Indian Navy to Head 46-Nation Maritime Coalition Task Force: What This Means for Indian Ocean Security

The Indian Navy for the first time on Wednesday has taken over the command of the international Combined Task Force (CTFs). It is an important move as it will enhance the overall maritime security in the Indian Ocean Region.The sources informed Times Now that Indian Navy has taken over the Command of the CTF 154 and a Commodore Rank officer of the Indian Navy will be commanding the multi-member force, supported by staff from other countries too. The 10 member task was earlier led by Italy.The overall Line of Efforts (LoE) of the Task Force, said the sources, includes Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA), Maritime law, Maritime Security Operation (MSO), Sailor Development, Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) & Damage Control and Maritime Security Interoperability.

Anti-terror and anti-piracy operations along with that of encouraging cooperation are also its focused areas.

The Indian Navy describes MDA as “an all-encompassing term that involves being cognisant of the position and intentions of all actors, whether own, hostile, or neutral, in all dimensions of a dynamic maritime environment, across the areas of interest.”Conduct of Exercises will also come under the Commander, CTF 154 which is one of the five Task Forces under the world’s biggest maritime force, Combined Maritime Force (CMF) established in 2001 comprising 46 nations and is headquartered at Manama, Bahrain.

The CMF is led by the United States (US) of which the Indian Navy became an Associate Partner on 27 July, 2022. Subsequently, India became a full member and is now going, on invitation, to pick the command of the Task Force.There are a total of Five CTFs with each having a different Area of responsibility (AoR). The other task forces include CTF 150 that focuses on maritime security in the Gulf of Oman and Indian Ocean; CTF 151, which leads regional counter-piracy efforts; CTF 152, dedicated to maritime security in the Arabian Gulf; and CTF 153 in the Red Sea, describes the official website of the US Central Command.

As per the Government “Nearly 95% of India’s trade by volume and about 70% by value moves through maritime routes, underlining the centrality” of the oceans and seas “to India’s economy and competitiveness.” Indian Ocean remains significant for India. As Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said earlier, "About 90 percent of India's international trade by volume and about 70 percent by value are carried by sea. As we move towards our goal of 5 trillion dollar economy; the volume of maritime trade will only grow in times to come. Thus, I firmly believe that the role of the Indian Navy in general and the Western Fleet in particular is also critical in ensuring the energy security and economic growth of the country”, he added.