WASHINGTON — The Biden administration is seeking allies’ military support to protect shipping in the southern Red Sea and Bab al-Mandeb strait following unprecedented missile strikes on commercial vessels by Yemen’s Houthi rebels on Sunday.
“This is a first for attacks on international shipping, and that’s a big deal,” the Pentagon’s No. 2 top general, Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Christopher Grady, said during a think tank event in Washington on Monday.
“This is not just a US problem. This is an international problem,” Grady said, adding that the US Navy’s 5th Fleet based in Bahrain would “stand up what we have done in the Strait of Hormuz before,” in an apparent reference to bolstered allied patrols.
“We will continue to work with our allies and partners about potential response options against the Houthis and keep our eye on this,” he said. “Already seven nations have stepped forward and said ‘we’re ready.’”
