What to know about new US maritime task force to combat Houthi threat in Red Sea

by Brad Dress - 12/18/23 5:15 PM ET

(Petty Officer 3rd Class Bill Dodge/U.S. Navy via AP)
The guided-missile destroyer USS Carney in Souda Bay, Greece. The American warship and multiple commercial ships came under attack Sunday, Dec. 3, 2023 in the Red Sea, the Pentagon said, potentially marking a major escalation in a series of maritime attacks in the Mideast linked to the Israel-Hamas war. “We’re aware of reports regarding attacks on the USS Carney and commercial vessels in the Red Sea and will provide information as it becomes available,” the Pentagon said. (Petty Officer 3rd Class Bill Dodge/U.S. Navy via AP)

The U.S. on Monday announced a new maritime task force that will defend commercial ships from aggression in the Red Sea in an effort to thwart the Houthi rebel group, which has attacked merchant vessels and forced companies to suspend routes through the region.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Operation Prosperity Guardian will be a new security initiative involving several countries: the U.K., Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Seychelles and Spain.

The task force falls under the Combined Maritime Forces, a multinational alliance tasked with defending the world’s shipping lanes.

Operation Prosperity Guardian will specifically be managed by Task Force 153, a component of the Combined Maritime Forces that defends the Red Sea, the Bab el-Mandeb Strait near Yemen and the Gulf of Aden.

Austin told reporters at a Monday briefing the Houthis have “violated international law” by harassing ships in the Red Sea.

“So we’re taking action to build an international coalition to address this threat,” Austin said. “This is not just a U.S. issue — this is an international problem, and it deserves an international response.”

Austin said he would also be convening a meeting with foreign leaders to discuss efforts to keep the Red Sea free from attacks.

Since the Israel-Hamas war broke out on Oct. 7, the Iranian-backed Houthis have joined in with other militia groups across the Middle East in assaulting U.S. positions and assets.

The Houthis have launched aggressive attacks on commercial ships as part of the fighting, including seizing a boat last month in a daring raid.

The violence has scared off merchants, with oil giant BP joining container shipping company Maersk in rerouting transits away from the Red Sea.

The redirected transits could force vessels to take a much longer hike around Africa and dent the pace of commercial shipping. Around 10 percent of global trade flows through the Red Sea each year.

While the U.S. and other naval forces already operate in the Red Sea region to defend commercial shipping, the new task force is expected to ramp up security.