Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced the creation of a new maritime task force Monday with the aim of safeguarding commercial ships operating in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
Operation Prosperity Guardian will include the United Kingdom, Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Seychelles and Spain.
“The recent escalation in reckless Houthi attacks originating from Yemen threatens the free flow of commerce, endangers innocent mariners, and violates international law,” Austin said in a statement. “The Red Sea is a critical waterway that has been essential to freedom of navigation and a major commercial corridor that facilitates international trade.”
Austin said the initiative is "under the under the umbrella of the Combined Maritime Forces and the leadership of its Task Force 153, which focuses on security in the Red Sea."
BREAKING: Pentagon says US, allies have agreed to create a naval task force to counter attacks on ships in Red Sea - AP pic.twitter.com/HXmZf3Zoin
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US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announces a new task force to counter Red Sea attacks. Hear analysis on today's Bloomberg Daybreak podcast:
— Bloomberg Radio (@BloombergRadio) December 19, 2023
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Since the Oct. 7 Israel/Hamas war broke out, the Iran-backed Houthi rebels and other militia groups have been launching ballistic missiles at merchant vessels, attacking the ships with drones, and in some cases hijacking them.
Recent aggression has prompted merchants like BP and Maersk to temporarily halt operations in the Red Sea resulting in much longer routes, which will affect global trade.
Iran’s Defense Minister Mohammad Reza Ashtiani has warned that such a task force will face “extraordinary problems.”
“Nobody can make a move in a region where we have predominance,” he reportedly told the Iranian Student News Agency.