What Has the U.S. Done to Contain Threats to International Navigation in Red Sea?

International navigation in the Red Sea off Yemen is no longer safe. The Ansar Allah (Houthi) seizure of the Israeli-linked ship Galaxy Leader and its continued attacks on commercial ships and American destroyers in the Red Sea have raised the concerns of several countries, including the U.S., whose warships have managed to shoot down several drones and missiles from Yemen. 

Now, ships, particularly Israeli-linked and American ones, are under threat of Houthi sporadic attacks as long as the Israeli war on Gaza continues. Given this reality, the U.S. has and will adopt particular ways to maintain the security of the maritime shipping lanes and contain the Houthi threats. Hitherto, Washington has taken two actions in response to the ongoing escalation in the Red Sea. And two more steps are under consideration. 

The U.S. has magnified its presence military presence in the Red Sea, particularly after November 19, when the Houthi group used a helicopter from which armed men descended on the ship and directed it to a port under their control in Al-Hudaydah. 

The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Mason (DDG 87) and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) Murasame-class destroyer FS Akebono (DD 108) conducted a bilateral exercise in the Gulf of Aden, Nov. 25. Mason is deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations to support maritime security and stability in the Middle East. 

The U.S. 5th Fleet's area of operations includes the Arabian Gulf, Gulf of Oman, Red Sea, parts of the Indian Ocean, and three critical choke points at the Strait of Hormuz, Suez Canal, and Strait of Bab al-Mandeb.

According to the USNI News Fleet and Marine Tracker, USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69) transited the Strait of Hormuz on November 26, U.S. Central Command announced. That was the first time a U.S. aircraft carrier has sailed in the Persian Gulf since USS Nimitz (CVN-68) operated there in late 2020.

"Our passage through this important strait and continued presence in the area plays a critical role in maintaining the freedom of navigation that is key to regional security and stability,"said Rear Adm. Marc Miguez, commander, Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 2, IKECSG on November 26.

Moreover, the USS Carney destroyer was dispatched to the Middle East in October. On Oct. 19, the destroyer shot down three cruise missiles and several drones launched by Houthis in Yemen. 

While the U.S. has intensified its presence in the Red Sea to counter Houthi threats, it has also begun imposing sanctions on financial backers of the Houthi group. 

 On Thursday, November 7, the U.S. announced sanctions against 13 people and firms alleged to be providing tens of millions of dollars from the sale and shipment of Iranian commodities to the Houthis in Yemen.

The U.S. Treasury stated that previously sanctioned Houthi and Iranian financial facilitator Sa'id al-Jamal uses a network of exchange houses and companies to assistIranian money in reaching Yemen's Houthi group. The sanctions hinder access to U.S. property and bank accounts and block the targeted people and companies from doing business with Americans.

While the Americans have taken practical steps to counter threats to international shipping lanes in the Red Sea, they are also studying the possibility of taking more actions, including the establishment of a global joint force or the U.S. may conduct strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen. 

The White House said on December 5 that the U.S. may establish a naval task force to escort commercial ships in the Red Sea to protect international commercial ships. National security adviser Jake Sullivan said the U.S. has been in active conversations with allies about setting up the escorts, describing such a move as a "natural" response to the continued attacks on ships.

Sullivan explained, "We are in talks with other countries about a maritime task force of sorts involving the ships from partner nations alongside the United States in ensuring safe passage."

The U.S. forces may carry out attacks on the Houthis in Yemen at any time, and the Americans may not wait for the establishment of an international coalition. According to two U.S. officials who spoke to the New York Times, the American forces have prepared preliminary Houthi targets in Yemen in case the Biden administration orders retaliatory strikes. However, the officials indicated thatWashington did not want to transform the Gaza-Israel conflict into a regional war.