(NewsNation) — The U.S. is forming a new force aiming to protect ships in the Red Sea that have come under attack by drones and missiles fired from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen, but one former intelligence official thinks that’s not enough.
“A task force put together is a defensive mechanism. It’s not necessarily a deterrent,” Norman Roule, the former national intelligence director on Iran, told NewsNation’s Elizabeth Vargas.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the United Kingdom, Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Seychelles and Spain are joining the U.S.
“This is an international challenge that demands collective action,” Austin said Monday. “Therefore, today I am announcing the establishment of Operation Prosperity Guardian, an important new multinational security initiative.”
Roule, who served in the CIA for more than 30 years, thinks the U.S. must send a strong message to Houthis — not just develop a task force.
“What we need to do is to send a deterrent message to the Houthis that, in essence, if they involve themselves in this activity, they will pay a lethal price for this,” Roule said.
He added: “No Houthi commander has paid any price for this, which means other Houthi commanders are going to say, ‘He got away with it. Why can’t I?’”
On Dec. 3, three commercial ships were hit by missiles fired by Houthis. The attacks were reportedly part of recent violence aimed at U.S. warships. Following the attacks, multiple shipping companies have ordered their vessels to hold in place and not enter the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
“Never before in history has a nonstate actor exerted such control of one of the world’s most important maritime global chokepoints,” Roule said.
The former intelligence agent believes if the attacks worsen, it could impact people across the U.S.
“This is a type of activity that would impact our supply chains, inflation pressures, energy prices. We’re on the precipice of something escalating that could touch every American and every European,” Roule said.
Monday, there were at least two more Houthi attacks against commercial shipping in the southern Red Sea. There were no injuries reported during either incident. The U.S. has not carried out a counterstrike against the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.