Red Sea threats most significant since World War Two: US Navy officer
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The intensity of operations aboard the USS Dwight D Eisenhower is described as "relentless", with crew members flying sorties daily.
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F/A-18F Super Hornet fighter jet takes off from the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, also known as the 'IKE', in the south Red Sea, Tuesday, February 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)
A report by BBC details aspects of the daily lives of USS Dwight D Eisenhower crewmembers in their attempts to thwart the Yemeni Resistance and force the re-opening of the Red Sea route, with some describing the mission as "the most [challenging] since World War Two."
"This is deadly stuff," Captain Dave Wroe, who commands the four US Navy destroyers that are tasked with providing the extra protection for the carrier, told BBC.
Captain Wroe enumerated the challenges encountered over the past four months, which include anti-ship ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles, unmanned surface vessels, and newly introduced unmanned underwater vessels (UUVs), all armed with explosives.
The newest threat comes in the form of unmanned underwater vessels (UUVs), he says, claiming that the F-18 jets stationed on the carrier have successfully neutralized UUVs before they could be deployed.
"This is the most [challenging mission] since World War Two," Wroe remarked, noting that the war marked the most significant threat faced by the US in a region since that era, where they encountered daily threats of being fired upon.
BBC describes the tempo of operations aboard the aircraft carrier as relentless, with constant sorties flown round the clock.
"This is probably the most flying I've done on a deployment - everyday we're flying a tonne," he said.
Read more: Two vessels attacked off Yemen's Hodeidah: UKMTO
In February, Yemeni Ansar Allah leader Sayyed Abdul-Malik Badreddine al-Houthi said that the Yemeni forces have developed the existing missiles in their arsenal to the point that they have become too advanced for the US forces to intercept, as they have failed to block them from reaching their ships.
Earlier this month, the Yemeni Resistance announced conducting a test flight of hypersonic missiles and is gearing up to integrate these missiles into its military arsenal.
"Missile forces of the movement have successfully tested a missile that can reach speeds of up to Mach 8 [10,000 kilometers per hour or 6,200 miles per hour] and is powered by solid fuel. Yemen plans to begin manufacturing it for use in attacks in the Red and Arabian Seas and the Gulf of Aden, as well as against targets in Israel," the source said.
These operations come in light of Yemen's solidarity with the people of Palestine and the Palestinian Resistance against the Israeli occupation.
The Yemeni armed forces have vowed to attack any ship belonging to the occupation, affiliated with the occupation, or heading toward an Israeli port.
Read more: Yemen ties with Russia, China on the rise, signal US defeat: Official
