NAVAL SUPPORT ACTIVITY BAHRAIN – U.S. Naval Forces Central Command’s (NAVCENT) maritime patrol force, Commander, Task Force (CTF) 57, held a change of command ceremony at Naval Support Activity Bahrain, Nov. 8.
Capt. Christopher Flaherty relieved Capt. Brett Coffey as commodore of CTF 57.
CTF 57 provides maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft throughout the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations. The task force supports four task groups comprised of over 650 personnel, operating from four countries with four variants of P-3 Orion aircraft and Broad Area Maritime Surveillance-Demonstrator (BAMS-D).
The ceremony marked CTF 57’s sixth change of command since its establishment as a major aviation command in September 2008.
During the ceremony, Vice Adm. Kevin Donegan, commander of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command, spoke about Coffey’s term in command.
“He did all this hard work and he did it by paying attention to his Sailors,” said Donegan, commander of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command, after listing Coffey’s accomplishments during his time as commander. “Your support of our combat operations and peacetime operations are crucial to the success of our mission.”
Coffey served as commodore from Nov. 17, 2014 until Nov. 8, 2016, providing U.S. 5th Fleet with reliable and consistent Maritime Patrol and Reconnaissance Aircraft (MPRA) coverage throughout the region.
“Words can’t describe the honor and pleasure I’ve had working with CTF 57,” said Coffey. “During the last two years, we’ve accomplished 2,300 flight hours. It wasn’t easy, but my crew made it so.”
Coffey reports next to the Ohio State University Naval ROTC Unit in Columbus, Oh. as the professor of Naval Science.
“Command isn’t about me; it’s about us,” said Flaherty. “You have already achieved much, but now it’s up to all of us to further that success.”
Flaherty reports to CTF 57 from Patrol Squadron (VP) 8 as the commanding officer, homeported in Jacksonville, Fla.
NAVCENT is responsible for approximately 2.5 million square miles of area including the Arabian Gulf, Gulf of Oman, North Arabian Sea, Gulf of Aden, and the Red Sea.