US Naval Institute: Red Sea battle exposes weaknesses in American fleet

WASHINGTON, Sept. 06 (YPA) – The US Naval Institute has revealed that the recent Red Sea battle represented the fiercest naval confrontation since World War II and marked the first time American warships faced direct enemy fire.

The report emphasized that US intervention placed immense pressure on the fleet while simultaneously exposing both strengths and weaknesses within the Navy’s structure.

According to the Institute, American forces faced unprecedented challenges, including the interception of an unmanned underwater vehicle in a historic first, as well as significant difficulties in detecting and neutralizing one-way drones effectively deployed by Yemeni forces.

The report highlighted shortcomings in the aircraft carrier strike group, particularly in intelligence gathering and aerial refueling for carrier-based fighter jets, which forced reliance on external Air Force support pending the operational deployment of the MQ-25 drone.

It also noted the extraordinary strain on US firepower, with American destroyers launching more Tomahawk missiles in a single day than the country produces in an entire year, reflecting an unexpected depletion of the arsenal.

While the Red Sea crisis offered Washington a practical opportunity to test its weapons and tactics, the Naval Institute warned that it also exposed the limits of US naval power.

It stressed that the lessons learned must be fully absorbed to prepare for confrontations with more advanced adversaries in the future.

@E.Y.M