Coalition Task Force Sentinel Presents at Singaporean Maritime Security Conference

Photo By NAVCENT Public Affairs | Coalition Task Force (CTF) Sentinel Commander, Commodore Craig Wood, Royal Navy, presented at the 36th Information Fusion Centre (IFC) Shared Awareness Meeting Tuesday, Nov 24. Cdre Craig Wood, RN (Left), Lt. Cmdr. Danielle Centeno, USN (Right).  

MANAMA, BAHRAIN

11.24.2020

Courtesy Story

U.S. Naval Forces Central Command / U.S. 5th Fleet           

Coalition Task Force (CTF) Sentinel Commander, Commodore Craig Wood, Royal Navy, presented at the 36th Information Fusion Centre (IFC) Shared Awareness Meeting Tuesday, Nov 24.

Established in 2009, the IFC is a regional maritime security center hosted by the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN). The IFC aims to facilitate information sharing and collaboration between its partners to enhance maritime security.
Cdre Wood spoke about the important work performed by CTF Sentinel as it carries out the mission of the International Maritime Security Construct (IMSC). He acknowledged that it serves a different region than IFC, which comprises Southeast Asia as well as the Indian Ocean, but identified the common interest in the continuous development of multinational maritime security.

IMSC is a coalition of nine nations committed to working together to protect the freedom of navigation and the free flow of trade in the Arabian Gulf, through the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab el Mandeb Strait, to the Southern Red Sea.

“Both the IMSC and IFC aim to maximize the power of cooperation as it relates to keeping our seas open and our interconnected regions secure,” said Cdre Wood.

Cdre Wood discussed the importance of deterring state-sponsored malign maritime behavior and the reassurance of the shipping community. He explained that CTF Sentinel deters and reassures through engagement with the maritime industry through the presence of partner nation patrol ships and the use of communication tools like informational newsletters, best practice reference cards for mariners, “Maritime Awareness Calls” over VHF radio, and the use of social and traditional media engagement.

“With thousands of ships operating in our region each day, we must utilise several tools to facilitate our cooperative protection of the rules based order that is required for trade to continue to thrive unencumbered,” said Wood.

During the past year, CTF Sentinel has provided over watch for more than 1,100 partner nation flagged merchant vessels as they transited the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. The task force also made almost 10,000 Maritime Awareness Calls to reassure merchant vessels of task force presence.

Other webinar presenters included Singaporean Navy officials, professors, lawyers, law enforcement representatives, cybersecurity officers, and other professionals devoted to maritime security.

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For further questions, please contact International Maritime Security Construct Public Affairs at [[phone]] or [[e-mail]]

• Date Taken: 11.24.2020
• Date Posted: 11.24.2020 09:55
• Story ID: 383652
• Location: MANAMA, BH