Multinational Force Established to Protect Red Sea Shipping from Houthi Attacks

The United States, along with a coalition of other countries, has announced the establishment of a new multinational force to protect ships transiting the Red Sea that have been targeted by drones and ballistic missiles fired from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin revealed the new initiative, named Operation Prosperity Guardian, after a series of attacks that have caused significant damage to commercial vessels in the region. The seriousness of the attacks has led shipping companies to order their ships to hold in place and not enter the Bab el-Mandeb Strait until the security situation can be addressed.

In response, the United Kingdom, Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Seychelles, and Spain have joined the new maritime security mission. The operation will be coordinated by the Combined Task Force 153, which was established in April 2022 to improve maritime security in the Red Sea, Bab el-Mandeb, and the Gulf of Aden. There are about 400 commercial vessels in the southern Red Sea at any given time, roughly the size of the distance between Washington D.C. to Boston. The mission will not necessarily involve specific vessel escorts, but instead position military ships to provide umbrella protection to as many vessels as possible.

Several other countries have agreed to be involved in the operation but prefer not to be publicly named, and the US is actively seeking additional member countries to join the mission and increase the number of navies participating. The move to set up the expanded operation came after three commercial vessels were struck by missiles fired by Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen on December 3. The United States has called on the United Nations Security Council to take action against the attacks, but to date, there has been no counterstrike conducted by the Pentagon.