Operation Prosperity Guardian: US announces 10-nation maritime task force to combat Houthi rebels

Washington DC [US], December 19 : The US announced the creation of an international coalition against Houthi attacks on international maritime trade in the Red Sea, The Hill reported.
Operation Prosperity Guardian will involve the navies of Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Seychelles, Spain, UK and US. The task force falls under the Combined Maritime Forces, a multinational alliance tasked with defending the world's shipping lanes.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said 'Operation Prosperity Guardian' will be a new security initiative involving several countries; UK, Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Seychelles and Spain, The Hill reported.
The Houthis rebel group has attacked multiple merchant vessels and forced companies to suspend routes through the region. The US and other naval forces already operate in the Red Sea region to defend commercial shipping, but the new task force is expected to ramp up security.
"Operation Prosperity Guardian is bringing together multiple countries to include the United Kingdom, Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Seychelles and Spain, to jointly address security challenges in the southern Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, with the goal of ensuring freedom of navigation for all countries and bolstering regional security and prosperity," Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a statement.
Operation Prosperity Guardian will specifically be managed by Task Force 153, a component of the Combined Maritime Forces that defend the Red Sea, the Bab el-Mandeb Strait near Yemen and the Gulf of Aden, according to The Hill.
During a briefing on Monday, Austin told reporters that the Houthis have "violated international law" by harassing ships in the Red Sea.
"So we're taking action to build an international coalition to address this threat," Austin said. "This is not just a US issue -- this is an international problem, and it deserves an international response."
Austin added that he would also be convening a meeting with foreign leaders to discuss efforts to keep the Red Sea free from attacks.
Since the Israel-Hamas war broke out on October 7, the Iranian-backed Houthis have joined in with other militia groups across the Middle East in assaulting US positions and assets, The Hill reported.
The Houthis have launched aggressive attacks on commercial ships as part of the fighting, including seizing a boat last month in a daring raid.
The violence has scared off merchants, with oil giant BP joining container shipping company Maersk in rerouting transits away from the Red Sea. The redirected transits could force vessels to take a much longer hike around Africa and dent the pace of commercial shipping.
Notably, around 10 per cent of global trade flows through the Red Sea each year.
While the US and other naval forces already operate in the Red Sea region to defend commercial shipping, the new task force is expected to ramp up security, according to The Hill.