Operation Prosperity Guardian is a

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

-led

military operation A military operation is the coordinated military actions of a state, or a non-state actor, in response to a developing situation. These actions are designed as a military plan to resolve the situation in the state or actor's favor. Operations ma ...

by a multinational coalition formed in December 2023 to respond to Houthi-led attacks on shipping in the Red Sea. Following the breakout of the ongoing Israel–Hamas war in October 2023, the

Houthi movement The Houthi movement (; ar, ٱلْحُوثِيُّون ''al-Ḥūthīyūn'' ), officially called Ansar Allah (' ''Partisans of God'' or ''Supporters of God'') and colloquially simply Houthis, is an Islamist political and armed movement that ...

in Yemen blockaded Israel in the

Red Sea The Red Sea ( ar, البحر الأحمر - بحر القلزم, translit=Modern: al-Baḥr al-ʾAḥmar, Medieval: Baḥr al-Qulzum; or ; Coptic: ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ⲛ̀ϩⲁϩ ''Phiom Enhah'' or ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ⲛ̀ϣⲁⲣⲓ ''Phiom ǹšari''; ...

and launched a series of attacks against commercial vessels heading or related to Israel, with the stated purpose of preventing the bombing of Gaza and forcing Israel to let food and medicine into the strip. On 18 December 2023, U.S. Secretary of Defense

Lloyd Austin Lloyd James Austin III (born August 8, 1953) is a retired United States Army four-star general who, since his appointment on January 22, 2021, has served as the 28th United States secretary of defense. He is the first African American to serv ...

announced the formation of an international maritime security force aimed at ending the blockade and countering threats by Houthi forces against international maritime commerce in the region. The coalition currently has more than 20 members, of which ten are anonymously involved.

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...

and

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...

, both economically reliant on unhindered commercial shipping in the area, are absent from the listed participants.

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

and

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

have also declined to participate. The chairman of the

Suez Canal Authority Suez Canal Authority (SCA) is an Egyptian state-owned authority which owns, operates and maintains the Suez Canal. It was set up by the Egyptian government to replace the Suez Canal Company in the 1950s which resulted in the Suez Crisis. After th ...

, Usama Rabia, claimed that "navigation traffic in the Suez Canal was not affected by what is happening in the Red Sea". Nevertheless, on 10 January, the

United Nations Security Council The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN) and is charged with ensuring international peace and security, recommending the admission of new UN members to the General Assembly, an ...

(UNSC) adopted a resolution demanding a cessation of Houthi attacks on merchant vessels. The day of the UNSC resolution, the Houthis launched their largest-ever barrage of 18–24 attack drones and missiles at international ships and warships in the Red Sea. In response, on 12 January, the coalition launched its first airstrikes against Houthi targets in Yemen, to which the Houthis have pledged to retaliate.

Background

The operation aims to ensure both the

freedom of navigation Freedom of navigation (FON) is a principle of law of the sea that ships flying the flag of any sovereign state shall not suffer interference from other states, apart from the exceptions provided for in international law. In the realm of internat ...

and the safety of maritime traffic in the

, Bab al-Mandeb and Gulf of Aden. Following the start of the 2023 Israel–Hamas war, multiple civilian

container A container is any receptacle or enclosure for holding a product used in storage, packaging, and transportation, including shipping. Things kept inside of a container are protected on several sides by being inside of its structure. The term ...

and freight ships were attacked and hijacked in the Gulf of Aden by Houthi forces. Houthi forces stated that only vessels with links to Israel are targeted, though vessels without links to Israel have been targeted, possibly due to misidentification from many vessels turning off their automatic identification system signal during transit. The Houthis claim the attacks will end if Israel allows humanitarian supplies to enter Gaza; the attempted blockade is seen as a way to pressure Israel's Western allies to work to restrain Israeli operations in the war. , at least seventeen civilian vessels have been attacked. The waterways to and from the Red Sea are shipping chokepoints for the global economy which connects the Mediterranean Sea with the Indian Ocean and the Suez Canal with the Horn of Africa. This had led to the 2023 situation being dubbed "a new Suez Crisis" by ''

The Economist ''The Economist'' is a British weekly newspaper printed in demitab format and published digitally. It focuses on current affairs, international business, politics, technology, and culture. Based in London, the newspaper is owned by The Eco ...

''. A considerable number of freighters have continued to transit, with mostly large container ships diverting away rather than other shipping, with the strait continuing to be heavily used by

bulk carrier A bulk carrier or bulker is a merchant ship specially designed to transport unpackaged bulk cargo — such as grains, coal, ore, steel coils, and cement — in its cargo holds. Since the first specialized bulk carrier was built in 1852, eco ...

s and

tankers Tanker may refer to: Transportation * Tanker, a tank crewman (US) * Tanker (ship), a ship designed to carry bulk liquids ** Chemical tanker, a type of tanker designed to transport chemicals in bulk ** Oil tanker, also known as a petroleum tank ...

which are under different contract arrangements and often from countries supportive of Gaza's situation so perceiving a minimal risk from ongoing Houthi attacks. In the first week of January 2024 the average number of freighters active each day in the Red Sea included 105 bulk carriers and 58 tankers, down from 115 bulk carriers and 70 tankers the week before. In contrast, six of the ten

largest container shipping companies Several shipping lines are involved in intermodal freight transport as part of international trade. List of largest container shipping companies This is a list of the 30 largest container shipping companies as of 11 August 2022, according to ' ...

were largely avoiding the Red Sea, with relatively few container ships transiting the Bab al-Mandeb strait from 18 December 2023.

Forces

Combined Task Force 153, under control of the U.S. Combined Maritime Forces, will control the vessels of the operation, which currently include the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

's Carrier Strike Group 2. This strike group consists of the aircraft carrier and her escorting ''Arleigh Burke''-class

destroyers In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, manoeuvrable, long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against powerful short range attackers. They were originally developed in ...

, , and . Other countries' vessels involved include the British destroyer and frigate , with Greece also announcing plans to send one frigate to the region. Denmark would initially announce they would be sending one officer to aid the operation but made an additional announcement on 29 December 2023 that a frigate would also be sent. Australia announced that it will send 11 military personnel but rejected a US request to send a warship. The Canadian Armed Forces will deploy an unspecified number of land, air and sea support vehicles. Canada is sending three staff officers by way of

Operation Artemis Operation Artemis, formally European Union Force Democratic Republic of the Congo (EUFOR), was a short-term European Union-led UN-authorised military mission to the Democratic Republic of the Congo during the Ituri conflict. ARTEMIS is consider ...

. The Netherlands plans to send two staff officers. Norway plans on dispatching up to ten staff officers, but as of 21 December is not sending any vessels. Singapore will be deploying a team from the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN)'s Information Fusion Centre to support information sharing and engagement outreach to the commercial shipping community, as well as a senior national representative to the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF). Seychelles is not deploying any vessels or personnel, and limits its participation to "providing and receiving information" as a member of Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) (which is based in Bahrain). On 23 January 2024, New Zealand sent six

New Zealand Defence Force The New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF; mi, Te Ope Kātua o Aotearoa, "Line of Defence of New Zealand") are the armed forces of New Zealand. The NZDF is responsible for the protection of the national security of New Zealand and her realm, prom ...

personnel to help provide maritime security in the Red Sea including "precision targeting."

Attacks on shipping

Reactions

The Houthis stated: "We have capabilities to sink your fleet, your submarines, your warships", adding "the Red Sea will be your graveyard". In a public statement, Commander-in-Chief of the

Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC; fa, سپاه پاسداران انقلاب اسلامی, Sepāh-e Pāsdārān-e Enghelāb-e Eslāmi, lit=Army of Guardians of the Islamic Revolution also Sepāh or Pasdaran for short) is a branch o ...

(IRGC)

Hossein Salami abdullah eslami (1960) is an Iranian military officer with the rank of major general, who is the commander-in-chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Early years Salami was born in 1960 in Golpayegan, Isfahan province, Iran. In 1 ...

reassured the Iranian public that there is nothing to fear from the coalition. (The Iranian government has long had purported direct ties to the Houthi movement.) IRGC senior officer

Mohammad Reza Naqdi Mohammad Reza Naqdi (also spelled "Naghdi"; fa, محمدرضا نقدی) is a senior officer in the Revolutionary Guards. Background According to the biography published by the semi-official Fars News Agency, Naqdi was born in March 1961 in a m ...

was cited as threatening to close "the Mediterranean Sea, (the Strait of)

Gibraltar ) , anthem = " God Save the King" , song = " Gibraltar Anthem" , image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg , map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe , map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green , mapsize = , image_map2 = Gib ...

and other waterways" without explaining how. While named by the United States as part of the coalition, the French Defense Ministry stated that its warships, including the frigate ''

Languedoc The Province of Languedoc (; , ; oc, Lengadòc ) is a former province of France. Most of its territory is now contained in the modern-day region of Occitanie in Southern France. Its capital city was Toulouse. It had an area of approximately ...

'', would remain under French command.

Italian Defense Ministry The Ministry of Defence ( it, Ministero della Difesa, or MDD) is the government body of the Italian Republic responsible for military and civil defence matters and managing the Italian Armed Forces. It is led by the Italian Minister of Defence, a ...

, which has deployed the frigate '' Virginio Fasan'' in the Red Sea, also stated that the warship was not part of Prosperity Guardian. Spanish Defense Ministry stated that it would only take part in operations under

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...

or EU coordination. Spain also vetoed any potential EU contribution to Operation Prosperity Guardian through the resources of EU-conducted

Operation Atalanta Operation Atalanta, formally European Union Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) Somalia, is a current counter-piracy military operation at sea off the Horn of Africa and in the Western Indian Ocean, that is the first naval operation conducted by the Eu ...

. At the time, Spain was the commanding nation of Operation Atalanta and had the frigate ''

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

'' deployed in the area. The Maersk Line announced on 24 December that with Operation Prosperity Guardian now in place, it would resume using the Suez Canal. On 2 January 2024, both Maersk and Happag-Lloyd announced that the route would once again be avoided until further notice. On 3 January 2024, Sri Lankan President

Ranil Wickremesinghe Ranil Wickremesinghe ( si, රනිල් වික්‍රමසිංහ, ta, ரணில் விக்கிரமசிங்க; born 24 March 1949) is a Sri Lankan politician who is the current president of Sri Lanka since 21 July 2 ...

indicated that Sri Lanka will be deploying a warship to the Red Sea and the

Sri Lanka Navy ta, இலங்கை கடற்படை , image = Sri Lanka Naval Seal.png , image_size = 180px , caption = Emblem of Sri Lanka Navy , dates = , c ...

stated that it is ready to deploy one of its five Advanced Offshore Patrol Vessels as part of Operation Prosperity Guardian. On 13 January 2024, pro-Palestinian protesters in central London expressed support for the Houthi movement, chanting slogans hours after the RAF and US launched a missile and airstrike on ground targets in Yemen. Some demonstrators shouted, "Yemen, Yemen make us proud, turn another ship around," and displayed signs reading "Hands off Yemen", "Thanks Yemen" and "UK+US wants war. Yemen supports Palestine. Gaza Wants to live".

References