US officials unhappy with spending on Red Sea operation

The operation against the Houthis in the Red Sea is devastating the Pentagon budget. American officials came to this conclusion, as Politico writes. According to the newspaper, they are alarmed not so much by the threat posed by the Yemeni group as by the disproportionate costs of countering it.

Over the past two months, US Navy destroyers have shot down 38 drones in the region. Each of them cost the American treasury two million dollars: that’s how much it costs to launch one rocket. While the price of each Houthi strike drone does not exceed two thousand dollars.

On December 19, Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin announced the launch of the Guardian of Prosperity operation to protect the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden from attacks by the Houthis. He noted that, in addition to the States, six countries will participate in the operation.

In mid-November 2023, Yemeni rebels seized the Galaxy Leader in the Red Sea and captured its crew in response to Israeli actions in the Gaza Strip. In December, it became known that American authorities were convincing allies in the United Maritime Forces coalition to increase the size of the task force stationed in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden to more effectively counter attacks by the Yemeni Houthis on commercial ships.

To date, four major European companies have already refused to transport various cargoes through the Suez Canal. European countries are already preparing to send warships to the Red Sea.