- Vigil category device · not official insignia
Identity provenance
Vigil category device — drawn from this record’s own domain, echelon and role. Not an official insignia.
In brief
The Combined Maritime Forces' task force for the Gulf itself — the multinational security structure inside the water this module is about, commanded in rotation by Gulf states' own officers, and by mandate concerned with non-state activity rather than with the war.
- Scope
- Structure, role, lineage and links. No subordinate records published.
- Subordination
- Subordination confirmed
- Sources
- 2 on the record
- Record state
- Partial
Broad area of activity
The Gulf, from the strait to its northern head
Notable history
Task Force 152 was created in 2004 to give the Combined Maritime Forces a presence inside the Gulf, and it has been the task force through which Gulf Arab navies have most often exercised command — Bahraini, Kuwaiti, Saudi, Emirati and Qatari officers have led it in rotation. Its stated purpose is maritime security and counter-terrorism against non-state actors, and that stated purpose is what keeps it outside the war being fought on the same water: the coalition does not claim a role against Iran, even though its parent is commanded by the same officer as the Fifth Fleet. The Emirates' withdrawal from the task-force structure in 2023 is the clearest sign that participation is national policy rather than institutional habit.
Strengths
A structure through which Gulf navies command coalition operations on their own water, and the confidence-building that comes from it.
Limitations
A mandate against non-state actors on a sea whose principal problem is a state, and a membership whose participation fluctuates with politics. Its self-description is a participant's account. No vessels, contributions or operations are recorded.
Lineage & institutional history
Assessed as of2026-09Last reviewed2026-09-09
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