New Delhi: An Indian Navy frigate seized 940 kilograms of drugs in the Arabian Sea earlier this week in its maiden operation as a full-member of the US-led Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) — a grouping of 42 nations that India joined in November last year.
This is the first time the Indian Navy has operated under a foreign flag as the task force which the frigate, INS Talwar, was part of is headed by the Canadian Navy.
The CMF is a multinational naval force set up in 2001 to initially counter international terrorism. Headquartered in Bahrain, it is the world’s largest international naval partnership.
India became an associate member of CMF in July 2022 and a full-member in little over a year. Both announcements were made following the 2+2 dialogue between India and the US.
Joining the CMF is the latest in a series of multilateral engagements by the Indian Navy as part of India’s widening military diplomacy.
INS Talwar was operating in support of the Canadian-led Combined Task Force (CTF) 150, which is one of five task forces operated by the CMF. CTF150 conducts maritime security operations (MSO) outside the Arabian Gulf to ensure legitimate commercial shipping can transit the region, free from non-state threats.
The CMF issued a statement saying that INS Talwar, a Talwar-class frigate, seized 453 kg of methamphetamines, 416 kg of hash and 71 kg of heroin from a dhow as part of Focused Operation Crimson Barracuda on 13 April.
“I commend the crew of INS Talwar for their efforts throughout this Focused Operation and their hard work has paid off with this seizure of 940 kg of drugs,” said Royal Canadian Navy Capt. Colin Matthews, Commander, Combined Task Force 150.
Almost all major navies of the world are members of the grouping except China. Pakistan is a member too.
CMF does not prescribe a specific level of participation from any member nation. The contribution from each country, therefore, varies on its ability to supply assets and the availability of those assets at any given time.