US-led maritime force established to protect ships from Houthi attacks
The United States has announced the establishment of a new multinational maritime security force in response to attacks on ships launched by Iran-aligned Houthi rebels in Yemen. The initiative aims to ensure ships can pass through busy waterways near Yemen safely, as the Houthis have been targeting vessels in protest of Israel’s war on Gaza, which has killed more than 19,000 Palestinians.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced the establishment of a 10-country force on Tuesday in Bahrain. In addition to the Arab nation, the United Kingdom, Canada, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, the Seychelles, and Spain have agreed to join Washington in the new mission. Some of the countries are expected to conduct joint patrols in the southern parts of the Red Sea, the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, and the Gulf of Aden, while others will support the force by providing intelligence.
The mission will be coordinated by Combined Task Force 153 (CTF 153), an existing force under a US-led joint effort established in April 2022 with the aim of improving maritime security in the area. The existing framework has 39 member nations, and there are reports that other countries could join or have already agreed to join the newly formed 10-member maritime effort but don’t want it publicized.
The Houthi attacks have led at least 12 shipping companies to suspend transit through the Red Sea. These include some of the largest in the world, such as Denmark’s AP Moller-Maersk, Germany’s Hapag-Lloyd, the Italian-Swiss Mediterranean Shipping Company, and France’s CMA CGM. Markets, including the oil and gas market, have increasingly reacted to the attacks, especially considering the volume of cargo being redirected. Bab al-Mandeb, the narrow waterway that separates Eritrea and Djibouti on the Horn of Africa from Yemen on the Arabian Peninsula, sees 10 percent of the world’s seaborne crude oil travels through it.
The task force’s warships could also strike down incoming missiles from Yemen. However, it will be difficult for the recently announced, US-led coalition to fully deter the Houthis and put an end to their disruption of maritime shipping. At this point, the markets appear unconvinced that the task force will be able to protect shipments through the Red Sea. On Tuesday, Maersk said it was rerouting its ships around Africa to avoid sending them through the Bab al-Mandeb Strait.