Captain (Navy) Colin Matthews, Commander of Combined Task Force 150, met with Rear-Admiral Sofiayan and Rear-Admiral Akmal of the Tentara Nasional Indonesia Angkatan Laut (TNI-AL) in Jakarta, Indonesia on March 28. Together they discussed the shared goals of the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) and TNI-AL in countering illegal smuggling of narcotics, weapons and other illicit materials in the region and promoting the safety and security of the seas for commercial shipping and legitimate maritime traffic.
CMF area of operations spans over three million square nautical miles. The organization says its success requires close coordination with not just the CMF contributing nations, but regional maritime partners such as Indonesia. Canada assumed command of CTF 150 in January of this year – the current rotation lasts until July.
