24 April 2025
Australia handed over command of the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) task force responsible for maritime security in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden to the Egyptian Navy on April 9.
Royal Australian Navy Captain Jorge McKee handed over command of Combined Task Force 153 (CTF 153) to Egyptian Navy Commodore Mohamed Rasmy at a ceremony presided over by Commander of CMF, United States Navy Vice Admiral George Wikoff, at Naval Support Activity, Bahrain.
During his six months in command, Captain McKee led the task force in pursuit of its core maritime security mission, building upon the strong foundations of previous Italian, Egyptian and US commands.
Under Captain McKee’s leadership, the task force, comprising 44 officers from 13 nations, collaborated closely with other CMF task forces, the Joint Maritime Information Centre and US Navy Task Forces 55 and 59 to enhance maritime security in the Red Sea and wider Gulf region.
In collaboration with Task Force 59, CTF 153 conducted CMF’s first operational employment of uncrewed surface vessels (USVs), deploying four of the high-tech craft from February until April to patrol vital shipping routes.
Captain McKee also represented CMF internationally, engaging and briefing military and diplomatic leaders from every inhabited continent.
“In CTF 153 our role has been to shine a light on the unseen, to find those who hide in the shadows and who exploit that darkness for just one reason – because they profit from it,” Captain McKee said.
“We have recently witnessed the consequences of long shadows over the sea. From spikes in shipping costs inflating the price of our daily needs, to the narcotics smuggled across the ocean and into our cities. Uncertainty and insecurity at sea here reaches right into homes across the world.”
Captain McKee acknowledged Vice Admiral Wikoff for his leadership of CMF and thanked all CMF task forces, as well as the crews of the aircraft and ships that patrolled for CTF 153.
“As Commander CTF 153, I’m sure Commodore Rasmy will continue to shine a light on illicit activity and show that all CMF partner nations are ready together in the pursuit of common security, stability and prosperity,” he said.
“I am extremely confident Commodore Mohamed Rasmy of the Egyptian Navy will take CTF 153 to new heights, ably supported by his staff of expert Egyptian, Korean and Australian mariners.”
'In CTF 153 our role has been to shine a light on the unseen.'
Commodore Rasmy acknowledged Captain McKee and his command team for their efforts to hand over the command of CTF 153.
“Recently, maritime security has seen rapid changes with threats becoming numerous and hybrid, so the new maritime security agenda requires cooperation as a part of an interconnected security complex with strong links between land and sea,” he said.
“From my perspective, nothing will be secure without maritime security.
“CTF 153, as a part of CMF, is a non-state-facing taskforce that counters illicit and malign activities in the high seas in accordance with international law.
“My desired end state is to enhance regional cooperation and to reassure the shipping industry by utilising the communication channels and tools CMF offers.”
Captain McKee is the ninth Royal Australian Navy officer to have commanded a CMF task force and the first to command CTF 153.
Established on April 17, 2022, CTF 153 is one of five task forces under CMF. Its mission is to deter and impede illicit non-state actors in the Red Sea, Bab al-Mandab and Gulf of Aden.
CTF 153’s area of responsibility includes some of the world’s most important shipping lanes, connecting the Mediterranean Sea with the Indian Ocean and the greater Middle East region.
CMF, a 46-nation naval partnership headquartered in Bahrain, is the world’s largest multinational naval partnership. It is committed to upholding the rules-based international order at sea, promoting security, stability and prosperity across about 3.2 million square miles of international waters, including crucial shipping lanes.
