VOLUME 19, NUMBER 488
NAVAL SUPPORT ACTIVITY BAHRAIN
February 8, 2023
U.S. Hosts Lebanese Navy for Vessel Boarding Course in Bahrain From Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Mark Thomas Mahmod, NAVCENT Public Affairs U.S. Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT) concluded a five-day vessel boarding course for the Lebanese Navy on Feb. 2 at the U.S. Navy base in Bahrain. U.S. Coast Guard personnel facilitated the course for 10 members of the Lebanese Navy, leading discussions on defense tactics, boarding procedures, evidence collection, safety and medical care. “Hosting the Lebanese Navy at our facility embodies the commitment between our two nations,” said Capt. Eric Helgen, commander of Patrol Forces Southwest Asia, who leads U.S. Coast Guard personnel stationed in Bahrain. “Engagements
between the Lebanese Navy and our Maritime Engagement Team experts build capability and foster trust.” The course was held at an indoor training facility that includes replicas of shipboard spaces commonly encountered aboard fishing vessels and commercial ships transiting the Middle East. This was the first time the Coast Guard team hosted Lebanese Armed Forces personnel in Bahrain for the course. The U.S. Coast Guard conducted 17 similar exchanges for 14 different partner nations in 2022. NAVCENT’s operating area includes 21 countries, the Arabian Gulf, Gulf of Oman, Red Sea, parts of the Indian Ocean and three critical choke points at the Strait of Hormuz, Bab al-Mandeb and Suez Canal.
U.S., International Forces Seize Illegal Drugs in Gulf of Oman From NAVCENT Public Affairs
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U.S. Navy Showcases Operational Readiness, Flexibility in Exercise with Israel
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Combined Task Force 152 Conducts Exercise in Arabian Gulf with Unmanned Vessel
6 Sailor in the Spotlight 5 - Chaplain’s Corner 6 - Cinema & Safety
A U.S. Coast Guard vessel seized illegal drugs worth a total estimated U.S. street value of $33 million from a fishing vessel
transiting international waters in the Gulf of Oman, Jan. 30. U.S. Coast Guard cutter USCGC Emlen Tunnell (WPC 1145) was patrolling regional waters in support of Combined Task Force
(CTF) 150 when it seized 4,000 kilograms of hashish and 512 kilograms of methamphetamine from the smuggling vessel. Currently led by the United Kingdom Royal Navy, CTF 150 is
one of four task forces organized under the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF). This was the first drug seizure in 2023 for CMF. “This is just the beginning of our work in delivering maritime security operations in the region to stop illicit activities and drug smuggling,” said UK Royal Navy Capt. James Byron, the CTF 150 commander. “This comes as a result of a valued partnership between CTF 150 and all partner nations in Combined Maritime Forces.” Byron assumed command of the multinational task force Jan. 18 after Royal Saudi Navy Rear Adm. Abdullah Al-Mutairi led the unit for six months. Under Al-Mutairi’s leadership, CTF 150 ships logged more than 10,000 hours on regional patrols and intercepted six shipments of illegal drugs that included opium, heroin, hashish and amphetamines. The combined estimated value of the seized drugs totaled more than $250 million. Since 2021, CMF has interdicted $1 billion worth of illicit narcotics during maritime patrols. CMF is the largest international naval partnership in the world consisting of 38 member-nations and partners.