Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Central Command/ Commander, 5th Fleet's area of responsibility encompasses about 7.5 million square miles and includes the Arabian Gulf, Red Sea, Gulf of Oman and parts of the Indian Ocean. This expanse, comprised of 27 countries, includes three critical chokepoints at the Strait of Hormuz, the Suez Canal and the Strait of Bab al Mandeb at the southern tip of Yemen.Note the three major "chokepoints" within the AOR on the map.
(CentCom/5th Fleet logo)
Of equal interest is the Maritime Interdiction Operations (MIO) as detailed beginning here. Note that it is very much an international task force as shown by this photo. The primary idea is to keep the sea lanes and choke points free of bad guys who seek to do harm to the coalition forces. That they also perform humanitarian missions (one of which is detailed here) is a bonus. I note that many yachtsmen passing through the area are in radio communication with the coalition forces as they worry about pirates from Somalia or Yemen...
Caption: 050510-N-9693B-006 Gulf of Oman (May 10, 2005) - A Sailor aboard the Pakistani Naval ship (PNS) Tariq (DDG 181) keeps watch over a dhow during a Visit, Board, Search and Seizure (VBSS) in the Gulf of Oman. Tariq’s VBSS missions support maritime security operations (MSO) in the Gulf of Oman under the direction of Commander, Task Force One Five Zero (CTF-150). U.S. Navy photo by Journalist 2nd Class Sarah Bibbs (RELEASED)