Compass Points - Make Houthis Stop
Houthis continue their attacks.
Compass Points - Make Houthis Stop
Houthis continue their attacks.
January 10, 2024
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Reuters is reporting that Houthi attacks in the Red Sea are increasing.
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WASHINGTON/LONDON, Jan 10 (Reuters) - U.S. and British naval forces shot down 21 drones and missiles fired by Yemen-based Houthis on Tuesday towards the southern Red Sea, the United States said, with Britain hinting at further measures to protect international shipping lanes.
. . . U.S. Central Command said no injuries nor damage were reported, adding that this was the 26th Houthi attack on commercial shipping lanes in the Red Sea since Nov. 19. Later in the day, Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said the Iranian-backed militants fired a large number of ballistic and naval missiles and drones at a U.S. ship that was "providing support" to Israel.
-- Reuters
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Forbes estimates the cost to the US for the missiles used to down the drones was $17 million, with a total of $80 million just for missiles since November. Continually shooting expensive missiles at drones depletes the limited stock of US missiles.
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Worse than using expensive and scarce missiles to shoot down inexpensive drones is that commercial shipping has largely moved out of the Red Sea. This violates one of the fundamental principles of US foreign policy: freedom of navigation. Merely shooting down Houthi drones does not keep commercial shipping moving through the Red Sea. Is the US going to preserve and protect freedom of navigation or not? If the Houthi goal is to shut down shipping in the Red Sea, the Houthis have succeeded.
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On December 27, 2023 Compass Points discussed the importance of focusing US military operations on MTS - Make Them Stop. In the Red Sea, the goal of the US should not be just to knock down Houthi drones, but to make the Houthis stop. Writing for Foreign Policy, Steven A. Cook argues "Prudence Means Fighting the Houthis Now." Cook writes that Iran is promoting the Houthi attacks to embarrass and put pressure on the US. Cook's larger point is the Houthi attacks will not stop unless someone makes them stop.
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It was not unheard of for the Houthis to target shipping before the conflict in Gaza, but it seems that the Iranians encouraged them to incrementally escalate now in order to disrupt the global economy, which would put pressure on the United States and other major powers to rein in Israelis as it pummels Gaza and weakens Hamas. If Israel can actually incapacitate Hamas, it would be a significant strategic blow to Tehran, which is why the Israelis will resist at all costs international pressure to bring Israel’s military offensive to an end—which is why the Houthis will not stop attacking shipping.
. . . [And ] a naval task force—no matter how formidable—will not by itself ward off attacks.
-- Steven A. Cook, Foreign Policy
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Israel, for years, slapped down Hamas missiles, but that did not make Hamas stop. It gave Hamas the time and confidence to plan worse attacks. US naval warships in the Red Sea using expensive missiles to slap down Houthi drones will not make the Houthis stop. It gives the Houthis the time and confidence to plan worse attacks.
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Defense by itself never makes the bad guys stop. This is one of the foundational fallacies of the Marine Corps’ plan to move from offense to defense and focus on sitting on islands in the Pacific with missiles. Defense never makes the bad guys stop. To make the bad guys stop, it is necessary to climb out of defense and press the fight. When deterrence fails, a flexible, ferocious offense force must take the fight to the bad guys and make them stop.
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It used to be said, "the Marines have landed, and the situation is well in hand." It does not help US national security to say instead, "the Marines are sitting on islands, and nothing is happening." Compass Points salutes all those working to make sure the Marine Corps is always prepared to take the fight to the bad guys and make them stop.
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Reuters (reuters.com) 01/10/2024
US, UK forces shoot down Houthi missiles, drones in Red Sea - US military
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Foreign Policy (foreignpolicy.com) 12/29/2023
Prudence Means Fighting the Houthis Now
The Biden administration’s hesitance to intervene decisively in the Red Sea is a big mistake.
By Steven A. Cook, a columnist at Foreign Policy and the Eni Enrico Mattei senior fellow for Middle East and Africa studies at the Council on Foreign Relations.
https://foreignpolicy.com/2023/12/29/houthis-yemen-red-sea-biden-united-states/
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Compass Points – Unpacking ‘Proportionality’
The Law of Armed Conflict
December 27, 2023
https://marinecorpscompasspoints.substack.com/p/compass-points-unpacking-proportionality
I agree. MTS! Use overwhelming force and destroy the Houthis, otherwise, we need to pack up and retrograde back stateside and wash our hands of everything.
I agree, we don’t have the combined arms of a MAGTF to deal with this type of threat. Technology by itself is NOT going to thwart the Houthis. Arabs understand one thing only, POWER, devastating POWER!
If how we are dealing with the Houthis is an indicator of how we will deal with the Chinese, we are screwed!
The reality of this situation is that the Houthis will continue their activity until harsh steps are taken by the US and our Allies. The Houthis action needs to be stopped and stopped now. The Houthis must experience the harsh reality that their actions will bring a crushing response by the US and Allies. Brute force must be taken to put an end to the Houthis attacks. They must have their will to fight shattered!