Combined Task Force 154 Concludes Operation Compass Rose IV
By U.S. Naval Forces Central Command Public Affairs
MANAMA, Bahrain – The Egyptian-led Combined Task Force (CTF) 154 of Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) conducted operation Compass Rose IV onboard Naval Support Activity Bahrain, Dec. 15-19.
The five-day maritime security enhancement training (MSET) activity drew participants from 16 CMF member nations. The operation included facilitators from nine member nations along with CMF partner organizations including the United Nations Institute for Training and Research, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, and the International Criminal Police Organization, known as INTERPOL.
The program included practical training in visit, board, search and seizure procedures, maritime domain awareness and damage control and firefighting.
The boarding training equipped participants with the fundamental techniques, tactics and procedures to safely conduct an unopposed boarding in favorable conditions, understand smuggling practices and know how to correctly collect, preserve and transfer evidence for use in investigations and prosecutions.
The maritime domain awareness training gave participants an overview of using unmanned systems to support maritime security operations.
Training included hands-on, workshops and lectures covering maritime law, maritime pollution event crisis management, intelligence, evidence gathering, public affairs and the services of CMF’s Joint Maritime Information Center (JMIC).
Commodore Haytham Khalil, commander of CTF 154, said both participants and facilitators found the activity was beneficial because of its collaborative approach.
“We have shifted Compass Rose from a one-directional training program with instructors and trainees to a collaborative exchange in which facilitators, observers and participants share experience and knowledge and all emerge stronger and better able to operate together,” said Khalil. “CTF 154 was pleased to have support for this event from across all CMF combined task forces, CMF headquarters and partner organizations in an expression of the cooperation and collaboration that CMF and Compass Rose is all about.”
Compass Rose is CMF’s flagship MSET activity, designed to increase collaboration, interoperability and capacity across all CMF partner nations in order to enable the conduct of maritime security operations in regional waters.
Compass Rose was first held in May 2023 under the then-newly established CTF 154.
Subsequent Compass Rose MSET activities
took place in December 2023 and June 2024.
CTF 154 leads multinational maritime training at locations across the Middle East, enabling more CMF partner nations to participate in training opportunities without ships or aircraft, particularly during courses facilitated ashore.
CMF is the largest multinational naval partnership in the world, with 46 nations committed to upholding the international rules-based order at sea, which promotes security, stability, and prosperity across approximately 3.2 million square miles of international waters, encompassing some of the world’s most important shipping lanes.
Austin, Biden Laud Former President Carter's Leadership, Humanity
Austin, Biden Laud Former President Carter's Leadership, Humanity
By David Vergun, DOD News
Former President Jimmy Carter died at his home in Plains, Georgia at age 100, Dec. 29.
Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III, in a statement, called Carter a "principled leader" and "a steadfast champion of human rights and democratic ideals."
Americans will remember Carter for his leadership in office and his distinguished post-presidency, but the Defense Department also honors his sterling service in uniform, Austin said.
Before Carter was governor of Georgia from 1971 to 1975 and then president from 1977 to 1981, he served in the Navy on active duty from 1946 to 1953 and in the reserves from 1953 to 1961, attaining the rank of lieutenant.
After graduating from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1946, Carter completed two years of surfaceship duty before working on submarines. He was selected to develop nuclear-powered submarines and served on the first U.S. submarine built since World War II, Austin noted.
In 2005, the USS Jimmy Carter — a nuclear-powered submarine — was commissioned in his honor, and in 2023, Building 105 at the U.S. Naval Academy was renamed
Carter Hall, the secretary said.
Carter also contributed to global security, Austin said, noting his role in working to strengthen NATO and other alliances. He also issued the Carter Doctrine, which specified that the U.S. would use military force, if necessary, to ensure stability and security in the Persian Gulf.
The president also established diplomatic relations with China and brokered peace between Israel and Egypt, the secretary said.
After his White House tenure ended, Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, founded the Carter Center and worked tirelessly to build homes for the poor, fight disease and expand economic opportunity, Austin noted.
"President Carter's lifelong leadership and deep faith will continue to inspire Americans and people around the world," Austin said.
President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden in a statement said, America and the world lost an extraordinary leader, statesman and humanitarian.
"With his compassion and moral clarity, he worked to eradicate disease, forge peace, advance civil rights and human rights, promote free and fair
elections, house the homeless and always advocate for the least among us. He saved, lifted and changed the lives of people all across the globe. He was a man of great character and courage, hope and optimism," per the statement.
In a proclamation, Biden said, "Carter was a man of character, courage and compassion, whose lifetime of service defined him as one of the most influential statesmen in our history. He embodied the very best of America: A humble servant of God and the people, a heroic champion of global peace and human rights, and an honorable leader whose moral clarity and hopeful vision lifted our nation and changed our world."
After his father died, Carter returned home to Plains, to help manage his family's peanut farm. He worked hard stewarding the land while leading his community as a church deacon, Sunday school teacher and board member of a hospital and library. His deep faith inspired a passion for public service, per the proclamation.
Biden proclaimed Jan. 9 as a National Day of Mourning and ordered flags of the United States lowered to half-staff for 30 days from the day of Carter's death.
Australian-led Combined Task Force 153 Visits Royal Jordanian Navy Chief
Published by Combined Maritime Forces MANAMA, Bahrain – Royal Australian Navy
Captain Jorge McKee, commander of Combined Task Force (CTF) 153, conducted a successful visit to Jordan to meet with Chief of the Royal Jordan Navy, Colonel Hisham Khaleed Aljarrah, on December 11.
Before exchanging official gifts, the two leaders discussed recent regional security issues, as well as maritime challenges in the CTF 153 area of operations, which includes the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
Colonel Aljarrah briefed Captain McKee on the Royal Jordanian Navy’s recent command of CTF 154, its current and future operations and capabilities, and Royal Jordanian Navy facilities.
Captain McKee and Colonel Aljarrah also discussed the many benefits of the maritime security enhancement training conducted by CTF 154.
Captain McKee said the visit was a positive and informative one.
“It was a very beneficial visit. Colonel
Aljarrah shared his deep expertise and insights into security at sea,” Captain McKee said. “We discussed ways the CTF 153 can find illicit cargo at sea and how to keep merchant ships safe.”
“I was pleased to thank Colonel Aljarrah on behalf of CMF for the Royal Jordanian Navy’s commitment to CMF, both through the leadership role it has previously played and the contribution it continues to make to various staff positions.”
CTF 154 was under Royal Jordanian Navy leadership from November 22, 2023 until handing over command to the Egyptian Navy on June 30, 2024.
Captain McKee has been leading CTF 153 since the Royal Australian Navy assumed command on October 1, 2024.
CTF 153, one of five task forces under CMF, works to promote security, stability and prosperity in the Red Sea, Bab al-Mandeb, and western Gulf of Aden in order to deter and impede illicit non-state actors.
By C. Todd Lopez, DOD News
Following a ceremony at the White House where seven soldiers received the Medal of Honor, today those same soldiers were inducted into the Pentagon's Hall of Heroes during an off-site ceremony at Joint Base MyerHenderson Hall in Arlington, Virginia.
President Joe Biden presented the Medal of Honor to Pvt. Bruno R. Orig, Pfc. Wataru Nakamura, Cpl. Fred B. McGee, Pfc. Charles R. Johnson and Gen. Richard E. Cavazos. All served in the Korean War and were posthumously presented the medal. Family members accepted the decoration on their behalf.
From the Vietnam War, both Capt. Hugh R. Nelson Jr. and Pfc. Kenneth J. David were decorated. Nelson received the medal posthumously, while David, the
only living recipient, accepted the medal in person.
At JMB-HH, Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III, Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth and Chief of Staff of the Army Gen. Randy A. George inducted the soldiers into the Hall of Heroes, where the names of all service members who receive the Medal of Honor are enshrined.
"It's incredibly powerful to hear these seven stories of sheer bravery and sacrifice," said Austin, who himself served in the Army for more than 40 years.
"The soldiers whom we honor today came from different walks of life, from different communities and from different parts of our country."
Austin said some of the soldiers honored could trace their roots in the United States back for generations. Some, he said,
were children of immigrants. Others were descendants of slaves.
"Some of these heroes were commissioned officers in the Army, and some of them fought in the enlisted ranks," Austin said. "Yet when each of these men faced terrible danger in battle, every one of them made the same choice: to put the mission first, to never quit, to never accept defeat and to never leave a fallen comrade."
Orig, Nakamura and Johnson were all killed in action in while serving in Korea, while Nelson was killed in action serving in Vietnam. Following service in wartime, McGee spent more than 40 years working in the steel industry and also served in multiple civic organizations. He died in 2020, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Cavazos continued
service in the Army until 1984 and retired as a four-star general. He died in 2017.
David, the only living medal recipient, has spent the decades following the Vietnam War serving military veterans in his community, Austin said.
"These heroes risked everything for their country, and often made the ultimate sacrifice," Austin said. "Their stories should be more than just a source of pride. They should be a source of inspiration. And they should be a spur to action."
It sometimes takes decades, or longer, to finally recognize the gallant actions of service members in combat situations. Austin said it took the work of many to bring to light the actions of the seven inducted into the Hall of Heroes.
"The recognition that we
bestow on these heroes today is long overdue," he said. "But we got here. And we got here thanks to the loved ones and the advocates who kept pushing, year after year."
Among those, he said, were the fellow soldiers who witnessed their actions and who wrote their commanding officers, families, civic groups, journalists, alumni chapters, members of Congress, congressional staffers and veterans.
"You have all helped us to see the unmatched valor of these men's deeds — and to forever set them in their rightful place of honor," Austin said. "Let us do more than honor the service and sacrifice of these American heroes. Let us strive to live up to their example. And let us protect and strengthen the republic that they loved so much."
Kickin’ it with Shaun – Getting Back to It
By: Shaun Gillespie, NSA Bahrain MWR Fitness Specialist
Let's set the scene.
Not too long ago, I remember the days I could stand up with over 600 lbs across my back. Since then, I met someone, poured all my energy into cultivating my relationship and somewhere along the line gained 25 lbs. and lost muscle and strength.
As you read this article, I am determined to get back into training for 2025 and get back up to a sustainable strength goal.
So how do I do that?
Simple answer is Periodization. Complex answer is exercise choice, execution and progression all depend on where you are in your life. For example: if you are holding onto injuries from decades ago, flexibility issues or just need to get your cardio better. All these will factor into a program design and the main reason you need professional personal trainers like myself to help plan and guide you along the way.
Getting back to it.
What is Periodization?
Here is what google says: "Periodization is defined as the planned manipulation of training variables (load, sets, and repetitions) in order to maximize training adaptations and to prevent the onset of overtraining syndrome.”
Broken down into 4–6-week training cycles, short term (micro), medium term(macro) and long term (meso) cycles followed by a break (de-load) of usually 7-14 days but it can be longer.
Many of you will see results going to the gym regularly and pushing to the point of failure. That's a great start, but then what?
How long do you keep pushing for? What happens when you get injured? How much should my weights increase by? How much should my fitness increase by?
Use these rough guidelines to help you.
Find a routine, commit to doing whatever it is you want to start and start. Aim for a minimum of twice a week to get started. Train to be there, the results will follow.
Once you feel more comfortable with the movements and or fitness level, try to increase what you are doing, walk longer or faster, lift a little more or take a short rest. After about 6 weeks, back to baseline. This is why tracking is important, use the same metric you started with and go back to that for 4-6 training sessions or one to two weeks, then start the next phase where you left off with the intention of improving. Rinse and repeat.
Happy New Year,
Good Luck!
Do you need to decompress after a long day, maintain or increase fitness with a team to help keep you motivated and accountable? If so, my classes are a sure way to get you on track.
* Sun. @ 1600 Boxing (Human Performance Area aka NOFFS)
Mon. @ 1600 Kickboxing (Aerobics Studio)
* Tues. @ 1600 Boxing (Human Performance Area aka NOFFS)
* Wed. @ 1600 Kickboxing (Aerobics Studio) And if group sessions aren’t really your thing, I am available for one-on-one coaching as well. Fill out a PT request form requesting Shaun at the P-911 gym reception.
CTF 150 Conducts Key Leadership Engagements in Kenya to Strengthen Maritime Security Cooperation
Published by Combined Maritime Forces
MANAMA, Bahrain – Commodore Asim Sohail Malik, commander of Combined Task Force (CTF) 150, recently conducted a series of high-level meetings in Kenya from December 17-20. These engagements focused on enhancing regional maritime cooperation, advancing security initiatives and fostering the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) partnership with Kenya to counter maritime threats in the region.
During the visit, Commodore Malik met with prominent military and civilian officials to discuss critical aspects of regional maritime security. In discussion with Toral Vadgama, Deputy Head of the Global Maritime Crime Programme at the United Nations Office in Nairobi, both sides emphasized the importance of collaboration in combating drug trafficking and called for joint initiatives to enhance awareness and strengthen CMF-UNODC cooperation.
HIMALAYAN SPIRIT, conducted in Sep. 2024 was acknowledged with the desire from both sides to manifest such opportunities in future as well.
Additionally, Commodore Malik also met with Julius Koech, Director General of the Kenya Maritime Authority, followed by a tour of Regional Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (RMRCC) where Assistant Director John Omondi briefed him on the center’s operations and
Ms. Vadgama also commended recent drug interdictions of Pakistan led CTF 150. She also highlighted that legal finish by Pakistan law enforcement agencies has been pivotal in deterring drug smuggling ventures in the North Arabian Sea.
Commodore Malik also engaged with Brigadier Sankale Kiswaa, deputy commander of the Kenya Navy, and Mr. Richard Ngeno, chief of staff of the Kenya Coast Guard. Discussions centered on improving operational coordination, enhancing information sharing and identifying opportunities for Kenya’s increased participation in CMF operations. Participation of Kenya Navy Ship SHUJAA in the CTF 150 focused operation
its role in sharing information on piracy threat within its assigned jurisdiction. The focus during the meetings remained towards enhancing operational coordination with Kenya and identifying opportunities to extend CMF support to Kenya Navy and maritime law enforcement agencies for capacity building.
Kenya, a CMF member since Nov. 2023, plays a pivotal role in maintaining maritime security in Southern Somali Basin and the Western Indian Ocean. The visit highlights Kenya’s strategic importance in regional maritime security and reaffirms CTF 150’s dedication to foster regional partnerships and advancing shared goals in the region.
“Tu Certa Salutis Anchora“
New MOVIES at the MWR Cinema
A Complete Unknown (R) – 2h 21m
In 1961, an unknown 19-year-old Bob Dylan arrives in New York City with his guitar and forges relationships with music icons on his meteoric rise, culminating in a groundbreaking performance that reverberates worldwide. Cast | Timothée Chalamet, Edward Norton, Elle Fanning
Wicked (PG) – 2h 40m
Elphaba, a misunderstood young woman because of her green skin, and Glinda, a popular girl, become friends at Shiz University in the Land of Oz. After an encounter with the Wonderful Wizard of Oz, their friendship reaches a crossroads. Cast | Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jeff Goldblum
Kraven the Hunter (R) – 2h 7m
Kraven's complex relationship with his ruthless father, Nikolai Kravinoff, starts him down a path of vengeance with brutal consequences, motivating him to become not only the greatest hunter in the world, but also one of its most feared. Cast | Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Ariana DeBose, Fred Hechinger
Mufasa: The Lion King (PG) – 2h
Mufasa, a cub lost and alone, meets a sympathetic lion named Taka, the heir to a royal bloodline. The chance meeting sets in motion an expansive journey of a group of misfits searching for their destiny. Cast | Aaron Pierre, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Seth Rogen
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