COMBINED MARITIME FORCE (CMF): “COALITION OF THE WILLING” CONDUCTING MARITIME SECURITY OPERATIONS (MSO) IN THE MIDDLE EAST AND HORN OF AFRICA (HOA) Cdr Robert Taylor JCSP 43 DL PCEMI 43 AD Exercise Solo Flight Exercice Solo Flight Disclaimer Avertissement Opinions expressed remain those of the author and Les opinons exprimées n’engagent que leurs auteurs do not represent Department of National Defence or et ne reflètent aucunement des politiques du Canadian Forces policy. This paper may not be used Ministère de la Défense nationale ou des Forces without written permission. canadiennes. Ce papier ne peut être reproduit sans autorisation écrite. © Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, as © Sa Majesté la Reine du Chef du Canada, représentée par represented by the Minister of National Defence, 2018. le ministre de la Défense nationale, 2018. CANADIAN FORCES COLLEGE – COLLÈGE DES FORCES CANADIENNES JCSP 43 DL – PCEMI 43 AD 2017 – 2018 EXERCISE SOLO FLIGHT – EXERCICE SOLO FLIGHT COMBINED MARITIME FORCE (CMF): “COALITION OF THE WILLING” CONDUCTING MARITIME SECURITY OPERATIONS (MSO) IN THE MIDDLE EAST AND HORN OF AFRICA (HOA) Cdr Robert Taylor “This paper was written by a student “La présente étude a été rédigée par un attending the Canadian Forces College stagiaire du Collège des Forces in fulfilment of one of the requirements canadiennes pour satisfaire à l'une des of the Course of Studies. The paper is a exigences du cours. L'étude est un scholastic document, and thus contains document qui se rapporte au cours et facts and opinions, which the author contient donc des faits et des opinions alone considered appropriate and que seul l'auteur considère appropriés et correct for the subject. It does not convenables au sujet. Elle ne reflète pas necessarily reflect the policy or the nécessairement la politique ou l'opinion opinion of any agency, including the d'un organisme quelconque, y compris le Government of Canada and the gouvernement du Canada et le ministère Canadian Department of National de la Défense nationale du Canada. Il est Defence. This paper may not be défendu de diffuser, de citer ou de released, quoted or copied, except with reproduire cette étude sans la permission the express permission of the Canadian expresse du ministère de la Défense Department of National Defence.” nationale.” Word Count: 3111 Compte de mots: 3111 1 Combined Maritime Force (CMF): “Coalition of the Willing” Conducting Maritime Security Operations (MSO) in the Middle East and Horn of Africa (HOA) In January of 1991, the United States of America, in an assemblage of 34 nations, began air operations in order to push the invading Iraqi army out of Kuwait. Operation Desert Storm, the campaign to liberate Kuwait, was made up of a coalition with no formal agreement to bind the parties together.1 The Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) was established in 2002 as a temporary coalition. It operates in the Middle East and Horn of Africa (HOA) with the aim of ensuring the free flow of commerce. Like the Desert Storm coalition, CMF has no elaborate international agreement between likeminded nations. It is instead a “coalition of the willing”, a voluntary organization of nations committed to common action in a specific situation. There are myriad distinct challenges that come with coalition membership. Issues related to interoperability abound, including questions of trust and communications. Being a “coalition of the willing” creates even more obstacles. Willingness to contribute and in what capacity, cultural and religious differences, asset allocation, and the absence of membership requirements all factor into the complexity of CMF’s situation. This paper will argue that for CMF to be able to continue to conduct essential Maritime Security Operations (MSO) in the Middle East and Horn of Africa (HOA), it needs to evolve. 1Miller, John, Partnerships Born from Operation Desert Storm Remain Vital to Middle East Security, Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Central Command U.S. Fifth Fleet Combined Maritime Forces, Navy Live,(blog) 10 May 2018. http://navylive.dodlive.mil/2015/01/15/partnerships-born-from-operation-desert-storm-remain-vital- to-middle-east-security/. 2 COMBINED MARITIME FORCES Overview The Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) is a coalition of 32 nations’ navies whose strategic aim is to “establish, promote and protect the freedom of navigation for all legitimate seafarers by countering, piracy, narcotics, smuggling, terrorism, and any other emerging threats” and to “contribute to global and regional stability and fulfil partner nations’ strategic interests within the region”.2 The Area of Responsibility (AOR) is vast: approximately 3.2 million square miles of international waters in the Middle East, bordering 21 nation states. The region encompasses three of the top six crucial maritime choke points in the world, including the Bab Al Mandeb, the Suez Canal, and the Straits of Hormuz. CMF objectives include the support of legitimate commerce, denying terrorist and illicit non-state actors use of the high seas, and engagement with regional partners and stakeholders.3 Three combined task forces focus on counter terrorism (CTF-150), counter piracy (CTF-151), and Arabian Gulf security and cooperation (CTF-152).4 Combined Task Forces CTF-150’s mission is to promote regional security and to counter use of the maritime environment for terrorist-related purposes. Actions include the interdiction of drugs, weapons, and charcoal smuggling and other illicit activity contributing to terrorism. CTF-150 also stands ready to respond to crises in the critical maritime choke points of the region, whether related to 2Combined Maritime Forces, CMF Maritime Security Strategy 2018-2023 CMFCC/N5/02/03, Deputy Commander Combined Maritime Forces, Manama: CMF Bahrain, (February 2018), 5. 3Ibid. 4Mathew, MacLeod, and William, M. Wardrop, Operational Analysis at Combined Maritime Forces, 32nd International Symposium of Military Operational Research, Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada (DND), (July 2015): 1. 3 terrorist, navigational, environmental, or humanitarian causes. CTF-151 seeks to disrupt and deter piracy and armed robbery at sea. Its patrol area includes the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, Indian Ocean, and Gulf of Oman. CTF 152 operates in the Arabian Gulf where it coordinates Theatre Security Cooperation (TSC) activities with its regional partners, conducts Maritime Security Operations (MSO), and is prepared to respond to any crisis. The key contributing nations are Kuwait, UAE, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan.5 Enduring Collaborations Stakeholders that lend their support to CMF include SHADE, the Shared Awareness and De-confliction Conference that is held twice yearly in Bahrain. Representatives from maritime shipping partners and independent maritime naval forces gather to discuss issues surrounding regional maritime security to ensure de-confliction between navies when conducting operations.6 The European Union Naval Force (EUNAVFOR) conducts its own naval operations (Operation Atalanta) in the Horn of Africa. Their objectives are preventing piracy, protecting World Food Program shipments, monitoring fishing, and strengthening partnerships with other agencies in the region.7 Together EUNAVFOR and the CMF produce Industry Releasable Threat Assessments and Industry Releasable Threat Bulletins (IRTA/IRTB) for the maritime community. The Maritime Security Conference is held annually in Bahrain. Previously the Commander’s Conference, it receives Senior National Representatives, delegates from CMF associate nations, participants from non-coalition navies, and other maritime security sponsors to 5Combined Maritime Forces, DCCMF, “Challenges of Command in a Multinational Environment” PPT (Manama: CMF Bahrain, 2016), 8. 6European Union Naval Forces, External Action, Somalia, 15 May 2018, http://eunavfor.eu. 7Ibid. 4 address regional security threats at sea. The geographical foci are the sea lines of communication (SLOCs): the primary maritime routes between ports used for trade, logistics, and naval forces. CMF member nations continually strive to work together to tackle problems at sea while having to attend to difficulties within the partnership. DIFFICULTIES Coalition of the Willing Coalitions are formed to undertake a specific mission and are tailored to meet the assignment’s specific needs.8 Not only are coalitions customized for specific objectives, they are more loosely bound than alliances and tend to disband after objectives are met.9 The term “Coalition of the willing” was coined at the time of Operation Desert Storm and the liberation of Kuwait in 1991. The CMF coalition of the willing does not have any complex international treaty that binds its members together. It is instead a “voluntary organization of nations who understand the importance of the region and are willing to commit forces and personnel to ensure the maritime security of the Middle East” and HOA.10 CMF assesses its center of gravity as “The Willingness of Nations to Contribute to CMF”.11 There are some challenges that are inherent to coalitions and some difficulties that are specific to CMF. Being a coalition of the willing, the functioning of CMF is dependent on the willingness of member states to supply assets, whether they are personnel, ships, aircraft, and/or financial 8Patricia, Weitsman, A “Fighting with Friends: The Dynamics of Coalition Warfare.” A research paper (Annual Meeting of the American Political Science Association, 2007), 115. 9Mark, Schissler, O, More Power or More Problems? (Joint