Australian website: The consequences of the Houthi campaign in the Red Sea extend beyond the direct conflict

While things appear to have settled down in the Red Sea, the Houthis' asymmetric campaign against international commercial shipping has been highly successful in targeting and slowing down maritime trade, highlighting what similar conflicts with another competitor might look like, an Australian military website said.

The Australian military website Defence Connect explained in a report prepared by Stephen Cooper and translated by “Yemeni Youth Net” that the Red Sea and the waters surrounding the Horn of Africa are among the most important maritime trade routes in the world, as they connect Europe, the Middle East and Asia via the Suez Canal.

In recent months, this strategic passage has become increasingly dangerous due to an ongoing campaign by Houthi rebels in Yemen who have targeted international shipping with drone and missile attacks.

The Houthis, an Iranian-backed armed group that controls large swaths of Yemen, claim their actions are in support of the Palestinian cause, particularly in response to Israeli military operations in Gaza. However, the consequences of their campaign extend far beyond the immediate conflict, threatening global trade, regional stability and the security of international maritime routes.

The disruption in the Red Sea has forced major shipping companies to reroute ships around the Cape of Good Hope, dramatically increasing transit times and costs. Insurance premiums for ships passing through the region have also risen, adding further pressure to global supply chains.

In particular, the current crisis raises important questions about the effectiveness of current defence capabilities, and as Australia continues to scale back its A$330 billion modernisation and re-funding of the Australian Defence Force, the appropriateness and viability of the “focused force” as planned when assessed in light of the impacts of increasingly complex and multi-front conflicts.

Analyst Jeff Zizulewicz highlights this when he provides some much-needed objective analysis that has broad implications for Australian defence planning and acquisitions in an article for The War Zone titled “What the Navy Learned from Red Sea Battles About China’s Future Fight”.

He detailed the crucial lessons learned by the US Navy in particular, including real-world stress testing.

It is no exaggeration to say that the Houthis have undoubtedly proven their competence, flexibility, and success in constraining the power of the US-led Western world order at a relatively low cost compared to the material and personnel costs mobilized by the US, UK, Canada, Norway, and Singapore to effectively execute Operation Sentinel Prosperity.

Recognizing this, Zizulevich was quick to accurately describe the ongoing operation in the Red Sea as a “real-world stress test” for systems, platforms, and personnel currently engaged in “the most intense sustained combat that the Navy has seen since World War II” at a time when the United States and its allies face an increasingly contested global environment.