What we know about the US Navy’s new force to patrol the Red Sea off Yemen and Saudi Arabia’s coastline

The U.S. Navy’s new multinational task force will deploy to the waters around Yemen and in the Red Sea to help protect Saudi Arabia and ensure the security of trading routes in the critical waterways. Lucien’s one big thing this week is the significance of the new task force and timing of the announcement. that on Wednesday, the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet Commander Vice Admiral Brad Cooper said that the task force would ensure a force presence and deterrent posture in the Red Sea, Bab al-Mandab and Gulf of Aden, according to reports. The waters around Yemen are a key passageway for oil and global trade, and vessels have in the past been targeted by the Houthis and other nefarious forces. The new task force is the fourth under the CMF command, joining three others – CTF 150 (Maritime Security Operations outside the Arabian Gulf), CTF 151 (Counter-Piracy), and CTF 152 (Maritime Security Operations inside the Arabian Gulf). The task force would ensure a force presence and deterrent posture of the coast of Yemen and Saudi Arabia. When asked about the air raids from Yemen on U.S. partners Saudi Arabia and the UAE, Cooper said the task force would impact the Houthi’s ability to obtain the weaponry needed for such attacks, saying, “we’ll be able to do it more vibrantly and more directly than we do today,” Cooper added.