U.S. takes command of gulf task force - Navy News | News from Afghanistan & Iraq - Navy Times

U.S. takes command of gulf task force

U.S. Navy Rear Adm. Garry Hall relieved Royal Navy Commodore Nick Lambert on Tuesday as commander of Combined Task Force 158, which is tasked with protecting oil terminals near Iraq.

CTF-158 is a coalition of ships from Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States, which provides security in and around the Al Basrah and Khawr Al Amaya oil terminals in the northern Persian Gulf.

In a change-of-command ceremony onboard Ocean 6, a barge that operates as a command-and-control platform, Hall took over for Lambert, and Capt. Paul Severs relieved Royal Navy Capt. Bob Sanguinetti as commander of Combined Task Group 158.1. The mission of CTG 158.1 is 24-hour protection of the two oil terminals. The group operates from Ocean 6.

“My staff is ready and prepared to take on this coalition mission,” said Severs, who also is the commodore for Destroyer Squadron 50, in a statement released by 5th Fleet. “We will play a vital role in maritime operations in the [northern gulf].”

Iraq’s oil platforms account for about 90 percent of the country’s gross domestic product, according to the 5th Fleet statement.