Ecuador was welcomed as the newest member of the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) on Monday, swearing to fight terrorism and piracy across the globe.
The CMF is a 34-nation naval task force that was founded in February 2002 in response to the destruction of the Twin Towers in 2001. The force’s headquarters are located in Bahrain, while their primary goals include fighting terrorism, encouraging regional cooperation, and protecting key trade routes from pirates.
The CMF operates five separate task forces, including CTF 150 (Gulf of Oman security and counter-terrorism), CTF 151 (counter piracy), CTF 152 (Arabian Gulf security and cooperation), CTF 153 (Red Sea/Gulf of Aden security and cooperation), and CTF 154 (maritime security training).
Member states include Australia, Bahrain, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Djibouti, Egypt, France, Germany, Greece, India, Iraq, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, the Republic of Korea, Kuwait, Malaysia, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, the Philippines, Portugal, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the Seychelles, Singapore, Spain, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Turkey, the UAE, the United Kingdom, the United States, Yemen, and now Ecuador.
