“We’re excited to welcome a littoral fight ship to the Center East for the primary time,” mentioned Vice Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command, U.S. fifth Fleet and Mixed Maritime Forces. “Sioux Metropolis’s arrival shouldn’t be solely historic however important to regional maritime safety given its fast integration with our new multinational naval job drive.”
CTF 153 is considered one of 4 multinational job forces organized below Mixed Maritime Forces, the most important worldwide naval partnership with 34 nations. Led by the US, Mixed Maritime Forces is headquartered in Bahrain with U.S. fifth Fleet.
Littoral fight ships are versatile, enabling them to help a broad spectrum of fleet missions and function alongside regional navies and coast guards.
Final 12 months, Sioux Metropolis operated within the Caribbean Sea the place it seized 600 kilograms of cocaine with an estimated avenue worth of $24 million from drug traffickers in April. In October, the ship seized practically 500 kilograms of cocaine price $20 million within the Caribbean.
“We’re thrilled to have Sioux Metropolis be a part of our workforce,” mentioned Capt. Robert Francis, commander of CTF 153. “They’ve labored collaboratively in bringing enhanced capabilities to different areas and that is actually what we’re wanting ahead to right here within the Center East whereas working with our worldwide companions.”
The U.S. fifth Fleet area contains 21 international locations, the Arabian Gulf, Gulf of Oman, Pink Sea, components of the Indian Ocean and three important choke factors on the Strait of Hormuz, Bab al-Mandeb and Suez Canal.
