The Navy announced the creation of a new task force that will be dedicated to training allies’ navies in the Middle East.

Combined Task Force 154 is the fifth regional task force operating under the United States-led multinational partnership known as Combined Maritime Forces.

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“Our navies are at their very best when we train, operate, and work together,” Vice Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command, U.S. 5th Fleet, and CMF, said on Monday. “Establishing CTF 154 demonstrates our deep commitment to strengthening and expanding partnerships through new training opportunities that will enhance regional maritime security.”

The CMF is made up of 38 nations committed to upholding the international rules-based order at sea.

“This new task force, Combined Task Force 154, will further focus regional efforts on enhancing maritime security,” Dr. Mara Karlin, assistant secretary of defense for strategy, plans, and capabilities, said during a Middle East Institute event on Wednesday.

She also noted that nations won’t need to send ships or aircraft to participate, adding, “This means building more partnerships and stronger relationships, which are essential to regional defense cooperation and integration.”

On May 13, the White House announced the Department of Defense would increase its maritime presence in the Middle East due to repeated Iranian seizures of commercial vessels.

"The United States is committed to supporting regional security coalitions within the Middle East region and internationally," National Security Council coordinator John Kirby told reporters. "Today, the Department of Defense will be making a series of moves to bolster our defensive posture in the Arabian Gulf."

The Iranians have "no justification for these actions," he added. "The United States will not allow foreign or regional powers to jeopardize freedom of navigation in the Middle East waterways, including the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab al Mandab [Strait], nor tolerate by any country efforts to dominate another or the region, military buildups, incursions, or threats."

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Iran has also expanded its militaristic relationship with Russia during its war in Ukraine, including by providing them with more than 400 kamikaze drones that Russia has used to target Ukrainian infrastructure.

Russia is interested in acquiring more advanced versions of the Shahed drones it has purchased from Iran previously, while it has also already received artillery and tank rounds, though the U.S. has not seen “any movement about ballistic missiles," Kirby said last week.