Good afternoon. Australia has supported the US and UK militaries as they launched strikes today against Yemen’s Houthis in response to the group’s attacks on ships passing through the Red Sea.
The US president, Joe Biden, announced Australia was among five nations to support the US-led efforts, but, as my colleagues reported, Australia’s support appears to be non-operational. Australia doesn’t have any ships in the area and has 16 personnel deployed as part of a multinational combined maritime force based in Bahrain.