Bulwark expertise on display in the Gulf

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UK Command of Task Force 58 draws to a close this month with HMS Bulwark now providing the Task Force 58’s hub.

Royal Marines from HMS Bulwark boarding a Dhow while in the Gulf. HMS Bulwark is Flagship for Commander Task Force 58
[Picture: LA Phot "Pepe" Hogan, Royal Navy]

Since deploying on operations in the Gulf, Bulwark’s role has been varied; from the task of Commander’s flagship, to conducting maritime security patrols, defence of the vital oil infrastructure, logistics support to supporting the training of the new Iraqi Navy.

Bulwark is a highly versatile platform fulfilling a multitude of tasks, all critically linked with the future of Iraq and the success of Coalition efforts ashore. In the first of a two-part report we look at the role of Task Force 58 in assisting the coalition efforts in Iraq.

As the UK’s tenure of Task Force 58 draws to a close, Commodore Bruce Williams, its Commander, remarked: "if life is akin to a rollercoaster, the very best seats are always at the front – where we are in the Northern Arabian Gulf and waterways running up into Iraq today."

As an integral part of the land campaign to the north, Task Force 58 has three goals; to ensure the protection of the vital economic oil infrastructure upon which Iraq’s economy almost wholly depends, to assure progress towards a more stable Iraq and lastly to contribute to wider regional security by promoting better awareness of, and reaction to, the consequence of oil spills, whether by accident or terrorist attack.

An Iraqi launch alongside HMS BULWARK.
[Picture: LA PHOT "Pepe" Hogan, Royal Navy]

Task Force 58 is a multinational, multi-agency Coalition, at the heart of whose goals is the development of the Iraqi Navy and its Marines, along with the Royal Navy-led Naval Transition Team, who help mentor the fledgling navy at its Umm Qasr Naval Base. Commenting on the real progress to date, Commodore Williams said:

"To see the commitment of the Iraqi Navy sailors and marines and their genuine desire for a better Iraq, at times against great odds, has spurred the Coalition efforts. To see the local fishermen cheer when they see their Navy on station, protecting their future alongside the Coalition, makes you realise the more gloomy news headlines are far from the complete story."

Asked to sum up his and his team’s five and a half months in Operation TELIC, Commodore Williams added:

"This has been a rare fusion of firsts: the first time the UK has commanded Task Force 58; the first Royal Navy command of Coalition forces from two US Flagships in over 80 years; the first time the Royal Navy has provided a Flagship to TF58; and the first full operational deployment of ‘formation’ BULWARK, to name but a few.

"Our aim has been to generate effect and ensure that effect is indivisibly linked with the Joint effort throughout Iraq. I think we, the maritime Coalition team, are achieving that. I was a glass half-empty man, based on press reports before I arrived. I have seen the difference out here and my glass is getting fuller by the moment."

In Part two of our special report about CTF 58 we look at Formation Bulwark, The Command Centre and the 'University at Sea'.

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