicemen and women, five ships and one maritime patrol aircraft, spanning across the deployment of three SAF command teams, five task groups and one detachment.

As a maritime nation, Singapore supports multinational efforts to maintain the safety and security of the world's key shipping lanes.