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Dateline
- June 24th, 2006
RAN Officer to Command Coalition Naval Forces
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I
am proud to announce that a Royal Australian Navy (RAN) officer
has been selected as the next commander of coalition naval forces
in the Northern Persian Gulf. Commodore Peter Lockwood, supported
by a staff of 21 specialist RAN personnel, will command Task Force
158 (TF158) - a coalition naval force of around 10 warships and
up to 2000 personnel. Included in this force is the Australian
ANZAC class frigate, HMAS Ballarat, which has been on station
in the Gulf since March 2006.
Commodore Lockwood and his staff will command all Coalition maritime
operations in the northern part of the Persian Gulf. He will exercise
command from a United States Navy warship and will be responsible
to the Coalition Forces Maritime Component Commander. This appointment
reflects the high level of respect held by the US Navy for the
RAN, and the close relationship our two navies share. The Northern
Persian Gulf is a very complex operating environment. The task
ahead for Commodore Lockwood and his team is demanding, but he
is an outstanding naval officer, and I’m sure he and his
well trained command team will continue to represent Australia
in a manner that will make us proud.
Australians should not underestimate the exceptional work of our
armed forces in the Middle East, and this is another example of
the ADF’s capacity to make specialist contributions to the
reconstruction and rehabilitation of Iraq. A secure and stable
environment in the Gulf will encourage commercial maritime trade
and prevent the smuggling of goods through the Persian Gulf, strongly
contributing to Iraq’s economic development. Notably, the
two offshore oil terminals export most of Iraq’s oil.
Commodore Lockwood is scheduled to take up his appointment today
and will handover to another coalition commander in November this
year. There are currently around 1700 personnel deployed to the
Middle East area of operations.
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