In June, the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) released a report highlighting the impact of Houthi attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea. The report is a devastating account of Washington’s failure to protect critical transit corridors in one of the world’s most important waterways. The Biden administration’s makeshift naval coalition, dubbed Operation Prosperity Guardian, has not only been unable to ensure safe passage for commercial carriers in the Red Sea, it’s actually made matters worse. The Houthis have fine-tuned their military operations while adding more lethal weapons to their arsenal. In short, the Houthis have shown that a disparate group of militants can impose costly penalties on their enemies by implementing asymmetrical strategies that undermine the “rules-based order”. Here’s an excerpt from the DIA’s report:

As of mid-February, container shipping through Red Sea had declined by approximately 90% since December 2023; shipping via the Red Sea typically accounts for approximately 10-15% of international maritime trade….

Alternate shipping routes around Africa add about 11,000 nautical miles, 1-2 weeks of transit time, and approximately $1 million in fuel costs for each voyage. For many shipping companies, the combined costs of crew bonuses, war risk insurance (roughly 1000% more than pre-war costs)…

As of mid-February, insurance premiums for Red Sea transits have risen to 0.7-1.0% of a ship’s total value, compared to less than 0.1% prior to December 2023 Houthi Attacks Placing Pressure on International Trade, DIA

This is a shocking report. According to the Government’s own analysis, Biden’s Red Sea policy has been an abject failure. Container shipping is down by 90 percent while insurance premiums, fueling costs and ‘extra miles sailed’ have skyrocketed. There’s not a trace of optimism in the entire report. The Houthis have basically achieved all of their strategic objectives while Washington’s meddling has accomplished nothing.

Surprisingly, the journalists at Business Insider have drawn the same conclusion as the DIA, that the Houthis have out –maneuvered Uncle Sam at every turn. Here’s a clip from a recent BI article:

The Houthis have proven to be a wily and formidable foe. Five months after rounds of US-led coalition airstrikes to “disrupt and degrade” their capabilities, the militants continue to wreak havoc. They’re routinely forcing the US-led task force to intercept their missiles, bomb boats, and flying drones that have turned shipping lanes in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden into a dangerous — and deadly — corridor.

The Houthis have struck multiple ships in the last week, and US officials say these attacks are unlikely to end anytime soon, raising concerns the US is stuck in a costly and unsustainable standoff.

The Houthis have managed to drag Washington into a prolonged, expensive, resource-depleting conflict and driven shipping costs much higher. While no American warships have been hit, the US must bear the growing financial costs and wear and tear to its warships. US Navy warships are stuck in a Red Sea battle they can’t fight forever, Business Insider

The Houthis have essentially closed commercial shipping through one of the world’s most important transit chokepoints and the US is unable to do anything about it. Couldn’t someone have anticipated this scenario before Biden impulsively deployed a naval flotilla to the Red Sea?
https://www.globalresearch.ca/washington-faces-defeat-red-sea-donnybrook/5860729