As Houthi drone strikes persist, a new US defense group is created to address the threat

The Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen launched a large attack on ships in the Red Sea in March. The attacks began around four in the morning and continued for two hours, US Central Command said. The attack included the use of drones, or as the US described them, “large-scale uncrewed aerial vehicles.” These are “one-way attack” drones, which the US now calls OWAs. Iranian state media claimed the Houthis used 37 drones in the attack. Iran has exported the Shahed 36 and other types of drone technologies to the Houthis in Yemen over the last several years.

“CENTCOM and coalition forces identified the one-way attack (OWA) UAVs and determined that they presented an imminent threat to merchant vessels, US Navy, and coalition ships in the region. US Navy vessels and aircraft, along with multiple coalition navy ships and aircraft, shot down 15 OWA UAVs. These actions are taken to protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and more secure,” US Central Command said.

The attacks by the Houthis have increased in the last weeks and become more deadly. For instance, in mid-March, the Houthis struck a ship called the Rubymar, and the ship sank after two weeks of taking on water. It had to be abandoned. Then, on Wednesday last week, the Houthis struck a ship called the True Confidence, killing three crew members. The attack on March 9 is now the latest escalation. 

Continuing American strikes against the Houthis

On March 8, the US carried out a “self-defense strike against two Iranian-backed Houthi terrorists’ truck-mounted anti-ship missiles in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen.” US Central Command said that “at approximately 3:55 p.m. (Sanaa time), Houthi terrorists fired two anti-ship ballistic missiles from Yemen into the Gulf of Aden at M/V Propel Fortune, a Singapore-flagged, owned, and operated vessel. The missiles did not impact the vessel. There were no injuries or damages reported. These actions are taken to protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and more secure for US Navy and merchant vessels.”

US Central Command is increasing its efforts against the Houthis, but the drone attack on March 9, the sinking of the Rubymar, and the attack on the True Confidence illustrate a pattern of behavior showing the Iranian-backed Houthis are not deterred and, in fact, feel emboldened.

While the Houthis are increasing attacks, there has been a lull over the last two weeks in attacks on US forces in Iraq and Syria. This follows the January 27 attack that killed three US service members. The US retaliated in February with strikes on Iranian-backed Kataib Hezbollah in Iraq. Now, it is believed that the Iranian proxies in Syria and Iraq may have dialed back their attacks, at least for now. They may be waiting for orders from Tehran for the next move.

Drones as a persistent threat

The US is working to increase its capabilities against drones. On March 9, US Pentagon Press Secretary Air Force Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder held a press briefing. He said that “Secretary Austin has prioritized the development and rapid fielding of capabilities to counter the urgent and growing threat posed by uncrewed weapon systems.”

The drone threat has been one that US Central Command has focused on for years. In 2020 and 2021, US Central Command head Kenneth McKenzie warned about the growing drone threat. “I argue all the time with my Air Force friends that the future of flight is vertical and it's unmanned,” McKenzie said during an event at the Middle East Institute. “And I believe we are seeing it now.”

In July 2023, US Congress members Josh Gottheimer and Andrew Garbarino introduced the bipartisan US-Israel Anti-Killer Drone Act designed to boost cooperation between the United States and Israel. Gottheimer’s officer noted that "the bipartisan legislation, which comes amid increased unmanned drone attacks in the Middle East, helps fill gaps identified by the US Department of Defense by authorizing cooperative projects intended to thwart small unmanned aerial systems — often supplied by Iran — that threaten both American and Israeli national security.”

New US department to mitigate drone strikes

A statement also noted that “Iran’s arsenal of killer drones has only grown in recent years, and attacks across the Middle East have killed and wounded Americans — showing once again why the threat of terrorism remains so pervasive. We continue to see Iran-backed terrorist groups target innocent civilians, which is why we must take concrete action to counter their deadly drone capabilities. This legislation is about protecting American and Israeli lives,” said Congressman Josh Gottheimer.

The US Army also has a joint counter-UAS program office. That office was created in order to address the growing drone threats that had been identified in 2020. Now Ryder noted that “this week, the secretary [Austin] directed the establishment of a Warfighter Senior Integration Group to focus department-wide efforts to address this urgent operational challenge. This Warfighter Senior Integration Group (SIG) will bring together the department's senior-most leaders to drive solutions that support US warfighters throughout our combatant commands.”

He went on to note, “The group will help identify needed capabilities and associated solutions for rapidly delivering across all domains with the near-term focus on countering uncrewed aerial systems.  As evidenced by the successes of other warfighter SIGs such as those for Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan, as well as the SIG Ukraine stood up in 2022, the establishment of this new warfighter SIG will bring the cross-department attention and speed the threat now demands.  We look forward to the action in this formal drive and, where possible, will provide details on its work in the coming months.”