Australia to Command Red Sea Protection Task Force

Published on August 23, 2024

Australia will take charge of an international mission to protect shipping routes in the Red Sea for the first time. Iran-backed Houthi rebels have previously attacked shipping in the vital sea trade corridor to disrupt Israel’s retaliatory strikes on Gaza following the Oct. 7 Hamas attack. The Defence department on Aug. 23 announced Australia will assume command of Combined Task Force 153 (CTF 153) from October for six months. Established in April 2022, CTF 153 focuses on maritime security in the Red Sea, Bab al-Mandeb and Gulf of Aden. The Albanese government last year was criticised by security experts for declining a U.S. request to deploy a warship to protect maritime security in the Middle East....

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