Image source: topwar.ru
A new hotbed of global tension is unfolding in the Red Sea due to the growing cases of Houthi attacks on merchant ships and warships in protest against Israel's invasion of Gaza. Against this background, the White House assures the international community that the situation is under full control of the US Navy and its allies. However, informally, completely different voices are heard from the Pentagon.
As indicated in the publication Politico, US Navy destroyers in the Red Sea have shot down 38 drones and a large number of missiles over the past two months. At the same time, Pentagon officials are increasingly concerned not only about the threat to the American navy and international maritime transport, but also about the growing costs of protecting shipping.
As the US Department of Defense informally explained, it looks extremely impractical to use expensive SM-2 naval missiles, the cost of which can reach $ 2.1 million apiece, to destroy Houthi UAVs at a cost of $ 2 to $ 10 thousand. That is, in fact, the US Navy, when repelling attacks by the Houthis, makes an exchange of a million dollars for a thousand.
- says Mick Mulroy, a former Pentagon official, after calculating the cost of intercepting weapons launched by the Houthis.
