SINGAPORE HELMS ANTI-PIRACY TASK FORCE IN THE GULF OF ADEN

Dressed in his crisp white naval uniform, the Republic of Singapore Navy's (RSN's) Rear Admiral (RADM) Bernard Miranda cut a commanding figure on USS Hopper, a United States Navy destroyer which was anchored just off the Bahrain coast.

RADM Miranda was there for a simple but significant ceremony to take over command of Combined Task Force 151 (CTF 151), a multinational task force set up in January last year to conduct counter-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden and the Somali Basin.

He and his 35-man command team, which comprises 29 Singaporeans and six personnel from Australia, France, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia and South Korea, will be deployed for a period of three months.

RADM Miranda will be commanding six naval vessels from countries that include Pakistan, South Korea, Turkey and the US and oversee an area approximately 1.1 million sq miles in size.

He said: "My command team will focus on our mission to deter and disrupt piracy in the Gulf of Aden and the Somali Basin. I will also put emphasis on the readiness and optimisation of all assets and the well-being of all personnel involved in the day-to-day operations."

This is the first time a Singaporean is commander of a multinational peace support mission since the Singapore Armed Forces' (SAF's) Brigadier-General Tan Huck Gim's appointment as Force commander of the United Nations Mission of Support in East Timor in 2002.

Combined Maritime Forces Commander Vice-Admiral William Gortney highlighted that Singapore was the obvious choice to head CTF 151 because of its commitment and operational experience.

He said: "We always look for nations that are capable and willing. We have a high confidence level because of Singapore's enduring commitment in this part of the world in supporting the combined maritime forces."

The SAF had previously deployed a Landing Ship Tank, the RSS Persistence, with two Super Puma helicopters on board to support the international counter-piracy effort in the Gulf of Aden from April to July 2009.

20 Jan 10 - Singapore Takes Over Command of Multinational Counter-Piracy Task Force

20 Jan 10 - News Video: Singapore Takes Over Command of Multinational Counter-Piracy Task Force

23 Feb 10 - Singapore-led CTF 151 captures eight suspected pirates [cyberpioneer]

10 Mar 10 - The fight against piracy in the Gulf of Aden [cyberpioneer]

01 Apr 10 - Singapore-led CTF 151 intercepts pirate attack [cyberpioneer]