Little Sign of PM’s Promised Red Sea Help for the U.S.

The Albanese government has yet to fulfil its promise to “triple”’ Australian defence personnel in Bahrain to help combat the rapidly growing crisis in the Red Sea – and, when it does, those extra Australians will not play any role in supporting strikes against Houthi terrorists in Yemen.

The Australian can reveal the government’s only role in “supporting” the current US-led military strikes against Houthi terrorists in Yemen has been limited to one or two staff officers ­assigned to the US Central Command, the body that has carried out the strikes. Defence Minister Richard Marles has said Australia’s decision to support the strikes was ”not taken lightly”.

The paucity of the government’s military response to US requests for assistance in the Red Sea has been exacerbated by the slow deployment of the promised personnel and revelations of their limited role in the fast-moving conflict.

When asked about the US-led mission against the Houthis on Monday, Anthony Albanese said: “We have sent the help that is ­required. We have operational support there at headquarters in Bahrain.

“We always give proper and considered analysis and act in Australia’s national interest, and that’s been the basis of our support up to this point,” the Prime Minister told the ABC.

“Of course, our concentration is on the Indo-Pacific, which is something that is supported by our allies.”

However, the five Australian defence personnel currently serving with the Combined Maritime Force Headquarters in Bahrain played no part in supporting joint US-UK strikes against Houthi ­terrorists in Yemen.

The CMF cannot launch offensive operations without the agreement of its 39 member nations, meaning that the current and the planned future ADF contributions to the maritime security body cannot play a role in supporting the military strikes against Houthis in Yemen.

The Prime Minister said the ­attacks on the Houthis were aimed at sending a message to the terror group “that the international community won’t just sit back and allow for this trade to be disrupted with a potential significant impact on the global economy”.

The revelations come as the US military on Monday (AEDT) shot down a cruise missile that was fired at an American warship from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen only days after Joe Biden ordered a wave of airstrikes on the Iranian-backed rebels.

The attack appears to be the first against a US destroyer amid a growing number of missile and drone strikes or attempted strikes by the Houthis on what they deem Israeli-linked shipping on the key Red Sea trade route.

After rejecting a US Navy request in December to send a warship to the Red Sea, the Australian government instead promised to “triple” Australian defence personnel at the Combined Maritime Force Headquarters in Bahrain from five to 16.

But so far, none of the extra personnel promised under that arrangement has arrived in the Middle East. The only Australian addition to the CMF personnel in Bahrain since the Red Sea crisis began was a handful of ADF personnel who arrived early this month on a previously arranged rotation to support a Combined Task Force operation known as CFT150, which assists maritime security outside the Arabian Gulf.

The extra personnel assigned to the CMF to assist with security of shipping in the Red Sea have not yet departed Australia but will ­arrive by the end of the month.

When the extra ADF personnel arrive they will be assigned to assist maritime security in the Red Sea but will not play a role in supporting offensive strikes against Houthis targets in Yemen because of the limitations on the role of the multi-nation CMF.

The Pentagon has said that the US-led strikes on the Houthis were carried out without the involvement of either the CMF or the new US-led 20-nation maritime coalition, Operation Prosperity Guardian.

The government has declined to give details about what sort of military support Australia gave to the airstrikes on Houthi rebels, with Mr Marles saying only that “our support has come in the form of personnel in the operational headquarters for this activity”.

Mr Biden has stated that Australia provided “support” for the strikes alongside Canada, Bahrain and The Netherlands. The Pentagon described Australia’s role as “non-operational”.

Canada said it offered limited “planning” support for the mission, while The Netherlands said it provided non-military support via a single staff officer.

The decision to attack the Houthis in Yemen followed a statement signed by 14 nations, including Australia, on January 4 which warned the Houthis in Yemen that if they continued to attack international shipping in the Red Sea, there would be consequences.

The strikes against the Iran-backed Houthis have raised fears that the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza will turn into a regional conflict, possibly involving a direct confrontation between the US and Iran.

Houthi leaders have threatened a “strong and effective response” after two days of US strikes against Houthis targets.