The Australian government announced on Thursday that it will not send a warship to the Red Sea, but will deploy additional troops to the region.
“We will not send a ship or a plane,” Defense Minister Richard Marles told national television.
Marles said that the Australian government had denied a request from the U.S. for military hardware to help protect shipping lanes in the Red Sea following attacks from Yemen’s Houthi militia on commercial vessels in the area.
According to the minister, additional Australian Defense Force (ADF) officers would instead be deployed to the Combined Maritime Force (CMF) headquarters in Bahrain in 2024.
Australia will send 11 military personnel to support a U.S.-led mission to protect cargo shipping in the Red Sea, but it will not send a warship or plane, the defense minister said Thursday. pic.twitter.com/wDsjCPertd
— BeijingNews 新京报 (@BJNewsWorld) December 21, 2023
There are currently five ADF members stationed at CMF headquarters. Under Operation Manitou, Australia had previously committed five additional officers to promote maritime security and stability.
The Minister for Defense stated that six more would now be deployed under the U.S.-led Operation Prosperity Guardian, bringing the total contribution to 16 officers.
Earlier Washington had requested Australia to join a US-led maritime task force in the Red Sea to repel the Houthi group’s targeting of Israeli vessels.
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced this week the creation of a multinational naval force to counter Houthi attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea. Washington had asked Australia to join the U.S.-led maritime task force to repel Houthi group attacks on Israeli vessels.
