US, other nations sending warships to stop Houthi rebel attacks on ships in Red Sea

The U.S. and nine other nations will send naval warships to the southern Red Sea to repel attacks on merchant carriers by Houthi rebels in Yemen, U.S. defense officials said Monday.

Operation Prosperity Guardian, announced by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, is an effort by the multinational coalition to blunt a rise in missile and drone attacks on commercial traffic near the Bab el-Mandeb strait. The strait is a chokepoint between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.

Connected by the Suez Canal to the Mediterranean, the Red Sea is an essential trade route for about 12% of the world's shipping traffic between Europe and Asia. An estimated 50 merchant vessels use it daily.

Details on the number of warships and how they will be deployed have not been officially released.

The Houthis, backed by Iran, are conducting the attacks in support of Hamas in the Israeli-Hamas war in Gaza. They're targeting ships they believe are bound for Israeli ports.

Houthi attacks threaten route for energy exports

The majority of the Persian Gulf's natural gas and petroleum exports to Europe and North America go through several chokepoints, including the Strait of Hormuz, the Bab el-Mandeb, and the Suez Canal.

How can the warships protect commercial vessels?

There are two methods, according to Navy Lookout, which covers the U.K. Royal Navy:

◾ Grouping commercial ships into a convoy, surrounding it with warships, and escorting it to port.

◾ Creating a safe Maritime Security Transit Corridor, a sea passage divided into sectors and guarded and monitored by warships on independent patrols.

Creating a corridor would be easier and quicker than organizing convoys, navylookout.com said. "Modern sensors and weapons can cover a much wider area than their historical counterparts."

US destroyers have already engaged the Houthis

U.S. Navy destroyers have already shot down several Houthi drones and missiles fired at ships in the Red Sea since Oct. 20.

The Houthis seized the cargo ship Galaxy Leader in the Red Sea on Nov. 19. The rebels used a helicopter to drop gunmen to the deck. The ship was taken to the port of Hodeidah in Yemen, where it remains.

The Navy destroyer USS Mason (DDG-87) responded to a distress call from the tanker ship Central Park on Nov. 26 and captured five attackers in a small boat who attempted to commandeer the tanker.

The USS Carney (DDG-64) aided the merchant ship Swan Atlantic and the bulk carrier M/V Clara when they were attacked in the southern Red Sea on Dec. 18, CNN reported.

In response to the Houthi attacks, several commercial carriers are forsaking the Red Sea and are rerouting around the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa.

That adds about 10 days and $1 million more in fuel for ships traveling from Asia to northern Europe, Reuters reported. It may take additional time for some ships, depending on size and speed.

Which US Navy ships are part of the operation?

The Pentagon has not released an official list, but the guided missile destroyers USS Mason and the USS Carney are already in the Red Sea. The USS Thomas Hudner (DDG-116) is also in the vicinity of the Bab el-Mandeb strait, according to the U.S. Naval Institute. 

Three other guided-missile destroyers, USS Laboon (DDG-58), USS Delbert D. Black (DDG-119), and USS The Sullivans (DDG-68) recently arrived in the Mediterranean, Politico reported. Defense officials did not comment on whether the ships will be sent to the Red Sea.

What nations are part of Operation Prosperity Guardian?

The 10 nations taking part in Operation Prosperity Guardian are part of an international defense group designated as Combined Task Force-153, or CTF-153. The nations are:

CTF-153 is part of a larger group known as Combined Maritime Forces, which is headquartered in Manama, Bahrain. Combined Maritime Forces is a naval partnership of 39 nations created to establish maritime security across 3.2 million miles in the Red Sea, Arabian Gulf and the Indian Ocean.

Combined Maritime Forces has five task forces. A U.S. Navy admiral is commander and a U.K. Royal Navy commodore is deputy commander.

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SOURCE USA TODAY Network reporting and research; Associated Press; Department of Defense; U.S. Naval Institute; navylookout.com