&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "EU seeks more warships for Red Sea mission as Bab al-Mandeb security worsens")
European Union Foreign Policy Chief Kaja Kallas requested member states to provide more warships for the bloc’s Red Sea naval mission as the security situation in the Bab al-Mandeb deteriorates. The defensive maritime mission Operation Aspides currently operates with about six warships, falling short of the initial assessment that at least 10 ships were needed.
“We need more naval units,” Kaja Kallas said on Monday in a meeting of EU defence ministers in Brussels on Monday. She urged that the need was “greater than ever” as the bloc receives large requests from merchant ships to escort. However, the request failed to gain the necessary momentum as member states did not provide the support as was expected by the Bloc's Foreign Policy Chief.
Only two countries hinted that they could provide additional support. Belgium indicated it is considering providing an additional frigate to the EU Red Sea mission, as reported by Euractiv. Dutch Defence Minister Dilan Yeşilgöz said on Monday that it views the request favourably, though a firm commitment was constrained by limited available resources. The Dutch Frigate Evertsen left the Netherlands on Sunday for the Middle East.
“It’s not only the number of vessels that is needed, but actually also the quality of vessels. For example, Aspides does not have a mine-hunting mandate, which means that you need a frigate, you need the air defence support, need vessels that can do the escorting of the ships,” said EU Foreign Policy Chief Kaja Kallas.
Italy has responded positively. Defence Minister Guido Crosetto reportedly pressed Kallas for the mission to be strengthened, while separately preparing its own national naval deployment due to the urgency of the crisis.
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France said that while it agrees that the need for additional capabilities was clear, the appeal was “not really directed at France”, which already has assets deployed for the mission. Spain ruled out sending additional ships to Aspides, noting that Madrid remains committed to the anti-piracy Operation Atalanta in the Indian Ocean.
