The U.S. 5th Fleet shares a headquarters and commander with the US Naval Forces Central Command. Its area of operations encompasses nearly 2.5 million square miles of water area and includes the Arabian Gulf, Gulf of Oman, Red Sea, parts of the Indian Ocean and three critical choke points at the Strait of Hormuz, Suez Canal and Bab al-Mandeb. The fleet headquarters/NAVCENT is located in Bahrein as a component command of US Central Command.
In effect, it could be stated that some of the most troubled waters for international shipping pass through its area of responsibility. An exercise by the fleet, with any local partner, is of interest to all.
Naval forces from Pakistan and the United States completed a four-day bilateral training exercise, Inspired Union 2024, in Karachi, Pakistan, on 2nd May. Exercise Inspired Union focused on maritime interdiction operations, explosive ordinance disposal mine countermeasure tactics, techniques, and procedures, and harbor security. The exercise created opportunities for improving readiness, enhancing maritime security and stability, and promoting the freedom of navigation in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations.
“Exercises like Inspired Union continue to improve our readiness and interoperability in the maritime domain,” said CAPT Robert “Paco” Porter, Commodore of Task Force 52. “Pakistan is an important partner and we are honored for their hospitality both during this exercise and the lead up to it. We look forward to future opportunities to work with an important partner like Pakistan.”
A U.S. Coast Guard maritime engagement team, a U.S. Marine Corps fleet anti-terrorism security team, a civil affairs team, and an expeditionary mine countermeasures and diving team, took part in Inspired Union.
As a bilateral exercise, it fosters collaboration between Pakistan and the U.S. armed forces upholding the rules-based international order that supports the free flow of commerce in strategically important waters in the region.
(With inputs from official U.S. Department of Defense organization website)
Team Bharatshakti
