US Institute: Washington's credibility as a reliable security guarantor 'is in question' as Houthi campaign against ships continues

The credibility of the United States as a reliable security guarantor is increasingly being questioned, as the Houthi campaign against ships in the Red Sea continues, an American institute said.

The institute pointed out that the Gaza war and the Houthi campaign of attacks targeting commercial shipping prompted the United States to strengthen its military presence at the regional level.

Despite Washington’s extensive efforts and shows of force to deter Houthi attacks on commercial shipping through Operation Prosperity Guardian and to degrade the Iranian-backed group’s offensive capabilities through Operation Poseidon Archer, the limits of U.S. conventional deterrence are clear, an analysis by the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington noted.

After a brief lull in previous months, Houthi attacks on shipping have reached a new peak since the beginning of the summer, underscoring the group’s continued strategic resolve and military resources to support asymmetric naval warfare operations.

The institute said that the focus of the Combined Maritime Forces and Task Force 154 on readiness training, training and legal competence, even as the Houthis pose credible and sustained threats to commercial shipping and regional stability, reinforces the “good faith” approach that Washington has mustered.

But that approach, the analysis said, has become increasingly inappropriate and ineffective. Washington’s weakened image could lead its regional partners to question the credentials of the U.S. military, which could damage the appeal of U.S.-led security initiatives such as the Combined Maritime Forces, he warned.