Combined Task Force 150 Combined Task Force 150 ( CTF - 150 ) is a multinational coalition naval task force working under the 25 nation coalition of Combined Maritime Forces and is based in Bahrain established to monitor , inspect , board , and stop suspect shipping to pursue the " War on Terrorism " and in the Horn of Africa region ( HOA ) ( includes operations in the North Arabia Sea to support operations in the Indian Ocean . These activities are referred to as Maritime Security Operations ( MSO ) . Countries presently contributing to CTF - 150 include Canada , Denmark , France , Japan , Germany , the United Kingdom and the United States . Other nations who have participated include Australia , Italy , Netherlands , New Zealand , Portugal , Singapore , Spain , Thailand , Pakistan and Turkey . The command of the task force rotates among the different participating navies , with commands usually lasting between four and six months . The task force usually comprises 14 or 15 ships . CTF - 150 is coordinated by the Combined Maritime Forces ( CMF ) , a 25 nation coalition operating from the US Navy base in Manama , Bahrain . 2002 – 2005 . Before 11 September 2001 , Task Force 150 was a U . S . Navy formation serving as part of U . S . Naval Forces Central Command . After 11 September , it became a patrol force in the Horn of Africa region . On 5 May 2002 , command of the force was handed over from the United States to Germany . The German Defence Ministry announced in Berlin that day that the leadership of the Task Force , supported by five nations , was to be handed over from Captain Frothingham ( U . S . Navy ) to German Admiral Gottfried Hoch . On December 9 , 2002 the intercepted and boarded the freighter " So San " , several hundred miles southeast of Yemen at the request of the U . S . government as part of Operation Enduring Freedom . The " So San " , sailing without a flag , attempted evasive action , so the " Navarra " after firing four warning shots into the water at the bow of the ship and rifle fire on the ship ' s hull , getting no answer , fired on a cable crossing the " So San " from bow to stern to remove obstacles and proceeded to approach it from a helicopter . The ship from North Korea was carrying a cargo of 15 Scud missiles , 15 conventional warheads with 250 kg of high explosive , 23 fuel tanks of nitric acid and 85 drums of chemicals . Yemen subsequently reported that the cargo belonged to them and protested against interception , ordering the United States returned . On 20 December 2002 , a meeting was held aboard the USS " Mount Whitney " with military leaders from Djibouti regarding the Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa . At the time , CTF - 150 was commanded by Spanish Rear Admiral Juan Moreno , and comprised ships from France , Spain , Germany , the United Kingdom and United States . In January 2003 , the task force held a visit , board , search and seizure ( VBSS ) exercise involving the following vessels : On 8 June 2005 , CTF - 150 , under the command of Royal Navy Commodore Tony Rix , successfully conducted the boarding of the vessel " Safari " in international waters , leading to the seizure of 2 . 3 tons of hashish . The French " D ' Estienne d ' Orves " - class frigate " Commandant Birot " ( F796 ) performed the boarding . The captured crew were transferred to the " Arleigh Burke " - class destroyer USS " O ' Kane " ( DDG 77 ) . On 17 August 2005 , French Vice Admiral Jacques Mazars replaced British Royal Navy Commodore Tony Rix as commander of CTF - 150 . At the time , it comprised ships of Italy , France , Germany , Pakistan , Canada , the United Kingdom and United States . 2006 – 2008 : Operations off Somalia . Anti - piracy operations . The CTF - 150 has been engaged in anti - piracy operations in Somalia in parallel to other independent anti - piracy operations by countries such as China , Iran , India and Russia . On 22 January 2006 USS " Winston S . Churchill " captured a suspected pirate vessel in the Indian Ocean as part of an ongoing effort to help maintain law and order in the region . In the action of 18 March 2006 , two United States Navy ships were attacked by Somali pirates during an opposed boarding . In the ensuing gun battle , all the pirates were either killed or captured . On 4 April 2006 , the South Korean fishing vessel MV " Dong Won " ( 628 ) reported it had come under rocket attack off the coast of Somalia . Immediately two ships from the task force , the Dutch frigate HNLMS " De Zeven Provinciën " ( F802 ) and the U . S . guided - missile destroyer USS " Roosevelt " ( DDG - 80 ) responded . However , the pirates had already hijacked the vessel and reached Somali territorial waters after threatening the captured crew members . On 22 August 2006 , Rear Adm . Iqbal was relieved by German Rear Admiral Heinrich Lange . In December 2006 , Lange passed control to British Royal Navy Commodore Bruce Williams . In March 2007 , the Dutch frigate Hr . Ms . Evertsen deployed to the waters of the Horn of Africa , as part of CTF - 150 , and in response to a request from the United Nations World Food Programme , against piracy off the Somalian coast . The CTF - 150 established the Maritime Security Patrol Area on 22 August 2008 , through a narrow corridor within the Gulf of Aden aimed at deterring attack and hijacking of ships seeking safe passage through the zone . Also in August 2008 , the Danish Command & Support Ship HDMS Absalon deployed to join and lead CTF 150 for a 6 month tour . On 17 September 2008 , the Danish ship captured 10 pirates in two small ships . The pirates were in possession of ladders and other implements with which to board ships , as well as rocket launchers , machine pistols , and grenades . After consulting with the Danish Ministry of Justice and other task force members , it was determined by the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs that the pirates could only be prosecuted in Denmark , partly because the pirates would have faced the death penalty in the nearby states , and Danish law prohibits extraditing criminals when they might face the death penalty . Eventually , the pirates were freed , since the Danish authorities were concerned that it would be difficult to deport them back to Somalia once their sentences were served . The pirates were allowed to keep their ships , though not their weapons . In December , 2008 , " Absalon " was involved in the rescue of putative Somali pirates 90 miles off Yemen in the Gulf of Aden . The craft from Somalia was reported to hold rocket - propelled grenades and AK - 47 assault rifles , and to have been adrift for several days . Also per the report , the " Absalon " took the sailors and weapons aboard , sank the craft , and turned the sailors over to the Yemen coast guard . The " Absalon " , according to " The New York Times " report , " was deployed in the Gulf of Aden [ in ] September [ ' 08 ] as part of an international effort to curb piracy . " part of Combined Task Force 150 . Interdiction . Throughout 2006 , the Somali Civil War continued to escalate . During this time , the task force conducted normal operations in the Indian Ocean . By early 2007 it became actively involved in providing a maritime cordon to prevent the escape of members of Al Qaeda suspected of being embedded within the ranks of the Islamic Courts Union ( ICU ) . Open warfare broke out between Ethiopian and the ICU forces on 20 December 2006 , but until 2 January 2007 there had been no request by the Ethiopian or Somali military for CTF - 150 to take action . On that day , the aim of the patrols shifted to " . . . stop SICC leaders or foreign militant supporters escaping " . On 4 January 2008 ships of the task force began performing Visit , Board , Search , and Seizure ( VBSS ) missions , boarding fishing boats ( " dhow s " ) and oil tankers passing near the Somali coast . US ships of Combined Task Force 150 include the " Arleigh Burke " - class destroyer USS " Ramage " and the " Ticonderoga " - class cruiser USS " Bunker Hill " . Commodore Bruce Williams of the Royal Navy led the task force at this time .