NYN | News
The Washington Center for Studies revealed in a new report the escalating threats facing American military supplies due to Yemeni attacks in the Red Sea, emphasizing that the navigation ban poses a major challenge to the United States’ ability to deploy forces and manage the theater of operations quickly and effectively.
According to the report, 80% of U.S. defense materials are transported via commercial shipping, making them directly vulnerable to Houthi (Ansar Allah) attacks in the Red Sea.
The center pointed out that securing each shipment with armed escorts is not a practical option, noting that some ships under military protection have been attacked nonetheless.
The report explained that alternative routes, such as detouring around the Cape of Good Hope, increase transportation costs for Washington by an additional one million dollars per shipment, in addition to causing significant delays in the arrival of supplies, disrupting the U.S. military’s ability to move quickly between the Indian and Pacific Oceans.
The center confirmed that the Pentagon’s available options are now limited to either costly or vulnerable transport methods, as air transport remains a limited and expensive alternative, while maritime transport remains exposed to Yemeni targeting.
In a related context, the report noted that companies such as Israel’s “Trucknet” and the UAE’s “PureTrans” are operating as a land bridge between the UAE and Israel, with a capacity of up to 350 shipments per day, in an attempt to find alternative routes amid declining maritime security in the region.
The report concluded that Yemeni pressure on American supply lines is pushing Washington to reconsider its logistical and military strategies in the Middle East, amid a new reality that imposes unprecedented challenges on a naval power that once dominated global trade routes.
