5th Fleet Focus: Allied Contributions Produced Results

RSS Persistence (L209) returned home last week from its 3 month deployment to the Persian Gulf.

The Singapore Armed Forces Landing Ship Tank (LST) RSS Persistence returned from its three-month deployment in the North Arabian Gulf on Saturday.

This was the SAF's fourth LST deployment as part of Singapore's continuing contribution to the multi-national reconstruction efforts in Iraq.

MINDEF said RSS Persistence undertook tasks such as protecting the waters around key oil terminals, providing logistics support for coalition vessels and helicopters, and conducting patrols and boarding operations.

The quiet military cooperation between Singapore and the United States is a relationship that doesn't get much attention, but as we look back on the 3 month mission by RSS Persistence (L209) you can see the impact.

The presence of RSS Persistence (L209) around the Iraqi Oil Terminals enabled the USS Kearsarge to respond to the humanitarian mission to Bangladesh following the cyclone that hit that coast. It also freed US Navy assets to make a larger than usual impact around the Horn of Africa against piracy.

When you think about it, over the final 3 months of 2007, it was British and Australian frigates working with RSS Persistence (L209) (and 1 US AEGIS cruiser) operating in the North Persian Gulf that gave the US Navy a great deal of flexibility in the region, allowing the US to utilize its CSG and ESG forces distributed not only through the Persian Gulf, but over the entire 5th fleet area of operations.

In cooperation with Pakistan, Germany, and France not to mention NATO task forces that visited the region, Singapore and the crew of RSS Persistence (L209) can take pride in knowing their mission in the northern Persian Gulf clearly contributed to regional security, particularly in the distant Task Force 150 theater around the Horn of Africa. By contributing to the heavy burden, RSS Persistence (L209) allowed other forces to take on the challenges better suited to their capabilities.

2008 will bring some changes both to the forces operating in the Persian Gulf and also the makeup of forces in Task Force 150, not only as the Iraqi naval forces stand up with greater responsibility, but also with several interesting new deployments from NATO members to Task Force 150. Should be interesting to observe.