The Houthi rebels have launched or attempted to launch numerous explosive-laden drones off the coast of Yemen since January 4, creating a new maritime threat in addition to drone and missile attacks, according to Business Insider .
Rear Admiral Marc Miguelz, Commander of the Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group, said that unmanned boats "are an unidentified threat about which we don't have much information, so they could be extremely dangerous."
Mr. Miguelz outlined one of the most frightening scenarios involving unmanned boats. He stated, "There's an unmanned floating boat loaded with bombs that can move at a fairly high speed. And if you don't react immediately, it can become an extremely rapid threat."
The US aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower
According to The Maritime Executive , U.S. forces have encountered Houthi drones on commercial shipping routes at least three times.
On February 5, U.S. forces determined that the two unmanned boats posed an "imminent threat" to maritime navigation and destroyed them, according to the U.S. Central Command. The U.S. military also regularly conducts attacks targeting unmanned boats that the Houthi rebels are preparing to launch.
Did the Houthi attack a cargo ship bound for Iran?
Emerging technology in unmanned boats has been pioneered by Ukraine in its use against Russia's Black Sea Fleet, yielding considerable success. In just the past two weeks, Ukraine claimed to have sunk a Russian frigate and a landing ship using only a number of inexpensive, Ukrainian-made MAGURA V5 unmanned boats.
Currently, Mr. Miguelz stated that the US Navy does not have clear intelligence on the number of unmanned boats the Houthis possess.
The Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group has been responding to almost constant attacks in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden for weeks, and Commander Miguelz said U.S. forces have adjusted their approach to target Houthi UAVs and missiles even before they can be launched, according to Business Insider .
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