MANAMA, Bahrain — Amid persistent missile and drone strikes targeting commercial container traffic in the southern Red Sea and Bab al-Mandeb Strait, the United States and allied naval forces have mobilized Operation Prosperity Guardian to safeguard international maritime shipping.
MANAMA, Bahrain — Operating under the command of Combined Maritime Forces Task Force 153 from headquarters in Bahrain, a multinational naval armada comprising U.S. Navy Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, British Royal Navy frigates, and allied French warships is engaged in continuous combat operations to protect commercial vessels navigating one of the world’s most vital maritime trade corridors.
Since November 2023, Iranian-backed Houthi militants operating from coastal Yemen have launched dozens of anti-ship ballistic missiles (ASBMs), land-attack cruise missiles, and one-way explosive loitering munitions against commercial merchant ships traversing the Bab al-Mandeb. The campaign represents the first time in naval warfare history that anti-ship ballistic missiles have been actively employed against commercial shipping in combat.
Aegis Combat Systems in High-Intensity Air Defense
Naval surface warfare commanders describe the tactical operational tempo as the most sustained live-fire air defense engagement the U.S. Navy has executed since World War II. Guided-missile destroyers—including the USS Carney, USS Laboon, and USS Mason—have employed their SPY-1D phased-array radars and Aegis combat suites to track complex salvos originating from coastal launch sites.
American warships have expended dozens of Standard Missile-2 (SM-2), Standard Missile-6 (SM-6), and Evolved Sea Sparrow Missiles (ESSM) to intercept fast-descending ballistic warheads, while utilizing 5-inch deck guns and Close-In Weapon Systems (CIWS) against low-flying Shahed-style attack drones. F/A-18 Super Hornets launched from the carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower have conducted preemptive strikes against Houthi radar installations and mobile missile launchers.
Direct Repercussions for U.S. Homeland Supply Chains
Despite naval escort operations, major container carriers—such as Maersk, Hapag-Lloyd, and MSC—have diverted hundreds of container vessels around Africa’s Cape of Good Hope, adding ten to fourteen days of voyage transit and thousands of tons of fuel consumption per transit.
Homeland security logistics directors note that while the crisis is unfolding 7,000 miles away, its economic ripple effects land directly at U.S. ports. Extended voyage turnaround times and container repositioning shortages have led to freight rate spikes, impacting inventory levels for automotive components, retail goods, and energy imports arriving at East Coast maritime terminals.
“Freedom of navigation is an indivisible global principle,” said Vice Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command. “When peaceful merchant vessels from dozens of nations are attacked in international waters, it threatens the economic security of the entire civilized world. Operation Prosperity Guardian stands as an unshakeable coalition commitment to keep global trade arteries open.”