Operation Prosperity Guardian is a

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

-led

military operation A military operation (op) is the coordinated military actions of a state, or a non-state actor, in response to a developing situation. These actions are designed as a military plan to resolve the situation in the state or actor's favor. Operati ...

by a multinational

coalition A coalition is formed when two or more people or groups temporarily work together to achieve a common goal. The term is most frequently used to denote a formation of power in political, military, or economic spaces. Formation According to ''A G ...

formed in December 2023 to respond to Houthi-led attacks on shipping in the Red Sea. Following the breakout of the

Gaza war The Gaza war is an armed conflict in the Gaza Strip and southern Israel fought since 7 October 2023. A part of the unresolved Israeli–Palestinian conflict, Israeli–Palestinian and Gaza–Israel conflict, Gaza–Israel conflicts dating ...

in October 2023, the

Houthi movement The Houthis, officially known as Ansar Allah, is a Zaydism, Zaydi Shia Islamism, Shia Islamist political and military organization that emerged from Yemen in the 1990s. It is predominantly made up of Zaydi Shias, with their namesake leadersh ...

in Yemen launched a series of attacks against commercial vessels in the

Red Sea The Red Sea is a sea inlet of the Indian Ocean, lying between Africa and Asia. Its connection to the ocean is in the south, through the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait and the Gulf of Aden. To its north lie the Sinai Peninsula, the Gulf of Aqaba, and th ...

, including but not limited to those heading or related to Israel, with the stated purpose of preventing the bombing of Gaza and forcing Israel to let food and medicine into the strip. On 18 December 2023, U.S. Secretary of Defense

Lloyd Austin Lloyd James Austin III (born August 8, 1953) is a retired United States Army four-star General (United States), general who served as the 28th United States Secretary of Defense, United States secretary of defense from 2021 to 2025. Before ...

announced the formation of an international maritime security force aimed at ending the blockade and countering threats by Houthi forces against international maritime commerce in the region. The coalition currently has more than 20 members, of which ten are anonymously involved.

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

and

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...

, both economically reliant on unhindered commercial shipping in the area, are absent from the listed participants.

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

and

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

have also declined to participate. The chairman of the

Suez Canal Authority Suez Canal Authority (SCA) is an Egyptian state-owned authority which owns, operates and maintains the Suez Canal. It was set up by the Egyptian government to replace the Suez Canal Company in the 1950s which resulted in the Suez Crisis. After ...

, Usama Rabia, claimed that "navigation traffic in the Suez Canal was not affected by what is happening in the Red Sea". Nevertheless, on 10 January, the

United Nations Security Council The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN) and is charged with ensuring international peace and security, recommending the admission of new UN members to the General Assembly, an ...

(UNSC) adopted a resolution demanding a cessation of Houthi attacks on merchant vessels. The day of the UNSC resolution, the Houthis launched their largest-ever barrage of 18–24 attack drones and missiles at international ships and warships in the Red Sea. In response, on 12 January 2024, the coalition launched its first airstrikes against Houthi targets in Yemen, to which the Houthis have pledged to retaliate. As of 2 January 2025, the Houthis recorded 931 American and British airstrikes against its sites in Yemen, resulting in 106 deaths and 314 injuries. Since 15 March 2025, attacks in Yemen have intensified during

Operation Rough Rider Operation or Operations may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * ''Operation'' (game), a battery-operated board game that challenges dexterity * Operation (music), a term used in musical set theory * ''Operations'' (magazine), Multi-Man ...

and the United States have conducted over 1,000 airstrikes. On 6 May 2025, President Donald Trump announced that the Houthis had "capitulated" and promised not to attack commercial vessels passing Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. He further declared the US strikes to be over, "effective immediately," as a result of a ceasefire between the U.S. and the Houthis, brokered by

Oman Oman, officially the Sultanate of Oman, is a country located on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in West Asia and the Middle East. It shares land borders with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. Oman’s coastline ...

Background

The operation aims to ensure both the

freedom of navigation Freedom of navigation (FON) is a principle of law of the sea that ships flying the flag of any sovereign state shall not suffer interference from other states when in international waters, apart from the exceptions provided for in international ...

and the safety of maritime traffic in the

, Bab al-Mandeb and

Gulf of Aden The Gulf of Aden (; ) is a deepwater gulf of the Indian Ocean between Yemen to the north, the Arabian Sea to the east, Djibouti to the west, and the Guardafui Channel, the Socotra Archipelago, Puntland in Somalia and Somaliland to the south. ...

. Following the start of the

, multiple civilian

container A container is any receptacle or enclosure for holding a product used in storage, packaging, and transportation, including shipping. Things kept inside of a container are protected on several sides by being inside of its structure. The term ...

and freight ships were attacked and hijacked in the Gulf of Aden by Houthi forces. Houthi forces stated that only vessels with links to Israel are targeted, though vessels without links to Israel have been targeted, possibly due to misidentification from many vessels turning off their

automatic identification system The automatic identification system (AIS) is an automatic tracking system that uses transceivers on ships and is used by vessel traffic services (VTS). When satellites are used to receive AIS signatures, the term ''Satellite-AIS'' (S-AIS) is ...

signal during transit. The Houthis claim the attacks will end if Israel allows humanitarian supplies to enter Gaza; the attempted blockade is seen as a way to pressure Israel's Western allies to work to restrain Israeli operations in the war. , at least seventeen civilian vessels have been attacked. The waterways to and from the Red Sea are shipping chokepoints for the

global economy The world economy or global economy is the economy of all humans in the world, referring to the global economic system, which includes all economic activities conducted both within and between nations, including production, consumption, econ ...

which connects the Mediterranean Sea with the Indian Ocean and the Suez Canal with the

Horn of Africa The Horn of Africa (HoA), also known as the Somali Peninsula, is a large peninsula and geopolitical region in East Africa.Robert Stock, ''Africa South of the Sahara, Second Edition: A Geographical Interpretation'', (The Guilford Press; 2004), ...

. This had led to the 2023 situation being dubbed "a new

Suez Crisis The Suez Crisis, also known as the Second Arab–Israeli War, the Tripartite Aggression in the Arab world and the Sinai War in Israel, was a British–French–Israeli invasion of Egypt in 1956. Israel invaded on 29 October, having done so w ...

" by ''

The Economist ''The Economist'' is a British newspaper published weekly in printed magazine format and daily on Electronic publishing, digital platforms. It publishes stories on topics that include economics, business, geopolitics, technology and culture. M ...

''. A considerable number of freighters have continued to transit, with mostly large container ships diverting away rather than other shipping, with the strait continuing to be heavily used by

bulk carrier A bulk carrier or bulker is a merchant ship specially naval architecture, designed to transport unpackaged bulk cargo—such as Grain trade, grain, coal, ore, steel coils, and cement—in its cargo holds. Since the first specialized bulk carrie ...

s and

tankers Tanker may refer to: Transportation * Tanker, a tank crewman (US) * Tanker (ship), a ship designed to carry bulk liquids ** Chemical tanker, a type of tanker designed to transport chemicals in bulk ** Oil tanker, also known as a petroleum tanke ...

which are under different contract arrangements and often from countries supportive of Gaza's situation so perceiving a minimal risk from ongoing Houthi attacks. In the first week of January 2024 the average number of freighters active each day in the Red Sea included 105 bulk carriers and 58 tankers, down from 115 bulk carriers and 70 tankers the week before. In contrast, six of the ten

largest container shipping companies Several shipping lines are involved in intermodal freight transport as part of international trade. List of largest container shipping companies This is a list of the 30 largest container shipping companies as of March 2025, according to ''Alph ...

were largely avoiding the Red Sea, with relatively few container ships transiting the Bab al-Mandeb strait from 18 December 2023.

Forces

Combined Task Force 153, under control of the U.S.

Combined Maritime Forces United States Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT) is the United States Navy element of United States Central Command (USCENTCOM). Its area of responsibility includes the Red Sea, Gulf of Oman, Persian Gulf, and Arabian Sea. It consists of the ...

, will control the vessels of the operation, which currently include the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

's Carrier Strike Group 2. This strike group consists of the

aircraft carrier An aircraft carrier is a warship that serves as a seagoing airbase, equipped with a full-length flight deck and hangar facilities for supporting, arming, deploying and recovering carrier-based aircraft, shipborne aircraft. Typically it is the ...

and her escorting ''Arleigh Burke''-class

destroyers In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, maneuverable, long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy, or carrier battle group and defend them against a wide range of general threats. They were conceived i ...

, , and . Other countries' vessels involved include the British destroyer and frigate , with Greece also announcing plans to send one frigate to the region. Denmark would initially announce they would be sending one officer to aid the operation but made an additional announcement on 29 December 2023 that a frigate would also be sent. Australia announced that it will send 11 military personnel but rejected a US request to send a warship. The

Canadian Armed Forces The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF; , FAC) are the unified Military, military forces of Canada, including sea, land, and air commands referred to as the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army and the Royal Canadian Air Force. Under the ''National Defenc ...

will deploy an unspecified number of land, air and sea support vehicles. Canada is sending three staff officers by way of

Operation Artemis Operation Artemis, formally European Union Force Democratic Republic of the Congo (EUFOR), was a short-term European Union-led UN-authorised military mission to the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 2003, during the Ituri conflict. ARTEMIS i ...

. The Netherlands plans to send two staff officers. Norway plans on dispatching up to ten staff officers, but as of 21 December is not sending any vessels. Singapore will be deploying a team from the

Republic of Singapore Navy The Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) is the Naval warfare, maritime Military branch, service branch of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) responsible for defending the country against any seaborne threats and as a guarantor of its sea lines of ...

(RSN)'s Information Fusion Centre to support information sharing and engagement outreach to the commercial shipping community, as well as a senior national representative to the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF). Seychelles is not deploying any vessels or personnel, and limits its participation to "providing and receiving information" as a member of

(CMF) (which is based in Bahrain). On 23 January 2024, New Zealand sent six

New Zealand Defence Force The New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF; , "Line of Defence of New Zealand") is the three-branched military of New Zealand. The NZDF is responsible for the protection of the national security of New Zealand and its realm, promoting its interests, ...

personnel to help provide maritime security in the Red Sea including "precision targeting". On 24 February 2024, Sri Lanka Navy confirmed that one of its ships had completed its maiden patrol in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and was returning to the island but did not clarify the dates, name of the ship or plans for further patrols. It was later revealed to be

SLNS Gajabahu SLNS ''Gajabahu'' (named after '' Gajabahu'', a former king of Sri Lanka) was a of the Sri Lanka Navy. She has since been converted to a training ship for the Naval & Maritime Academy, Trincomalee. She was originally HMCS ''Hallowell'' of the ...

and the Sri Lankan government confirmed that patrols would continue. Finland announced on 8 March 2024 that the country would send up to two soldiers to support Operation Prosperity Guardian, in addition to supporting the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...

-led

Operation Aspides Operation Aspides, also known as EUNAVFOR Aspides, is an EU military operation in response to Houthi engagements with international shipping in the Red Sea. Named after the Greek word for shields (), Operation Aspides—unlike the US-led Ope ...

. On 1 February 2025,

Destroyer Squadron 50 Destroyer Squadron 50 (DESRON 50) is a destroyer squadron of the United States Navy. The squadron was first formed during World War II when the squadron commodore and his staff led ships in the Pacific Theater from October 1943 until its disesta ...

of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command assumed responsibility for leading Operation Prosperity Guardian from Combined Task Force 153.

Prosperity Guardian

* **

CENTCOM The United States Central Command (USCENTCOM or CENTCOM) is one of the eleven unified combatant commands of the U.S. Department of Defense. It was established in 1983, taking over the previous responsibilities of the Rapid Deployment Joint Ta ...

** ***

United States Naval Forces Central Command patch 2014

NAVCENT **** United States Fifth Fleet insignia 2006

Fifth Fleet The Fifth Fleet is a Structure of the United States Navy#Numbered fleets, numbered fleet of the United States Navy. Its area of responsibility encompasses approximately 2.5 million square miles, and includes the Persian Gulf, Red Sea, Arabian ...

*****

Carrier Strike Group 2 ****** USS Dwight D Eisenhower CVN-69 Crest

USS ''Dwight D. Eisenhower'' (

Aircraft carrier An aircraft carrier is a warship that serves as a seagoing airbase, equipped with a full-length flight deck and hangar facilities for supporting, arming, deploying and recovering carrier-based aircraft, shipborne aircraft. Typically it is the ...

) ******

USS ''Philippine Sea'' (

Cruiser A cruiser is a type of warship. Modern cruisers are generally the largest ships in a fleet after aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships, and can usually perform several operational roles from search-and-destroy to ocean escort to sea ...

) ******

USS ''Carney'' (

Destroyer In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, maneuverable, long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy, or carrier battle group and defend them against a wide range of general threats. They were conceived i ...

) ******

USS ''Laboon'' (Destroyer) ****** USS Mason DDG-87 Crest

USS ''Mason'' (Destroyer) ****** USS Thomas Hudner DDG-116 Crest

USS ''Thomas Hudner'' (Destroyer) ****** USS Arleigh Burke DDG-51 Crest

USS ''Arleigh Burke'' (Destroyer) ****** USS Bataan COA

USS ''Bataan'' (Amphibious assault ships) ****** USS ''Florida'' (

Submarine A submarine (often shortened to sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. (It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability.) The term "submarine" is also sometimes used historically or infor ...

) ***

Seal of the Commander of the United States Pacific Fleet

United States Pacific Fleet The United States Pacific Fleet (USPACFLT) is a theater-level component command of the United States Navy, located in the Pacific Ocean. It provides naval forces to the Indo-Pacific Command. Fleet headquarters is at Joint Base Pearl Harbor� ...

****

Third Fleet ***** Carrier Strike Group Three Crest

Carrier Strike Group 3 Carrier Strike Group 3 (CSG-3 or CARSTRKGRU 3) is a U.S. Navy carrier strike group. Carrier strike groups gain and maintain sea control as well as project naval airpower ashore. The aircraft carrier is the group's current flagship. Other units a ...

******

USS Abraham Lincoln Three ships have borne the name ''Abraham Lincoln'', in honor of the 16th President of the United States. * , a troop transport that was commissioned in 1917 and sank in 1918 * , a ballistic missile submarine in service from 1961 to 1981 * , an a ...

(Aircraft Carrier) ******

USS Frank E. Petersen Jr. USS ''Frank E. Petersen Jr.'' (DDG-121) is an '' Arleigh Burke-class'' ( Flight IIA Technology Insertion) Aegis guided missile destroyer in the United States Navy. The ship was named for United States Marine Corps Lieutenant General Frank E. Pet ...

(Cruiser) ****** USS Stockdale (Destroyer) ****** USS Spruance COA

USS Spruance (Destroyer) ******

USS O'Kane USS ''O'Kane'' (DDG-77) is the 27th '' Arleigh Burke-class'' ( Flight II) Aegis guided missile destroyer in the United States Navy. The ship was built by Bath Iron Works in Bath, Maine, starting on 8 May 1997. The ship was commissioned on 23 Octo ...

(Destroyer) ****** USS Michael Murphy (Destroyer) ***** Carrier Strike Group 9 crest

Carrier Strike Group 9 Carrier Strike Group 9 (CSG-9 or CARSTRKGRU 9) is a U.S. Navy carrier strike group. Commander Carrier Strike Group 9 (COMCARSTRKGRU 9 or CCSG 9) is responsible for unit-level training, integrated training, and material readiness for the ships an ...

******

USS Theodore Roosevelt USS ''Theodore Roosevelt'' has been the name of more than one United States Navy ship, and may refer to: *, troop transport in commission from 1918 to 1919 *, ballistic missile submarine in commission from 1961 to 1982 *, aircraft carrier in commis ...

(Aircraft Carrier) ****** USS Daniel Inouye (Destroyer) ****** USS Russell (Destroyer) ****** USS Halsey DDG-97 Crest

USS Halsey (Destroyer) **** Seal of the Commander of the United States Fleet Forces Command

USFFC ***** Seal of Carrier Strike Group 8

Carrier Strike Group 8 Commander, Carrier Strike Group 8, abbreviated as CCSG-8 or COMCARSTRKGRU 8, is one of five U.S. Navy carrier strike groups currently assigned to the United States Fleet Forces Command. the group flagship is the ''Nimitz''-class aircraft carrier ...

******

USS Harry S. Truman (Aircraft Carrier) ****** USS Stout DDG-55 Crest

USS Stout USS ''Stout'' (DDG-55) is an ( Flight I) Aegis guided missile destroyer. Built for the United States Navy by Ingalls Shipbuilding, she was commissioned on 13 August 1994 and she is currently home-ported in Naval Station Norfolk. She is part of ...

(Destroyer) ****** USS Jason Dunham COA

USS Jason Dunham USS ''Jason Dunham'' (DDG-109) is an '' Arleigh Burke-class'' ( Flight IIA) Aegis guided missile destroyer in the United States Navy. She is named after US Marine Corps corporal Jason Dunham, who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for ...

(Destroyer) ****** USSGravelyDDG107coatofarms

USS ''Gravely'' (Destroyer) ****** USS Cole DDG-67 Crest

USS ''Cole'' (Destroyer) ****** USS Gettyburg CG-64 Crest

USS Gettysburg (Destroyer) *** United States Naval Air Forces **** CVW-1 Emblem

Carrier Air Wing One Carrier Air Wing One (CVW-1) is a United States Navy aircraft carrier air wing based at Naval Air Station Oceana, Virginia, with most of its various squadrons also home based at NAS Oceana. Additional squadrons are based at Naval Station Norfolk ...

*****

Strike Fighter Squadron 11 ******

F/A-18F Super Hornet The Boeing F/A-18E and F/A-18F Super Hornet are a series of American supersonic twinjet, twin-engine, Carrier-based aircraft, carrier-capable, Multirole combat aircraft, multirole fighter aircraft derived from the McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Ho ...

*****

Strike Fighter Squadron 136 ******

F/A-18E Super Hornet The Boeing F/A-18E and F/A-18F Super Hornet are a series of American supersonic twin-engine, carrier-capable, multirole fighter aircraft derived from the McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet. The Super Hornet is in service with the armed forces ...

*****

Strike Fighter Squadron 143 ******

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Strike Fighter Squadron 81 ******

***** Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron 126 ******

E-2D Hawkeye The Northrop Grumman E-2 Hawkeye is an American all-weather, carrier-capable tactical airborne early warning (AEW) aircraft. This twin-turboprop aircraft was designed and developed during the late 1950s and early 1960s by the Grumman Aircraft ...

***** Electronic Attack Squadron 144 ******

EA-18G Growler The Boeing EA-18G Growler is an American aircraft carrier, carrier-based electronic warfare aircraft, a specialized version of the two-seat Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornet. The EA-18G replaced the Northrop Grumman EA- ...

***** Fleet Logistics Support Squadron 40 ******

C-2A Greyhound The Grumman C-2 Greyhound is a twin-engine, high-wing cargo aircraft designed to carry supplies, mail, and passengers to and from aircraft carriers of the United States Navy. Its primary mission is carrier onboard delivery (COD). The aircraft p ...

***** Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 11 ******

MH-60S Seahawk The Sikorsky SH-60/MH-60 Seahawk (or Sea Hawk) is a twin turboshaft engine, multi-mission United States Navy helicopter based on the United States Army UH-60 Black Hawk and a member of the Sikorsky S-70 family. The most significant modificati ...

*****

Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 72 ******

MH-60R Seahawk The Sikorsky SH-60/MH-60 Seahawk (or Sea Hawk) is a twin turboshaft engine, multi-mission United States Navy helicopter based on the United States Army UH-60 Black Hawk and a member of the Sikorsky S-70 family. The most significant modificati ...

****

Carrier Air Wing Three Carrier Air Wing Three (CVW-3), known as the "Battle Axe", is a United States Navy aircraft carrier air wing based at Naval Air Station Oceana, Virginia. The wing was created on 1 July 1938 and has seen service in World War II, the Korean War, t ...

***** Strike Fighter Squadron 32 ****** F/A-18 Super Hornets ***** VFA-83 Emblem

Strike Fighter Squadron 83 ****** F/A-18 Super Hornets ***** VFA-105 Emblem

Strike Fighter Squadron 105 ****** F/A-18 Super Hornets ***** VFA-131 Emblem

Strike Fighter Squadron 131 ****** F/A-18 Super Hornets ***** VAQ-130 Emblem

Electronic Attack Squadron 130 ******

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Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron 123 ******

E-2C Hawkeye The Northrop Grumman E-2 Hawkeye is an American all-weather, carrier-capable tactical airborne early warning (AEW) aircraft. This twin-turboprop aircraft was designed and developed during the late 1950s and early 1960s by the Grumman Aircraft ...

***** Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 7 ******

*****

Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 74 ******

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Carrier Air Wing Nine Carrier Air Wing Nine (CVW-9) is a United States Navy aircraft carrier air wing based at Naval Air Station Lemoore. The Air Wing is currently assigned to the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72). The Tail Code of aircraft assigned to ...

*****

Strike Fighter Squadron 14 ******

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Strike Fighter Squadron 41 ******

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Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 314 ******

F-35C Lightning II The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II is an American family of single-seat, single-engine, supersonic stealth strike fighters. A multirole combat aircraft designed for both air superiority and strike missions, it also has electronic ...

*****

Strike Fighter Squadron 151 ******

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Electronic Attack Squadron 133 ******

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Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron 117 ******

E-2 Hawkeye The Northrop Grumman E-2 Hawkeye is an American all-weather, carrier-capable tactical airborne early warning (AEW) aircraft. This twin-turboprop aircraft was designed and developed during the late 1950s and early 1960s by the Grumman Aircraft ...

***** Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 14 ******

***** Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 71 ******

***

United States Naval Special Warfare Command The United States Naval Special Warfare Command (USNSWC), also known as NAVSPECWARCOM and WARCOM, is the United States Navy, naval component of United States Special Operations Command, the Unified Combatant Command, unified command that overs ...

****

United States Navy SEALs The United States Navy Sea, Air, and Land (SEAL) Teams, commonly known as Navy SEALs, are the United States Navy's primary special operations force and a component of the United States Naval Special Warfare Command. Among the SEALs' main func ...

** *** One

KC-135 Stratotanker The Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker is an American military aerial refueling tanker aircraft that was developed from the Boeing 367-80 prototype, alongside the Boeing 707 airliner. It has a narrower fuselage and is shorter than the 707. Boeing gave ...

***

MQ-9 Reaper The General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper (sometimes called Predator B) is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV, one component of an unmanned aircraft system (UAS)) capable of remotely controlled or autonomous flight operations, developed by General Atomi ...

s **

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...

***

II Marine Expeditionary Force The II Marine Expeditionary Force (II MEF) is a Marine Air-Ground Task Force consisting of ground, air and logistics forces capable of projecting offensive combat power ashore while sustaining itself in combat without external assistance for a ...

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26th Marine Expeditionary Unit The 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (26th MEU) is one of seven such marine expeditionary units (MEUs) currently in existence in the United States Marine Corps. It is an air-ground task force with a strength of about 2,400 personnel when at full ...

****

2nd Marine Aircraft Wing The 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing (2nd MAW) is the major East Coast of the United States, east coast aviation unit of the United States Marine Corps and is headquartered in Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina. The Wing provides the ...

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Marine Aircraft Group 14 Marine Aircraft Group 14 (MAG-14) is a United States Marine Corps aviation unit based at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina that is currently composed of two AV-8B Harrier squadrons, one F-35B squadron, one UAV training squa ...

****** McDonnell Douglas Harriers **

United States Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and Admiralty law, law enforcement military branch, service branch of the armed forces of the United States. It is one of the country's eight Uniformed services ...

* ** *** HMS ''Diamond'' (Destroyer) *** HMS ''Duncan'' (Destroyer) *** HMS ''Richmond'' (Frigate) *** HMS ''Lancaster'' (Frigate) ** ***

RAF Akrotiri Royal Air Force Akrotiri, commonly abbreviated RAF Akrotiri (; ) is a large Royal Air Force (RAF) military airbase on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus. It is located in the Western Sovereign Base Area, one of two areas which comprise Akroti ...

**** No. 903 Expeditionary Air Wing ***** Four RAF Typhoon fighters ***** Two Voyager KC2s * ** *** SLNS ''Gajabahu'' (Armed patrol vessel) * ** (personnel only) * ** (personnel only) * ** (personnel only) * ** (personnel only) * ** (personnel only) * ** (intelligence support)

Joint Operations (Prosperity Guardian + Aspides)

* **

Hellenic Navy The Hellenic Navy (HN; , abbreviated ΠΝ) is the Navy, naval force of Greece, part of the Hellenic Armed Forces. The modern Greek navy historically hails from the naval forces of various Aegean Islands, which fought in the Greek War of Independ ...

*** '' Hydra'' (Frigate) *** ''

Psara Psara (, , ; known in ancient times as /, /) is a Greek island in the Aegean Sea. Together with the small island of Antipsara (population 4) it forms the municipality of Psara. It is part of the Chios regional unit, which is part of the North A ...

'' (Frigate) * ** *** HDMS ''Iver Huitfeldt'' (Frigate) * ** *** HNLMS ''Tromp'' (Frigate) *** HLMS ''Karel Doorman'' (Joint support ship) *** Roundel of the Netherlands

Netherlands Naval Aviation Service The Netherlands Naval Aviation Service (, shortened to MLD) is the naval aviation branch of the Royal Netherlands Navy. History World War I Although the MLD was formed in 1914, with the building of a seaplane base at De Mok, Texel, it deve ...

**** One

NH90 The NHIndustries NH90 is a European medium-sized, twin-engine, multirole military helicopter. It was the first production helicopter to feature entirely fly-by-wire flight controls.Perry, Dominic"Rotor club: Our top 10 most influential helico ...

**** One

Eurocopter AS532 Cougar The Eurocopter AS532 Cougar (now Airbus Helicopters H215M) is a twin-engine, medium-weight, multipurpose helicopter developed by Eurocopter. The AS532 is a development and upgrade of the Aérospatiale SA 330 Puma in its militarized form. Its ...

* ** (personnel only) * ** (personnel only)

Attacks on shipping

Reactions

The Houthis stated: "We have capabilities to sink your fleet, your submarines, your warships", adding "the Red Sea will be your graveyard". In a public statement, Commander-in-Chief of the

Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), also known as the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, is a multi-service primary branch of the Islamic Republic of Iran Armed Forces, Iranian Armed Forces. It was officially established by Ruhollah Khom ...

(IRGC)

Hossein Salami Hossein Salami (; 1960 – 13 June 2025) was an Iranian military officer who served as the Commander-in-Chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) from 2019 until 2025 when he was killed by an Israeli airstrike during the Iran–Is ...

reassured the Iranian public that there is nothing to fear from the coalition. (The Iranian government has long had purported direct ties to the Houthi movement.) IRGC senior officer

Mohammad Reza Naqdi Mohammad Reza Naqdi (also spelled "Naghdi"; ) is an Iranian military officer who is a senior officer in the IRGC. Background According to the biography published by the semi-official Fars News Agency, Naqdi was born in March 1961 in a middle-cla ...

was cited as threatening to close "the Mediterranean Sea, (the Strait of)

Gibraltar Gibraltar ( , ) is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory and British overseas cities, city located at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula, on the Bay of Gibraltar, near the exit of the Mediterranean Sea into the A ...

and other waterways" without explaining how. While named by the United States as part of the coalition, the French Defense Ministry stated that its warships, including the

frigate A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied. The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and maneuvera ...

Languedoc The Province of Languedoc (, , ; ) is a former province of France. Most of its territory is now contained in the modern-day region of Occitanie in Southern France. Its capital city was Toulouse. It had an area of approximately . History ...

'', would remain under French command. Italian Defense Ministry, which has deployed the frigate '' Virginio Fasan'' in the Red Sea, also stated that the warship was not part of Prosperity Guardian. Spanish Defense Ministry stated that it would only take part in operations under NATO or European Union, EU coordination. Spain also vetoed any potential EU contribution to Operation Prosperity Guardian through the resources of EU-conducted Operation Atalanta. At the time, Spain was the commanding nation of Operation Atalanta and had the frigate ''Spanish frigate Victoria, Victoria'' deployed in the area. The Maersk Line announced on 24 December 2023 that with Operation Prosperity Guardian now in place, it would resume using the Suez Canal. On 2 January 2024, both Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd, Happag-Lloyd announced that the route would once again be avoided until further notice. On 3 January 2024, President of Sri Lanka Ranil Wickremesinghe indicated that Sri Lanka will be deploying a warship to the Red Sea and the Sri Lanka Navy stated that it is ready to deploy one of its five Sri Lanka Navy#Ships, Advanced Offshore Patrol Vessels as part of Operation Prosperity Guardian. On 13 January 2024, pro-Palestinian protesters in central London expressed support for the Houthi movement, chanting slogans hours after the RAF and US launched a 2024 missile strikes in Yemen, missile and airstrike on ground targets in Yemen. Some demonstrators shouted, "Yemen, Yemen make us proud, turn another ship around," and displayed signs reading "Hands off Yemen", "Thanks Yemen" and "UK+US wants war. Yemen supports Palestine. Gaza Wants to live". Houthi attacks on merchant ships in the Red Sea escalated, in response to "American-British aggression against our country", as stated by a Houthi spokesman in January 2024. United States Central Command, US Central Command then stated that the Houthi attacks "have nothing to do with the conflict in Gaza" and that Houthis had "fired indiscriminately into the

", to target vessels, affecting more than 40 nations. In March 2024, ahead of the 9th anniversary of the Saudi-led intervention in the Yemeni civil war, Mohammed al-Houthi warned Saudi Arabia that it will resume attacking the country should it allow the US-led coalition to use its territory or airspace "in their aggression on Yemen". al-Houthi also called the US-UK strikes inside Yemen as "arrogant" and "unjustified actions", saying the Houthi rebels will not remain silent and will respond in kind.

References

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* {{Yemeni Civil War (2014–present) 2023 in international relations 2024 in international relations 2023 in Yemen 2024 in Yemen December 2023 in Asia January 2024 in Asia February 2024 in Asia December 2023 in Yemen January 2024 in Yemen February 2024 in Yemen Code names International water transport Houthis Red Sea crisis Gulf of Aden Middle Eastern crisis (2023–present) Military operations involving Australia Military operations involving Bahrain Military operations involving Canada Military operations involving Denmark Military operations involving Greece Military operations involving the Netherlands Military operations involving Norway Military operations involving New Zealand Military operations involving Singapore Military operations involving Seychelles Military operations involving Sri Lanka Military operations involving the United Kingdom Military operations involving the United States United States Navy in the 21st century Presidency of Joe Biden Second presidency of Donald Trump Australia–Yemen relations Bahrain–Yemen relations Canada–Yemen relations Denmark–Yemen relations Greece–Yemen relations Netherlands–Yemen relations New Zealand–Yemen relations Norway–Yemen relations Seychelles–Yemen relations Singapore–Yemen relations Sri Lanka–Yemen relations United Kingdom–Yemen relations United States–Yemen relations

Background

Forces

Prosperity Guardian

Joint Operations (Prosperity Guardian + Aspides)

Attacks on shipping

Reactions

See also

References

External links