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How the Houthis Rattled the U.S. Navy—and Transformed Maritime War
Persistent bombardment in confined waters pushed sailors to the edge in a costly battle that ended in stalemate
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—> https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-ea...7?st=CgfZ98&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink“… Some 30 vessels participated in combat operations in the Red Sea from late 2023 through this year, around 10% of the Navy’s total commissioned fleet. In that time, the U.S. rained down at least $1.5 billion worth of munitions on the Houthis, a U.S. official said.
The Navy was able to destroy much of the Houthis’ arsenal—but it has yet to achieve the strategic goal of restoring shipping through the Red Sea, and the Houthis continue to regularly fire missiles at Israel.
Military and congressional leaders who have begun scrutinizing the campaign for lessons worry about the strain of such grueling deployments on overall force readiness. The Pentagon is also investigating the lost planes and a separate at-sea collision—incidents that all involved the Truman strike group—with results expected in the coming months.…”