Former CIA officer Larry Johnson said that the US is far superior to Yemen in numbers and weapons, but it is not possible to say that it will win a decisive victory because it is not ready for war with Yemen.
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The Russian Duma called unacceptable the unilateral extension of the US border in the Arctic
He said that it is not possible to say that Yemen will definitely lose, although it has neither numerical nor weapons superiority on paper.
The expert's justification is that the US fleet is no longer a "naval campaign", pointing out that the US destroyers have at least 90 missiles and that their main mission is to protect aircraft carriers.
The US expert pointed out that if Yemen launches 100 unmanned aerial vehicles/rockets/shells, the US destroyers will have to use their missiles to protect the carrier in the area and thus run out of missiles.
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Ανενεργή μετά από 40 χρόνια τρόμου! Η χειρότερη σκοπιά στην Ελλάδα που γινόταν μόνο με διπλοβάρδια τεσσάρων ωρών
According to Johnson, the first of the problems starts at this point: "The U.S. Navy should be able to replace the ammunition its destroyers are spending on with new missiles:
"To refuel, a U.S. destroyer would have to go to the nearest friendly port where the U.S. stores missiles.
If the destroyer gets away from its mission, the carrier will also have to "set sail because it can't just stand there without a defensive shield," the former intelligence official said: "The strength of the U.S. fleet in a war zone like Yemen depends on how many missiles the Houthis launch at U.S. ships."
Another issue that Johnson draws attention to is the cost of the Aegis missiles used by the US Navy, which is stated to be at least $500,000.
"A retired US Defense Department official told me today that the actual cost [of the Aegis missiles] is $2 million," the expert said.
Stating that if the Houthis force the US to use these very expensive missiles with their cheap ammunition, this situation will create another weakness.
"The US has only a limited number of these air defence missiles and does not have the industrial capacity to quickly produce new ones to close the gap," he said.
Citing worst-case scenarios for the US Navy, Larry Johnson added that the fleet "may have to sail before it completes the job of eliminating the UAV/missile threat from Yemen."
The expert said that this fact is the weakness of the US Navy and can be exploited by its enemies: "The Great Superpower will be forced to retreat to rearm because it cannot withstand intense combat operations. This is not confidential information.
If this can be understood, I am sure that not only Yemen, but all the enemies of the United States will realize that they have found a way to damage the prestige of Washington.
If Yemen sinks a U.S. Navy ship or two, "that's when things get really messy," he concluded, among other things.
The United States is forming a multinational naval coalition
The United States is forming a multinational naval coalition to help protect commercial traffic from attacks by Yemen's Houthi movement.
On Thursday, the Pentagon announced that more than 20 countries have now agreed to join the group, known as Operation Prosperity Guardian.
Some countries have not confirmed their participation, however, while others have said that their efforts to help protect commercial traffic in the Red Sea will be part of existing naval agreements and not the new US-led operation.
The Spanish government said yesterday that it preferred to opt for the position of 'maximum prudence' and has not yet taken a decision on whether to join the US-led coalition formed to protect international navigation in the Red Sea following attacks by Yemen's Shiite Houthi rebels.
"Spain will never participate in an operation unilaterally," said government spokeswoman Pilar Allegria, adding that the socialist government in Madrid would not join the initiative except "under the umbrella of the European Union and NATO."
The French are doing the same and will move independently of the US.
Huge problems from the Red Sea
On the other hand, not using the Suez Canal means longer distances which will keep fleets busy for longer periods of time.
It is noted that there will be sailing disruptions for ships arriving at their destinations later than expected and then delayed in returning to their next cargo, and the situation is likely to worsen particularly over the Christmas and New Year period.
Keuhne+Nagel, a global logistics giant, has announced that 103 container ships are heading for the Cape of Good Hope and that it expects this number to increase.
