Australia to send troops to US Red Sea mission

In his statement to Sky News television, Defense Minister Richard Marles explained the framework of his country’s contribution to the US-led Operation Welfare Guardian.

Stating that 11 military personnel will be sent to the headquarters of the Operation Welfare Guardian mission in Bahrain in January, Marles said that 5 Australians have already been assigned there.

Marles stated that they would not send a ship or plane to the mission.

Emphasizing that the Australian military should continue to focus on the Pacific region, Marles said, “We need to be really clear about our strategic focus, and our strategic focus is the Northeast Indian Ocean, South China Sea, East China Sea and the Pacific.” he added.

Marles rejected criticism from opposition MPs that the US’s failure to send warships as requested made Australia a less reliable ally, saying: “This is absolutely ridiculous.” he commented.

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin stated that the increasing Houthi attacks in the Red Sea pose a threat to the free flow of trade, endanger innocent sailors and violate international law.

Pointing out that there is international demand for a solution to this issue, Austin said, “Therefore, today I am announcing that we have established Operation Prosperity Guardian. This is an important multi-disciplinary initiative focused on security in the Red Sea under the umbrella of the Joint Naval Forces and the 153rd Task Force.” “It is a national security initiative.” He used the following expressions:

In addition to the USA, the mission includes countries such as England, Bahrain, Canada, Italy, France, Netherlands, Norway, Seychelles and Spain.

Attacks in the Red Sea

Abdulmelik al-Houthi, the leader of the Houthis in Yemen, threatened in his television speech on November 14 that they could target Israeli ships in the Red Sea.

Yahya Seri, the military spokesman of the Houthis, announced in his statement on his X social media account on November 19 that they would target any Israeli-flagged ship in response to Israel’s attacks on the blockaded Gaza Strip.

Then, the Houthis launched a UAV and missile attack on two Israeli ships named “Unity Explorer” and “Number Nine” in the Bab al-Mandeb Strait.

Israeli shipping company ZIM also stated in a statement on November 29 that its ships would not use the Suez Canal in Egypt, citing the security situation in the Oman Sea and the Red Sea.

CENTCOM announced on the X social media platform on December 4 that 4 attacks were carried out on 3 commercial ships in the international territorial waters in the south of the Red Sea.

In the statement, it was reported that the US Navy destroyer “USS Carney” in the south of the Red Sea responded to the call for help from commercial ships, and it was announced that the destroyer shot down 3 UAVs that were advancing towards it while helping the ships.

Following the recent actions of the Houthis, many shipping companies decided to stop their voyages in the Red Sea.

In the statement made yesterday by Egypt’s Suez Canal Administration, it was reported that the route of 55 ships has been directed to the Cape of Good Hope at the southern tip of Africa instead of the Bab al-Mandeb Strait since November 19.