NYN | News
Recent American reports revealed that the combat operations in the Red Sea have led to an unprecedented depletion of the U.S. Navy’s stock of defensive missiles, reflecting how Sana’a managed to undermine the effectiveness of the U.S. military and exhaust it financially and logistically, which American experts have considered a strategic gain for China.
According to the Task & Purpose website, the U.S. Navy launched nearly 400 air defense missiles during the confrontations in the Red Sea since October 2023, surpassing the total amount used over the past three decades.
Retired Navy commander Bryan Clark confirmed that this depletion has placed the Navy in a precarious position, as it will take years to replenish these munitions, leaving it unprepared for any potential confrontation with China.
As the attacks escalated, the U.S. Navy found itself compelled to use 5-inch ship guns to shoot down Houthi drones after depleting large quantities of advanced interceptors like the SM-2 and SM-6 missiles. They also resorted to using the less expensive Sidewinder and Hellfire missiles, which highlights the unconventional challenge imposed by Sana’a, according to Task & Purpose.
Estimates suggest that the U.S. has spent over a billion dollars on defensive missiles in these operations, with warnings that replenishing this stockpile will be difficult and slow. While experts note that the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas has given the U.S. Navy some breathing space, it does not negate the strategic impact of these confrontations on Washington’s readiness for larger battles.
Analysts believe these developments benefit China, which is closely monitoring this American depletion.
U.S. Navy commander Clark confirmed that the U.S. military could find itself in a weak position if a confrontation with China were to break out today, directly acknowledging that the exhaustion strategy imposed by Sana’a in the Red Sea had global strategic repercussions, not just for Washington but for the international balance of power.
What happened in the Red Sea was not just a series of isolated attacks, but a practical model of depleting one of the world’s strongest armies through unconventional methods, which could reshape the global military landscape in ways Washington did not anticipate.
