: The French navy took over command from the Germans of Task Force 150 , a six-nation fleet charged with surveillance of shipping in the Red Sea and Indian Ocean. Task Force 150 musters 1,000 sailors aboard nine warships from Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the United States. 

Outgoing commander German Rear-Admiral Manfred Nielson put the situation in perspective: "We have succeeded in maintaining a certain degree of stability in an uncertain region,... but permanent peace and security have nevertheless not been achieved in the Gulf, the Red Sea and the Horn of Africa." 

A total of 23 warships patrol the seas from the Horn of Africa east towards Pakistan and the Strait of Hormuz at the entrance to the Gulf, as part of Task Force 150 and Task Force 151. - Adam Geibel