The U.S. Navy on Wednesday said it was establishing a new multinational task force that would target arms and other smuggling in the waters around Yemen, in a show of support for Saudi Arabia and the UAE with American power after persistent Houthi attacks.
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.
According to the AP, Cooper, who oversees the Navy’s Mideast-based 5th Fleet, declined four times to directly name the Iran-backed Houthis in his remarks. However, 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.
“We’ll be able to do it more vibrantly and more directly than we do today,” Cooper added.
The announcement is the latest in reassurances for Saudi Arabia from Washington.
The Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) is a multinational maritime partnership, which exists to uphold the Rules-Based International Order (RBIO) by countering illicit non-state actors on the high seas and promoting security, stability, and prosperity across approximately 3.2 million square miles of international waters, which encompass some of the world’s most important shipping lanes.
The new task force announced today will be the fourth task force intended to handle piracy and security issues both inside and outside of the Persian Gulf.
According to the AP, the new task force will be commissioned Sunday and will see the USS Mount Whitney, a Blue Ridge class amphibious command ship previously part of the Navy’s African and European 6th Fleet, join it, and the force will include between two to eight ships at a time targeting the smuggling of weapons, energy, drugs, and people.
The CMF is based out of a base in Bahrain.