Pariksha SaathiIndian Navy Completes Maiden Command of Combined Maritime Forces' Task Force 154
The Indian Navy handed over command of Combined Task Force 154 (CTF 154) at a ceremony in Manama, Bahrain, on 14 October 2026, completing its first-ever command of any Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) task force. India had taken charge of CTF 154 - the CMF's dedicated multinational maritime-training task force, set up in 2023 - on 11 February 2026, becoming the first Indian Navy contingent to lead a CMF task force; outgoing commander Cmde Milind M Mokashi handed over to incoming CMF Deputy Commander Cdr Melissa Desjardins. Over its eight-month tenure, India-led CTF 154 ran 20 staff-training engagements and two major multinational exercises - a virtual Operation Compass Rose 26-1 in April and Operation Southern Readiness 26-2, hosted at the Southern Naval Command, Kochi, in July, the largest such exercise CTF 154 has run - plus the first-ever SPAR 2026 exchange on anti-piracy, together totalling more than 7,800 training hours for personnel from 39 countries. India joined CMF as an Associate Partner in 2022 and became a full member in 2023.
Drafted with AI assistance from the official PIB release linked above and checked against it by a second AI pass. Not line-edited by a human.
Learning context
The Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) is a 47-nation multinational naval partnership headquartered in Bahrain, commanded by a US Navy Vice Admiral who also heads the US Navy’s Central Command and 5th Fleet, with a UK Royal Navy Commodore as Deputy Commander. Besides CTF 154 (maritime security training), CMF runs four other standing task forces: CTF 150, 151 (counter-piracy), 152 and 153 (Red Sea security).
Reference: Combined Maritime Forces’ own ‘About CMF’ page
Check yourself: does CTF 154 operate on its own, independent of the rest of CMF?
No — CTF 154 is one of five standing Combined Task Forces under the single CMF structure (alongside CTF 150, 151, 152 and 153), all commanded through CMF Headquarters in Bahrain.
Revision task: from this release, note the exact tenure India led CTF 154 (11 February to 14 October 2026, about eight months) and that this was the first time any Indian Navy contingent commanded a CMF task force, and keep that specific to this tenure, not CMF’s standing structure above.
Test yourself
In which city was the ceremony held at which the Indian Navy handed over command of Combined Task Force 154 on 14 October 2026?
Show the answer
Answer: Manama, Bahrain
The handover took place in Manama, Bahrain, ending India's maiden eight-month command (from 11 February 2026) of a Combined Maritime Forces task force; CTF 154 is the CMF's maritime-training task force, set up in 2023.
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