CANBERRA, Dec 22 (NNN-AAP) – The Australian government has announced that, it will not send a warship to the Red Sea, but will deploy additional troops to the region.
Richard Marles, the minister for defence, yesterday said, the Australian government had denied a request from the United States for military hardware to help protect shipping lanes in the Red Sea, following attacks from Yemen’s Houthi militia on commercial vessels in the area.
Instead, he said that, additional Australian Defence Force (ADF) officers, would be deployed to the Combined Maritime Force (CMF) headquarters, in Bahrain, next year.
“We won’t be sending a ship or a plane,” Marles told Sky News Australia television.
There are currently five ADF personnel based at the CMF headquarters. Under Operation Manitou, Australia had previously committed to sending five more officers to promote maritime security and stability.
Marles said yesterday that, another six would now also be deployed under the U.S-led Operation Prosperity Guardian, taking the total contribution to 16 officers.
