{"id":2140062,"date":"2024-01-04T03:19:01","date_gmt":"2024-01-04T08:19:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-situations-gotten-worse-esper-warns-us-houthi-response-very-insufficient\/"},"modified":"2024-01-04T03:24:03","modified_gmt":"2024-01-04T08:24:03","slug":"the-situations-gotten-worse-esper-warns-us-houthi-response-very-insufficient","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-situations-gotten-worse-esper-warns-us-houthi-response-very-insufficient\/","title":{"rendered":"Esper warns US response to Houthis is &#8216;very insufficient&#8217; as situation worsens"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fthe-situations-gotten-worse-esper-warns-us-houthi-response-very-insufficient%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2140062&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><h2>The United States&#8217;s Response to Houthi Attacks in the Red Sea is &#8220;Very Insufficient,&#8221; Says Former Secretary\u2063 of Defense<\/h2>\n<blockquote>\n<p>The United \u200cStates&#8217;s response to the ongoing series of Houthi attacks against commercial vessels in\u2063 the Red Sea has been &#8220;very insufficient,&#8221;\u200d according to \u2063former Secretary of Defense Mark\u200b Esper.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>U.S. \u200dCentral Command announced late Tuesday night that the Houthis had targeted their 24th commercial vessel transiting the waterways around Yemen since mid-November, when their \u2063attacks began. Houthi leaders have claimed they&#8217;re targeting these vessels in response to Israel&#8217;s war in Gaza\u200c against Hamas.<\/p>\n<h3>Former Secretary of Defense Calls for\u200c Stronger Action<\/h3>\n<p>The \u200bU.S. military has\u200c largely not responded to the Houthi attacks, which Esper believes is a mistake.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I \u2063think it&#8217;s been very insufficient,&#8221; he told the Washington Examiner. &#8220;We&#8217;ve yet to \u2064respond beyond the self-defense actions taken by the Navy \u2062last few days, but my view\u2062 has been that we need to go \u2063after \u200dthe Houthis, attack the missile sites \u200dor the drone sites where they&#8217;re being launched or where they&#8217;re being stored, and inflict some punishment on them so that we can\u2064 restore deterrence. Otherwise, the Houthis are going \u2063to\u200d continue to do what they&#8217;re doing because they face no punishment.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The former secretary said \u201cthe situation\u2019s gotten worse\u201d over time and questioned the\u2062 Biden administration\u2019s strategy.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Biden administration has this mistaken fear that \u200dif somehow\u2063 we respond and take out the Houthi launch sites or missile inventories, somehow it will escalate in \u200bthe region, and\u200b my view is just the \u2063opposite,\u201d he said. \u201cMy view is\u200c if you don&#8217;t strike back and get rid of their capability to \u2064attack, then\u200c they&#8217;re going to continue to escalate, and\u200d at some point, \u2062they&#8217;re going to sink a ship or they&#8217;re\u2062 going to kill an American, injure an American, who knows. But I think you risk \u200bmore\u200c escalation.&#8221;<\/p>\n<h3>International Concerns and Joint\u2063 Statement<\/h3>\n<p>The \u200dHouthis&#8217; attacks have\u2064 led major shipping companies to consider whether to reroute \u2062some\u200b of \u200btheir cargo to\u200c avoid the Red Sea \u200dand, ultimately, the Suez Canal. A joint statement released on Wednesday from the governments of about a \u2064dozen countries, including the U.S., said, &#8220;Nearly 15 percent of global seaborne trade passes through the Red Sea, including 8\u2063 percent of global grain \u200btrade, 12 percent of seaborne-traded oil and 8 percent of the world\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/white-house-releases-list-of-president-trumps-accomplishments-and-it-is-historic\/\" title=\"White House Releases List of President Trump\u2019s Accomplishments \u2013  And It Is Historic!\">liquefied natural gas<\/a>\u200b trade.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The governments of the U.S., Australia, Bahrain, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom signed onto the statement, which said the attacks are &#8220;illegal, unacceptable, and profoundly destabilizing.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;There is no lawful justification for \u2062intentionally targeting civilian shipping and naval vessels. Attacks on vessels, including commercial vessels, using \u2063unmanned aerial vehicles, small boats, and missiles, including the\u2062 first use of\u2062 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/report-china-builds-mockups-of-u-s-navy-ships-for-missile-target-practice\/\" title=\"Report: China Builds Mockups of U.S. Navy Ships for Missile Target Practice\">anti-ship ballistic missiles<\/a> against such vessels, are a direct threat to the freedom of \u2062navigation that \u2064serves as the bedrock of\u2064 global \u2062trade in one\u2062 of the world\u2019s most critical waterways,&#8221; \u200bit continued. &#8220;Let our message now be \u200dclear: we call for the immediate end of these illegal attacks and\u2063 release of unlawfully detained vessels and crews. The Houthis will bear\u200d the \u200cresponsibility of the consequences should \u200bthey continue to threaten lives, the global economy, and \u2063free flow of commerce in the region\u2019s critical \u200bwaterways.&#8221;<\/p>\n<h3>U.S. Military&#8217;s\u200b Response and \u2062Biden Administration&#8217;s Actions<\/h3>\n<p>Last \u2063weekend, U.S. Navy \u200dhelicopters from the USS Eisenhower and USS Gravely responded to a distress call from the\u200b Maersk Hangzhou vessel, \u200band &#8220;in the process of issuing verbal calls to the \u2064small boats, the small boats fired \u2063upon \u200dthe U.S. helicopters with \u2062crew served weapons and small arms,&#8221; CENTCOM said in a statement. The Navy returned fire in self-defense, sinking \u2063three of the four boats, while the fourth boat escaped, \u2063while CENTCOM confirmed no \u200bdamage to U.S.\u200d personnel or equipment.<\/p>\n<p>A senior Biden \u2062administration official praised the U.S. military&#8217;s response and\u200b said it \u200bdemonstrated the &#8220;significance&#8221; of the\u200b U.S.-created international task force to safeguard\u2064 commercial vessels in the region against Houthi attacks. The task force, dubbed Operation Prosperity Guardian, was announced in \u200cmid-December.<\/p>\n<p>Following the incident, \u2062President Joe Biden convened his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/white-house-refuses-to-denounce-antifa-despite-group-continuing-to-wreak-havoc-across-u-s\/\" title=\"White House refuses to denounce Antifa despite group continuing to wreak havoc across U.S.\">national security team<\/a> this past Monday\u200c to discuss options for\u200c actions, the official told reporters\u200c on \u2063Wednesday. While the official \u200bdid not want to get ahead of any\u2063 potential decision from the president, \u200bthey noted that the joint statement from\u200d various governments was one of \u2062the outcomes of that\u200b meeting.<\/p>\n<p>Maersk, one\u200b of the\u200c major shipping companies, \u200dsaid \u2064Tuesday afternoon it decided to pause all shipping activity through \u2062the Red Sea &#8220;until \u2063further notice&#8221; and that its vessels\u2064 will be rerouted around Africa in\u200b the\u2064 near term.<\/p>\n<p>National security council \u2063coordinator John Kirby warned on Wednesday \u200bthat shipping companies \u200dwho decide to avoid the Red Sea will be forced to add \u201cweeks onto voyages\u201d to go all the way around the Cape of Good\u200c Hope.\u2062 He noted \u200cthat if \u200cthe threat goes on for long \u200denough, it could have an effect on the global economy.<\/p>\n<p>Various U.S. officials have said\u2063 Iran is providing the Houthis with the intelligence and\u2064 weapons they \u2064need to carry\u200b out these attacks.<\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2>Who is attacking ships in Red Sea?<\/h2>\n<p><span>The\u200b Houthis, who control much of Yemen including\u2063 the capital, have since October\u200b attacked in the Red Sea commercial vessels they say have \u2062Israeli links or are sailing to\u2062 Israel, in solidarity with Palestinians in\u2062 Gaza. Response and Potential Consequences<\/h3>\n<p>The lack\u200d of a strong response from\u200b the U.S. military to the Houthi attacks in the Red Sea raises concerns about the potential consequences of this inaction. The former Secretary of \u2064Defense Mark \u2064Esper emphasized the need \u200bfor \u2062the U.S. to \u2062take\u2064 decisive action against the Houthis. \u2064He advocated for targeted strikes on the missile and drone sites used by the Houthis, in order to restore deterrence and prevent further escalation of the attacks.<\/p>\n<p>Esper&#8217;s\u2064 call for a stronger response is supported\u200b by the fact that the situation \u200chas worsened\u200d over time. The Biden administration&#8217;s\u2064 strategy of avoiding escalation in the region, while well-intentioned, may ultimately lead to more aggression from the Houthis. If the U.S. does not demonstrate its capability and willingness to protect its\u200d interests, including the safety of its citizens and commercial vessels, the Houthis may become emboldened and \u200dcontinue their attacks \u2063with \u200dpotentially \u2064devastating consequences.<\/p>\n<p>Furthermore, the international community\u200d shares concerns about the Houthi attacks\u2064 in\u200d the Red\u2064 Sea.\u200b Major shipping companies are already considering rerouting their cargo to avoid \u2063the\u2064 region, which would have significant implications for global trade.\u200b The joint\u200d statement released \u200bby\u2064 several countries, including the \u200cU.S., emphasized \u2062that the attacks are illegal,\u200d unacceptable, and\u200b destabilizing. It called for an immediate\u2063 end to the attacks and\u200c the release of unlawfully detained vessels and crews.<\/p>\n<p>The \u2062statement also highlighted the\u2063 importance of the Red Sea for global seaborne\u2062 trade, including the\u200d transportation of \u200bessential\u200d commodities like grain, oil, and liquefied natural gas. The attacks pose a direct threat to the freedom of navigation\u200c in the region, which \u2062is crucial \u200cfor \u200dmaintaining the\u200d flow of commerce. The consequences of \u200callowing \u200cthese attacks\u200c to continue are \u2063not only a risk to lives and the\u2062 global economy but also a potential disruption \u2064of the world&#8217;s most critical waterways.<\/p>\n<h3>Conclusion<\/h3>\n<p>The current\u2064 response of the United States to the\u200b Houthi attacks in the Red Sea is deemed &#8220;very insufficient&#8221; by former Secretary\u2063 of Defense Mark Esper. The lack \u200dof a robust\u200d response not only fails to \u2063deter the Houthis but also puts the safety\u2062 of\u2064 commercial\u2063 vessels and global trade at risk. It is essential for the Biden \u2064administration to reevaluate\u200d its strategy and take\u2064 stronger action against\u200b the Houthis,\u200d targeting their missile\u200c and drone sites to restore deterrence and protect the critical waterways in the\u200c region. Failure to do so may lead \u200cto further escalation, potentially resulting in significant\u200d consequences \u200cfor lives, the global economy, and the\u2062 flow\u200c of commerce.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Response to the Houthi attacks in the Red Sea has been deemed &#8220;very insufficient&#8221; by ex-Secretary of Defense Mark Esper. On Tuesday, U.S. Central Command revealed that the Houthis had attacked their 24th commercial vessel in the region since mid-November<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2140063,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2140062","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2140062","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2140062"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2140062\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2140063"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2140062"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2140062"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2140062"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}