Sustained presence will help build deterrence against such attacks, the heads of these three navies told a press event following the Paris Naval Conference organized by IFRI on 25 January.
The Red Sea shipping threat also illustrates a wider, global challenge to the free flow of maritime trade, the freedom of navigation at sea, and the rules-based international order, the chiefs added.
Following the October 2023 outbreak of the Israel-Hamas conflict, in November Houthi rebels began attacking commercial shipping sailing through the Red Sea, Bab-al-Mandeb Straits, and Gulf of Aden. Rebel statements that the attacks were targeted against ships visiting Israeli ports appeared designed to increase both insecurity across the region and the complexity of US response options.
In mid-December, the USN-led, multinational Operation ‘Prosperity Guardian’ was established to provide defence and deterrence against the Houthi attacks. In mid-January, the United States and the United Kingdom began conducting offensive operations against Houthi targets ashore in Yemen, to degrade rebel capability and deter rebel activity.
The continuing Houthi attacks have prompted discussion of how navies contributing to the operations can re-supply in the region to maintain ships, capability, and effect on station.
“This is something we track all the time,” Admiral Sir Ben Key, the RN’s First Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Staff, told the press event.
“One of the characteristics we are looking to invest in is to have a variety of choices for how that logistics re-supply can take place”.
Admiral Sir Ben Key, the RN’s First Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Staff
There are ports in the immediate Red Sea region (such as in Egypt and Saudi Arabia) and options further afield (such as Oman). Logistics support required might include weapons re-loading, engineering support, or re-stocking fresh food, Adm Key explained.
Moreover, there is the broader tool of partners’ burden sharing. “One of the benefits of operating in a multinational coalition … is that ships can be taken away from the operational theatre before they run out and expose themselves to undue risk, because other partners will be able to take the load on the duty stations,” said Adm Key. “The trick, for us operating as an international community of navies, is to ensure we are balancing a constant operational presence whilst ensuring the sustainment of the operation over time.”
The international operation is designed to defend against the Houthi threat at the operational level, while also building strategic presence to deter further Houthi actions.
“We are there to provide situational awareness and to [take away] the ability of the Houthis to shut down shipping,” said Admiral Nicolas Vaujour, the French Navy’s Chief of Staff. He explained that the coalition’s role is to destroy incoming threats to shipping from the Houthis’ anti-ship ballistic and cruise missiles and armed unmanned aerial vehicles.
“The way we are operating is to protect ourselves, but also the sea lines of communication to maintain the open and free flow of trade.”
Admiral Nicolas Vaujour, the French Navy’s Chief of Staff
The operation reflects the need too to deter the continuing emergence of a wider challenge.
“We look to uphold the rules-based order, which is under threat all around the world,” Admiral Lisa Franchetti, the USN’s Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) said. “The importance of establishing a group of countries, as we have done in Op ‘Prosperity Guardian’, [is] to be able to have a group of like-minded countries that will work together to uphold this rules-based international order.”
Underlining that the rules-based order has enabled commerce to flow by sea around the world, CNO said.
“We need to continue to work together to ensure that those that would wish to stop that flow of commerce, that would impact the freedom of the seas and freedom of navigation, understand that there are many like-minded countries who will work together to uphold that rules-based international order.”
Admiral Lisa Franchetti, the USN’s Chief of Naval Operations
Speaking earlier in the day at the Paris Naval Conference – co-hosted by the French Navy and IFRI (the French Institute for International Relations) – Adm Franchetti told the audience that “My big takeaway is that the rule of law is under threat: it’s under challenge, everywhere we look.”
“It’s only going to be through strong, like-minded countries working together to preserve that rule of law [that we will be able to] say that this kind of behaviour cannot stand and it cannot win. So, we need to do that together,” CNO continued. “Without that, the rules-based international order that has supported our security and prosperity since end of World War Two is going to be attacked.”
“We need to stand strong,” CNO concluded.
