Multi-nation Initiative To Ensure Security In Red Sea
A US-led multi-nation security initiative has been launched to strengthen operations focusing on the security challenges in the southern Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin announced the establishment of Operation Prosperity Guardian, an important new multinational security initiative under the umbrella of the Combined Maritime Forces and the leadership of its Task Force 153, which focuses on security in the sensitive region.
Austin, who was touring the Middle East for meetings with Israel’s political and military leadership to discuss the Israel-Hamas war, said this is an international challenge that demands collective action.
He cited the recent escalation in Houthi attacks from Yemen targeting commercial vessels, which threaten the free flow of commerce, endanger innocent mariners, and violate international law.
“The Red Sea is a critical waterway that has been essential to freedom of navigation and a major commercial corridor that facilitates international trade. Countries that seek to uphold the foundational principle of freedom of navigation must come together to tackle the challenge posed by this non-state actor launching ballistic missiles and uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) at merchant vessels from many nations lawfully transiting international waters.”
The latest such incident occurred in the Southern Red Sea on Monday, when the chemical/oil tanker Swan Atlantic was attacked by a one-way attack drone and an anti-ship ballistic missile launched from a Houthi-controlled area in Yemen. The Cayman Islands flagged vessel was damaged in the attack.
USS Carney, operating in the Red Sea, was the closest U.S. warship in the region. The guided missile destroyer responded to distress call from Swan Atlantic, the US Central Command said.
At approximately the same time, the bulk cargo ship M/V Clara reported an explosion in the water near their location as a result of attack by Houthi militants.
Operation Prosperity Guardian is bringing together multiple countries to jointly address security challenges in the southern Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, with the goal of ensuring freedom of navigation for all countries and bolstering regional security and prosperity, the U.S. Defense Secretary said in a statement.
Besides the United States, the participants in the security initiative include the United Kingdom, Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Seychelles and Spain.
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