U.S., Turkey: Washington's Growing Confidence in Ankara

Stratfor ^ | 4/24/2009 | Stratfor

[a_Turk]

The Bahrain-based U.S. Fifth Fleet announced April 24 that the U.S. Navy will transfer command of U.S.-dominated counter-piracy operation known as Combined Task Force (CTF) 151 to the Turkish navy in a ceremony attended by U.S. Rear Adm. Michelle Howard and Turkish Rear Adm. Caner Bener at Naval Support Activity Bahrain on May 3.

{snip!}

The U.S. transfer of command of the CTF 151 to the Turkish navy thus carries a great deal of symbolic weight. This is about the United States sharing responsibility with a strategic ally and putting that cooperation on display for U.S. allies and adversaries to ponder. Adversaries like Iran, for example, are already expressing their concern over this shift.

{snip!}

On a bilateral level, the shift in naval command will also be critical in U.S. attempts to rebuild trust with the Turkish General Staff. The Turkish military considers itself to be the secular guard of the Ataturk-founded Turkish state and feels that its prowess has been circumscribed in recent years by the ruling Islamist-rooted Justice and Development Party (AKP). Moreover, the Turkish General Staff holds Washington partly responsible for facilitating the AKP’s rise. The United States needs the support of the Turkish General Staff in dealing with its array of foreign policy issues; by handing over responsibility of the piracy issue to the Turkish navy, Washington likely hopes to mend some of these fissures.

{snip!}

[a_Turk]

May 3, 2009

Turkish Rear Adm. Caner Bener takes command, at the U.S. Navy base in Manama, Bahrain, of an international naval task force fighting piracy.



U.S. Vice Adm. William Gortney is pictured on the right.

[Bulldawg Fan]

Other than the incident with the Alabama rescue, where the USS Bainbridge Captain took the initiative, we dont seem to be doing much. What difference does it make which country leads the non-effort to rein in the pirates?

[SunkenCiv]

the U.S. Navy will transfer command of U.S.-dominated counter-piracy operation known as Combined Task Force (CTF) 151 to the Turkish navy

[ScreamingFist]

The Bahrain-based U.S. Fifth Fleet announced April 24 that the U.S. Navy will transfer command of U.S.-dominated counter-piracy operation known as Combined Task Force (CTF) 151 to the Turkish navy in a ceremony attended by U.S. Rear Adm. Michelle Howard and Turkish Rear Adm. Caner Bener at Naval Support Activity Bahrain on May 3

Excellent. Let's see how the rag-tag somolians like dealing with the Turks.....