US Navy's Red Sea Problems Just Got Worse

Increasing Houthi attacks in the Red Sea pose another headache for the U.S. Navy, as the U.S. military could face tough choices on how to respond to waves of strikes and hijackings in key shipping channels.

Yemen's Houthi rebels said on Monday they had attacked two vessels they alleged had links to Israel, the Swan Atlantic and the MSC Clara . "The process of targeting the two ships came after their crews refused to respond to calls from the Yemeni [Houthi] naval forces," Houthi military spokesman Brigadier General Yahya Saree said in a statement on X, formerly Twitter .

The U.S. destroyer, the USS Carney , responded to a distress call from the Cayman Islands-flagged chemical and oil tanker, the Swan Atlantic, after it was attacked by a drone and an anti-ship ballistic missile, said U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM).

In a separate attack, another ship, the M/V Clara , reported an explosion close to the vessel, but did not request assistance or register any damage, CENTCOM said.

CENTCOM declined to provide specific details of attacks and "potential future actions" to Newsweek , citing operational security.

On Saturday, the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said the USS Carney had "successfully engaged" 14 drones launched in a "wave" from rebel-held Yemeni territory.

The attack drones "were shot down with no damage to ships in the area or reported injuries," CENTCOM said.

The attacks pose a tricky dilemma for U.S. naval forces in the region. Houthi forces are broadly considered to be no match for the might of the U.S. Navy, but the rebels do have healthy stocks of anti-ship missiles and can harass more ships than the U.S. Navy can hope to protect.

Houthi forces will not target vessels "heading to all ports around the world, except for Israeli ports," their spokesman, Saree, said on X.

A slew of companies have said in recent days that they are halting passage through the Red Sea over the Houthi attacks. On Monday, oil giant BP said it was stopping oil shipments through the Red Sea because of "the deteriorating security situation." This has prompted fears for disruption to global supply chains.

U.K. Maritime Trade Operations, which monitors the security situation around the Red Sea, registered several incidents in the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait—an entryway to the Red Sea and the Suez Canal—on Monday.

The threats posed by Houthi weapons are ones that modern navies are well equipped to cope with, unless crews are surprised, but for unarmed ships and commercial vessels, the rebels could pose a very serious danger, experts previously told Newsweek .

This presents the U.S. Navy with a problem. "The U.S. Navy is incredibly capable when it comes to defending against anti-ship missiles and drones," but it is already "stretched" with its international commitments, according to Fabian Hinz, a research fellow specializing in Middle East defense and military analysis at the International Institute for Strategic Studies think tank.

The U.S. has to balance showing its presence in the eastern Mediterranean in support of Israel with the need to support its allies such as South Korea and Taiwan, dividing resources between different parts of the globe.

"The US Navy can't be everywhere all the time," he told Newsweek on Monday. It may be easier to defend ships against hijackings than missile or drone strikes, he said, but the U.S. Navy ultimately cannot cover each meter of the Red Sea and shield the more vulnerable vessels.

The U.S. could try the near impossible task, he argued, but could also attempt to deter Houthi forces from further attacks. The U.S. Navy could also opt to go after the rebels' stocks of anti-ship missiles, although it is hard to work out whether the U.S. would have the intelligence resources or the will to do so.

Ensuring global freedom of navigation is "a core interest of the United States," and one they will feel compelled to protect, Hinz previously told Newsweek .

Update 12/19/2023 at 11:30 a.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information and a response from the U.S. military.