American Report Exposes the Failure and High Costs of the Military Campaign Against the Houthis in Yemen

NYN | Reports and analyses

The Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft has reported that the U.S. military campaign against the Houthis in Yemen has not achieved its intended goals, instead wasting over a billion dollars of American taxpayers’ money in the Red Sea. The institute emphasized that the best solution to stop Houthi attacks is to end U.S. strikes on Yemen and halt the Israeli war on Gaza, which is seen as the main trigger for these attacks.

The online magazine *Responsible Statecraft*, associated with the Quincy Institute, published a report by researchers Jonathan Hoffman and Benjamin Geltner. The report stated that “the United States has been engaged in an open and unauthorized military campaign against the Houthis in Yemen for over nine months. The Houthis began attacking ships in the Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb in November 2023, citing Israel’s war in Gaza as a major motivator. In response, Washington launched a retaliatory campaign hoping to stop these attacks, with U.S. Navy officials describing it as ‘the fiercest naval battle the U.S. has faced since World War II.’ However, this campaign has not succeeded.”

The report highlighted that “the U.S. approach to dealing with the Houthis exemplifies strategic neglect, as this campaign is extremely costly and endangers American lives without achieving tangible results.” The report also argued that Washington’s failure to acknowledge Israel’s war in Gaza as a primary motivator for Houthi attacks undermines any chance of stopping these assaults in the Red Sea.

The report called for an “immediate end to U.S. military activities against the Houthis,” stressing the need to “cease U.S. support for Israel’s war on Gaza as a means to calm the escalating tensions in the Middle East.”

The current U.S. strategy, the report added, faces several issues, including a “lack of concrete and achievable political goals, which burdens American taxpayers with exorbitant costs. Since November 2023, the Houthis have launched about 200 drone and missile attacks on commercial and military ships in the Red Sea, resulting in the sinking of two vessels and the deaths of at least three sailors. In response, the United States has resorted to traditional military solutions.”

The report explained that “the cost of Houthi missiles and drones, which is about $2,000 per unit, is negligible compared to the enormous costs borne by the United States, where the missiles used by the U.S. Navy to intercept these attacks cost millions of dollars. So far, Washington has spent over a billion dollars on munitions to combat the Houthis and intercept their missiles and drones.”

However, the report noted that “these efforts have failed to deter the Houthis, and they are unlikely to succeed in the future.” It pointed out that “most of the attacks carried out by the Houthis occurred after the start of the U.S. retaliatory campaign, indicating the failure of these efforts to stop the escalation.”

The report further stated that “it is unlikely that the United States can reduce the Houthis’ capabilities to the point where they are unable to attack ships passing through the Red Sea. The Houthis, after nearly ten years of fighting against Saudi-led forces with U.S. support, have proven their adeptness in ‘shoot-and-scoot’ tactics, using low-cost, mobile, and widespread weapons throughout Yemen.” The report considered it ironic that U.S. officials are aware of the gap between the military campaign’s objectives and its stated political goals.

The report also mentioned that “Admiral George Wikoff, the U.S. naval commander in charge of Operation ‘Guardian of Prosperity,’ stated last February that the Houthis ‘have not yet been deterred.’ In August, Wikoff clarified that a solution to the conflict ‘will not come through eliminating the weapon systems.’ President Biden summed up this contradiction best when asked about U.S. airstrikes against the Houthis, answering: ‘Have the Houthis stopped? No. Will the strikes continue? Yes.’”

The report argued that “the U.S. military campaign is worsening the situation rather than improving it, as it fuels the conflict and exposes more ships to Houthi fire.”

It added that “the conflict between the U.S. and the Houthis threatens to exacerbate increasing regional tensions, potentially pushing the Middle East toward a full-scale regional war. The past eleven months, since the start of Israel’s war on Gaza, have seen escalating military actions across the region, with hostilities between the Houthis and the U.S. rooted in this context.”

The report warned that “with no end in sight to the war in Gaza and concerns over escalating regional conflict, Yemen could become a critical flashpoint in this struggle. If the United States aims to persuade the Houthis to stop their attacks and avoid being drawn into another regional war, military force is unlikely to achieve this goal.”

It emphasized that “there are no vital U.S. national interests in Yemen that justify this level of military intervention or the waste of billions of dollars of American taxpayers’ money.”

The report concluded by stating that “the best option for Washington is to stop the random exchange of strikes with the Houthis and acknowledge that its support for Israel’s war in Gaza destabilizes the region and harms U.S. interests.” It affirmed that “a ceasefire in Gaza offers the best chance to stop Houthi attacks and deescalate tensions across the Middle East.”