“Foreign Policy”: Sana’a Government Forces Prove to be a Formidable Force, U.S. Navy Fails in the Red Sea

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The American magazine “Foreign Policy” discussed the failure of the intensive Western naval operations that lasted several months to stop Yemen’s attacks in the Red Sea, stating that the operations carried out by the American, British, and European naval forces to neutralize the attacks from Yemen have been ineffective.

After more than six months since the start of the Yemeni armed forces’ attacks in the Red Sea, according to the magazine, global shipping had to “deal and reconcile” with the current situation, as “delays, disruptions, and rising costs worsened.”

This comes despite the efforts made by the American, British, and European naval forces, which have been present all the time, attempting “in vain to neutralize the attacks from Sana’a.”

The magazine noted that the appearance of the world’s leading naval forces struggling to subdue the Yemeni armed forces raises “painful questions” about the usefulness of naval power and the efficiency of Western naval forces that are supposed to “bear the burden in any future confrontation with a major competitor like China.”

“Drum Beating”

The magazine quoted Sebastian Bruns, a maritime expert at the Center for Maritime Strategy and Security and the Institute for Security Policy at Kiel University in Germany, saying that the Yemenis “proved to be a formidable force.”

He added: “It is a non-governmental actor with a larger arsenal, and it is truly capable of causing a headache for the Western alliance. When naval forces struggle with sustainability at this level, it is really concerning.”

“Foreign Policy” reported: “The disruptions caused by these operations were not expected to last long, especially after the arrival of Western naval forces on the scene,” noting that insurance premiums for shipping companies “slightly decreased” when the joint American-British deployment was announced, and shipping costs stabilized in the spring.

However, after eight months, shipping disruptions suddenly became “much worse.”

The public messages from the U.S. Central Command were described as “almost daily drum beats” of reports about American ships striking drones, missiles, and unmanned surface vessels.

The Yemenis, who have extensively used anti-ship missiles, are now increasingly resorting to drones.

As a result, the cost of a shipping container has risen from about $1,600 on average to over $5,000, according to S&P Global Commodity Insights.

“An Expensive Game”

In addition, the magazine pointed out that the naval forces, the United States, the United Kingdom, and a group of rotating European ships, have been trying to restore normal shipping since the beginning of the Yemeni attacks “with little success.”

This is evident from the fact that insurance rates covering ships at risk of war, specifically those passing through the dangerous corridor, remain about 1,000% higher than pre-attack levels.

“Foreign Policy” saw the efforts by the United States and the United Kingdom to “weaken” the Yemenis’ ability to target ships ending up in an “expensive game,” as the Yemenis proved to be “more agile” than initially expected, making the “occasional victories” achieved by the U.S. Navy, such as destroying a Yemeni radar site last week, “just a drop in the ocean.”

It also added that the ongoing deployments and interceptions have caused an “erosion” of U.S. Navy magazines.

Congressional aides said that the United States does not produce enough standard air defense missiles used by U.S. escort ships in the Red Sea to shoot down Yemeni drones and missiles.

The magazine concluded by stating that based on the results, as ships continue to divert their routes and insurance premiums remain high, the American approach “has not achieved” its intended goals.

Source: Al Mayadeen