INDIAN NAVY ASSUMES FIRST-EVER COMMAND OF COMBINED TASK FORCE (CTF) 154

• Combined Task Force (CTF) 154 is one of five task forces under the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF), a 46-nation multilateral naval partnership headquartered at Manama, Bahrain; it is dedicated to maritime security training & capacity building of member navies.
• On 11 Feb 2026, the Indian Navy assumed command of CTF 154 for the first time ever, taking over from the Italian Navy.
• Significance for UPSC: demonstrates India's transition from "net security provider" rhetoric to operational leadership in a US-led multilateral construct in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) and West Asia.