On Monday, December 18, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin announced the establishment of multinational naval forces to safeguard merchant vessels in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden from Houthi attacks.
The operation is named Operation Prosperity Guardian. According to the U.S. Department of Defense website, the operation will be conducted under the umbrella of the Combined Maritime Forces and led by Task Force 153, responsible for security matters in the Red Sea.
The maritime coalition includes the United Kingdom, Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, the Seychelles, and Spain.
