Combined Task Force 151 (CTF-151) is a multinational navaltask force, set up in 2009 as a response topiracy attacks in the Gulf of Aden and off the eastern coast of Somalia.^[1] Its mission is to disrupt piracy and armed robbery at sea and to engage with regional and other partners to build capacity and improve relevant capabilities in order to protect global maritime commerce and secure freedom of navigation. It operates in conjunction with the EU'sOperation Atalanta and NATO'sOperation Ocean Shield.

As of January 22, 2025, the commander of CTF-151 is Commodore Sohail Ahmed Azmie of thePakistan Navy.^[2]

The CTF 151 was established on 12 January 2009 as a response to piracy attacks in Somalia, "with a specific piracy mission-based mandate under the authority ofUNSCRs 1816, 1838, 1846, 1851 and 1897".^[3] The CTF 150 mainly dealt with maritime security and counter terrorism. Piracy was considered more of a law enforcement mission.^[3] CTF were established as a mission-based Task Force. Upon their establishment in 2009, operated under a UNSCR counter-piracy mandate. The CTF is not geographically constrained.^[4] Their mandate has been "based upon the range of counter-piracy UNSCRs".^[4] In February 2011, a group of pirates hijacked a Panamanian-flagged ship. ThePuntland government stated that they did not want captured ships and pirate bases near Bosaso.^[5] The pirates forced the ship's crew to the south, to a coastal area that was not as receptive.^[6] Admiral Mcknight had a conversation with Jatin Dua and the Navy SEALS rescued two hostages who were being held in an inland camp. The SEALS killed about nine pirates.^[7]

In January 2012, six Somali pirates launched an attack on the bulk cargo ship the MVSunshine about one hundred miles off the coast of Oman. This was referred to as a by-the-book approach; The pirates used AK-47s, a rocket propelled grenade launcher, a grappling hook and attempted to affix a ladder onto the boat.^[8] The pirates threw their weapons overboard so the boarding team could not arrest them. They gave the pirates food and water, finally turning them loose. The Somalis did not realize that a helicopter from theUSSMobile Bay was keeping track of their movements. The pirates headed back to the Iranian dhow.^[8] TheUSSKidd was able to track theAl Mulahi and noticed some Middle Easterners were aboard. TheNew York Times reported a standoff, afterwards the Somalis were still hidden and the Iranian captain spoke with the Americans.^[9]

Between 2002 and 2004, a first naval coalition in charge of fighting terrorism in the area was dubbed Task Force 151.

On 8 January 2009, at theUnited States Fifth Fleet headquarters inManama, Bahrain,Vice AdmiralWilliam E. Gortney, USN, announced the formation of CTF-151 to combat the piracy threat off Somalia, withRear AdmiralTerence E. McKnight in command.^[10] TheUSS San Antonio (LPD-17) was designated as the firstflagship of Combined Task Force 151, serving as an afloat forward staging base (AFSB) for the following force elements:

• Fourteen-member U.S. Navyvisit, board, search and seizure (VBSS) team.^[11][12]
• United States Coast GuardDeployable Operations Group, comprising around two dozenMaritime Safety and Security Team (MSST) 91104 members and one of the eight-memberLaw Enforcement Detachments (LEDETs): Law Enforcement Detachment 405.^[11][12]
• Scout Sniper Platoon,2nd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment,26th Marine Expeditionary Unit cross-decked from theUSS Iwo Jima (LHD-7).^[11]
• 3rd Platoon (Golf Company, 26th MEU), a military police detachment, and intelligence personnel.^[12]
• Fleet Surgical Team 8 with level-two surgical capability to deal with trauma, surgical, critical care and medical evacuation needs.^[12]
• Approximately 75 Marines with sixAH-1 SuperCobra (AH-1Ws) and twoUH-1N Huey helicopters from Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 264 (HMM-264) of the 26th MEU cross-decked from the USSIwo Jima.^[13]
• Three HH-60H helicopters from Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron 3 (HS-3) cross-decked from theUSS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71).^[12][14]

Initially, CTF-151 consisted of theSan Antonio,USS Mahan (DDG-72), andHMS Portland (F79), with additional warships expected to join this force.^[15] Twenty countries were expected to contribute to the force, includingCanada,Denmark,France,Japan,Republic of Korea, theNetherlands,Pakistan,Singapore,Thailand and theUnited Kingdom, all of which have already pledged participation.^[16]

On 5 April 2009, United States Rear AdmiralMichelle J. Howard, assumed command of CTF-151 and Expeditionary Strike Group 2.^[17] On 29 May, theAustralian Government pledged its support, re-tasking the frigateHMAS Warramunga (FFH 152) from duties in thePersian Gulf to the task force, as well asLockheed P-3 Orion maritime patrol aircraft.^[18]

The measures carried out by the task force include: Upholding an active 24-hour lookout, the removal of access ladders, reporting apprehensive actions to proper authorities, the use of deck lighting, razor wire, netting, fire hoses, electrical fencing, and surveillance and detection equipment, defending the lowest points of access, engaging in evasive maneuvering and speed through pirate attacks, and joining group transits.^[19]

The CMF established the Maritime Security Patrol Area (MSPA) in the Gulf of Aden in August 2008 to provision international efforts to battle piracy. The coalition efforts involved CTF-150 assets patrolling the area with aircraft and ships. However, the charter for CTF-150, which was established at the beginning of Operation Enduring Freedom, was for the conduct of Maritime Security Operations in the Gulf of Oman, Gulf of Aden, the Arabian Sea, the Indian Ocean and the Red Sea. Such operations included the deterrence of threatening activities, such as weapons trafficking and drug smuggling.^[1]

In 2009, there was a pirate attack on theMaersk Alabama. The rescue personnel includedSEAL Team Six.^[20] On 7 April 2009 there was an advisory issued by the U.S. Maritime Administration stating that ships stay six hundred miles off the coast of Somalia due to an increase of piracy. The Somali pirates mainly targeted the Gulf of Aden because most vessels traveling towards the Suez Canal were there. However, with CTF 151, the Chinese, Russians, and Operation Atalanta all concentrated in that area, pirates were compelled to look elsewhere.^[21] On 1 April 2009 theMaersk Alabama headed toward the Gulf of Aden. Captain Phillips was unaware of the pirates on the way .^[22] Captain Phillips and his crew were eventually surrounded by three pirate skiffs with their mother ship in pursuit, eight miles behind.^[23] Phillips eventually hit the silent alarm button that signaled a search and rescue team to come.^[24] At one point it was reported that there was a standoff between the ship's crew and the pirates.^[25] They eventually called for a prisoner exchange and Phillips was among the first to be released onto a lifeboat.^[26]

Vice Admiral Bill Gortney stated that because of proactive measures taken by certain merchant mariners, the piracy events in the region have been reduced. He also cautioned that the "efforts of coalition and international navies won't solve the problem of piracy."^[1]

•   Commodore Roger Girouard,RCN^[27]as Task Force 151
•   Rear AdmiralTerence E. McKnight,USN
•   Rear AdmiralMichelle Howard,USN^[17]
•   Rear Admiral Scott Eugene Sanders,USN^[28]
•   Rear Admiral Caner Bener,TN^[29]
•   Rear Admiral Bernard Miranda,RSN^[30]
•   Rear Admiral Lee Beom-rim,ROKN^[29]
•   Rear Admiral Sinan Ertuğrul,TN^[29]
•   Commodore Abdul Aleem,PN^[31]
•   Rear Admiral Harris Chan Weng Yip,RSN^[32]
•   Captain Jim Gilmour,RNZN^[33][34]
•   Rear Admiral Kaleem Shaukat,PN^[35]
•   Commodore Aage Buur Jensen,Danish Navy^[36]
•   Rear Admiral Tanin Likitawong,RTN^[37]
•   Rear Admiral Anho Chung,ROKN^[38]
•   Rear Admiral Oguz Karaman,TN^[39]
•   Commodore Muhammad Hisham,PN^[40]
•   Rear Admiral Giam Hock Koon,RSN^[41]
•   Commodore Muhammad Ihsan Qadir,PN^[42]
•   Commodore Jeremy BlundenLVO,RN^[43]
•   Commodore Aage Buur Jensen,Danish Navy^[44]2nd Term
•   Commodore Ali Abbas SI(M),PN^[45]
•   Rear Admiral Cho Young Joo,ROKN^[46]
•   Commodore Tony Millar,MNZM,RNZN^[47]
•   Rear Admiral Pakorn Wanich,RTN^[48]
•   Commodore Asif Hameed Siddiqui,PN^[49]
•   Rear Admiral Hiroshi Ito,JMSDF^[50]
•   Captain Ayhan Bay,TN^[51]
•   Rear AdmiralZahid Ilyas,PN^[52]
•   Rear Admiral Cheong Kwok Chien,RSN^[53][54]
•   Rear Admiral Nam Dong Woo,ROKN^[55]
•   Commodore Muhammad Shuaib SI (M),Pakistan Navy^[56]
•   Rear Admiral Tatsuya Fukuda,JMSDF^[57]
•   Rear Admiral Emre Sezenler,TN^[58]
•   Commodore Yusuf Almannaei,RBNF^[59]
•   Rear Admiral Daisuke Kajimoto,JMSDF^[60]
•   Rear Admiral Saw Shi Tat,RSN^[61]
•   Captain Ali Al Rashidi,Kuwait Naval Force^[62]
•   Captain Alajmi,Kuwait Naval Force^[62]
•   Rear Admiral Byeong-Ju Yu,ROKN^[63]
•   Captain Khaled Hasan Al Kandari,Kuwait Naval Force^[64]
•   Rear Admiral Yoshiyasu Ishimaki,JMSDF^[65]
•   Rear Admiral Nejat Inanir,TN^[66]
•   Commodore Abdul Munib,Pakistan Navy^[67]
•   Rear Admiral André Luiz Andrade Felix,Brazilian Navy^[68]
•  
•   Commodore Ahmed Hussain,Pakistan Navy
•  
•   Rear Admiral Ko Seung-bum,ROKN^[69]
•   Capt. Mateo G. Carido,Philippine Navy^[70]
•   Rear Admiral Antonio Braz de Souza,Brazilian Navy^[2]
•   Rear Admiral Rüştü Sezer,TN^[2]
•   Commodore Sohail Ahmed Azmie,Pakistan Navy(Current)

The Task Force has been headed by different countries participating.^[71]

• Operation Atalanta—EU operation in the area
• Operation Ocean Shield—NATO operation in the area
• Combined Task Force 150—similar patrol in the Indian Ocean that deals with counter-terrorism
• Maritime Security Patrol Area
• Maersk Alabama hijacking in April 2009

• McKnight, Terry and Michael Hirsh.Pirate Alley: Commanding Task Force 151 off Somalia. Annapolis, MD : Naval Institute Press, 2012.ISBN 1-61251-134-1OCLC 785079505
• Newsome, Timothy E.Somali Piracy: Are We Making a Mountain Out of a Molehill? Ft. Belvoir: Defense Technical Information Center, 2009.OCLC 574551215
• Phillips, Richard, and Stephan Talty.A Captain's Duty: Somali Pirates, Navy Seals, and Dangerous Days at Sea. New York: Hyperion, 2010.ISBN 1-4013-2380-4OCLC 430843212
• Zogg, Dennis M.Why the U.S. Navy Should Not Be Fighting Piracy Off Somalia. Ft. Belvoir: Defense Technical Information Center, 2009.OCLC 465323456

• U.S. Navy Hunt for Somali Pirates: Behind the Pirate Code
• CENTCOM: New Counter-Piracy Task Force Established
• Navy creates force devoted to fighting piracy
• CTF-151: Counter-piracy
• Multinational Task Force Targets Pirates
• Arms and Influence at SeaArchived 2014-08-08 at theWayback Machine
• Tag Archive: CTF-151
• Combined Maritime Forces (CMF)Operations Counter Piracy Operations, Challenges, Shortfalls and Lessons Learned
• New Counter-Piracy Task Force Established
• Counter-piracy Mission Off Somalia Remains ProblematicArchived 2013-12-04 at theWayback Machine
• The United States Response to Piracy off the Coast of Somalia
• Combined Task Force 151 hunts down pirates in the Gulf of Aden