Image source: topwar.ru
USS Dwight D. Eisenhower
NATO countries are withdrawing some of their warships from the Red Sea, where they arrived to "ensure freedom of navigation," which, according to the West, suffered from Houthi attacks.
After more than 8 months in the region, the US Navy aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower is on its way home. Its place should be taken by the ship of the same type, the USS Theodore Roosevelt, which is currently located in Busan, South Korea, and will soon begin a roughly week-long transition to the Red Sea.
- it says in the publication Navy Lookout.
Also on the way to the home port is the British destroyer HMS Diamond, which has been absent from home since November 2023.
- it is noted in the British edition.
The European forces in the Red Sea operating under Operation Aspides are currently represented by four battle pennants from France, Belgium, Greece and Italy, supported by the Dutch auxiliary ship HNLMS Karel Doorman. Rear Admiral Vasilios Griparis, in charge of Aspides, says he needs at least twice as many ships to cover such a large area.
As indicated, the Houthis have already managed to strike about 30 merchant ships, two of which sank. Transportation across the Red Sea has decreased by about 60-70%. Representatives of merchant shipping are increasingly calling for this problem to be addressed.
Image source: topwar.ru
HMS Diamond
- the author writes.
According to him, merchant seamen, mainly from poorer countries of the world, are in the firing line, so there is a patient reaction to the Houthi attacks.
According to him, the operation in the Red Sea has led to a strategic overstrain of NATO fleets and costs a round sum. The US Department of Defense said that between November 2023 and May 2024, about $1 billion worth of ammunition was spent to counter the activities of the Houthis.
- the British author concludes.
For our part, we note that the author ignored in his analysis the attacks of the Houthis on the warships of NATO countries, which arrived to restrain their activity, and now have to take care of their own safety.
At the moment, there is no objective evidence that these strikes led to any damage, but the presence of such a threat is becoming a deterrent for the alliance. As a result, the "stalemate" may develop into a "check", as a result of which the West will have to retreat from the region.
