International support wavers for US maritime force in Red Sea amidst rising tensions

Flag of the United States | Credits: AP
Flag of the United States | Credits: AP

United States: President Joe Biden of the United States intended to establish a new maritime force as a show of force against the Houthis in Yemen, who have been attacking Red Sea ships. However, a week after the force was established, many partners no longer wanted to be connected to the force—either in public or privately.

Italy and Spain, two of America’s European allies identified as donors to Operation Prosperity Guardian, released remarks that seemed to disassociate themselves from the naval force.

According to the Pentagon, the force consists of a defense coalition comprising over 20 countries, whose goal is to protect a critical maritime chokepoint in the Red Sea seas off Yemen, which is worth billions of dollars in trade.

However, only about half of those nations have acknowledged their contributions publicly to date or have given the United States permission to do so. These can be as small as sending a staff person or as large as sending warships.

Some US allies’ reluctance to participate in the endeavor is partially due to the divisions brought about by the Gaza conflict, which has seen Biden stick by Israel despite growing international criticism of its offensive, which the health ministry in Gaza claims has killed over 21,000 Palestinians.

“European governments are very worried that part of their potential electorate will turn against them,” noted David Hernandez, an international relations professor at the Complutense University of Madrid. He pointed out that the public in Europe is growing more critical of Israel and apprehensive about becoming involved in a conflict.

Red Sea

Since November 19, the Houthis, whom Iran supports, have used drones and missiles to attack or hijack twelve ships to cause international controversy about Israel’s war. This campaign came after Hamas terrorists on October 7 went on a rampage in southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking 240 hostages. Drones or missiles launched by the Houthi have been shot down by the navies of the US, UK, and France.

According to a source familiar with the Biden administration’s thinking, the United States thinks that the growing Houthi attacks need an international reaction apart from the ongoing battle in Gaza.

Ships entering the Suez Canal, which processes around 12 percent of global trade and is essential for the transportation of goods between Asia and Europe, enter the Red Sea. A significant increase in sailing time and expense has resulted from the rerouting of certain ships across Africa’s Cape of Good Hope due to the Houthi strikes.

DISPUTE ABOUT GAZA

The United States claims that 20 nations have enrolled in its maritime task force, but it has only revealed the identities 12.

General Patrick Ryder of the United States told reporters last week, “We’ll allow other countries, defer to them to talk about their participation.” In a coordinated statement denouncing the Houthi attacks, the EU indicated its support for the maritime task force.

Map Representation for Gaza | Credits: BBC News
Map Representation for Gaza | Credits: BBC News

While Greece, Britain, and other countries have openly supported the US operation, a number of them stated in the US announcement that they are not actively involved.

The Italian Ministry of Defense announced that, independent of the US operation, it would dispatch a ship to the Red Sea in response to requests from Italian ship owners. Although its ships will continue to be commanded by France, the country stated that it supports measures to ensure freedom of navigation in the Red Sea.

Spain has declared that it would not participate in Operation Prosperity Guardian and is against protecting Red Sea cargo with the current EU anti-piracy mission, Atlanta. However, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez stated on Wednesday that he was open to the idea of forming an alternative mission to deal with the issue.

Before this, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia declared their lack of interest in the project. Political leaders’ hesitancy can be partially explained by the public’s outrage over Israel’s Gaza offensive. 

There is also the risk that participating countries become subject to Houthi retaliation. The person familiar with the US administration’s thinking says this risk – rather than disagreements over Gaza – is driving some countries to steer clear of the effort.

That appears to be the case for India, which is unlikely to join the US operation, according to a senior Indian military official. An Indian official said the government worries that aligning itself with the US could make it more of a target.

NEED OF INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT

A number of European and Gulf nations already serve in one of the various military alliances in the Middle East headed by the United States, such as the 39-nation Combined Maritime Forces (CMF). A CMF representative stated that the EU’s Atlanta operation already had a “reciprocal relationship” with the organization.

Visual Representation for support across the world

This implies that certain nations may still plan patrols with the US Navy even if they choose not to formally join the Red Sea maritime task force.

Italy, for instance, is a part of Atalanta, and although it has not announced that it will join Operation Prosperity Guardian, an Italian government source told Reuters that the coalition led by the United States is pleased with Italy’s commitment.

The source said that the choice to dispatch a navy frigate as part of ongoing operations was made to expedite the deployment and did not call for any additional parliamentary approval.

In light of pressure from Iran’s military proxies in the region, the United States is attempting to garner international backing for its quest for security in the Red Sea.

In addition to the Houthis in Yemen, Iranian-backed militias have been waging war on American forces in Iraq and Syria.

The US has not attacked the militia in Yemen, but it has launched limited airstrikes in retaliation against it in Iraq and Syria so far.

Former Trump administration deputy assistant secretary of defense for the Middle East Michael Mulroy said the Pentagon’s intention with the new maritime coalition seems to be to detach any future Houthi strikes from the Israel-Hamas conflict by making them an international matter.

“Once the military vessels in Operation Prosperity Guardian start protecting commercial shipping and come under a direct attack, (the Houthis) will be attacking the coalition, not just the US,” Mulroy said.