INTERNATIONAL WATERS RED SEA, YEMEN – MARCH 2: (EDITORS NOTE: Best quality available) In this handout screen grab captured from a video provided by Al-Joumhouriah channel, shows the British cargo ship “Rubymar” sinking after it was targeted by Yemen’s Houthi forces in the Red Sea, on March 2, 2024, in the Red Sea, Yemen. (Photo by Al-Joumhouriah channel via Getty Images)
During a media briefing, a Defense Department spokesperson responded to questions regarding this incident — and possible responses the U.S. is weighing in the aftermath.
AKROTIRI, CYPRUS – JANUARY 12: In this handout image provided by the UK Ministry of Defence, an RAF Typhoon aircraft returns to berth following a strike mission on Yemen’s Houthi rebels at RAF Akrotiri on January 12, 2024 in Akrotiri, Cyprus. On Thursday evening, four RAF Typhoons launched from RAF Akrotiri to conduct strikes against Yemen’s Houthi rebels, who have been targeting merchant vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden with missiles and drones. According to British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, the strikes were done to protect global shipping in the region. (Photo by MoD Crown Copyright via Getty Images)
The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Carney (DDG 64) defeats a combination of Houthi missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles in the Red Sea, Oct. 19, 2023. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Aaron Lau)
Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III (left) and Vice Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT), U.S. 5th Fleet and Combined Maritime Forces (right), speak with international service members during a visit to NAVCENT headquarters in Manama, Bahrain, Dec. 19, 2023. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Marita Schwab)
A MANTAS T-12 unmanned surface vessel (USV), front, operates alongside Royal Bahrain Naval Force fast-attack craft RBNS Abdul Rahman Al-fadel during exercise New Horizon in the Arabian Gulf, Oct. 26, 2021. Exercise New Horizon was U.S. Naval Forces Central Command Task Force 59’s first at-sea evolution since its establishment Sept. 9, 2021. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Dawson Roth)
Task Force 59’s contribution "provides some interesting highlights" about the unit's progress, a senior U.S. Central Command official told DefenseScoop.
