We Have 30 Seconds to Deal with Mach 6 Missiles from Yemen: US Destroyer Commander
The commander of the American destroyer “USS Carney” has revealed the immense difficulties faced by the US Navy due to Yemeni military operations in support of Gaza.
In an interview with CBS News, the commander of the USS Carney stated, “When we arrived in the Red Sea, we encountered around 35 drones and cruise missiles launched from Yemen towards Israel in our first operation. We tracked and engaged only the targets within the destroyer’s range.”
He noted that the US Navy hasn’t engaged in a battle like the Red Sea confrontation since World War II. The commander expressed his concern over the hypersonic ballistic missiles launched from Yemen, adding, “The watch guards on the destroyer have only between 15 to 30 seconds to deal with a ballistic missile coming from Yemen at speeds of Mach 5 or 6.”
The commander further elaborated to CBS News, saying, “Our biggest nightmare was any mistake by the air defense in dealing with a hypersonic ballistic missile, especially with us being in an area where commercial passenger planes fly.”
He confirmed that the Carney and other naval warships patrolling the Red Sea were unable to protect all commercial ships from Yemeni attacks, resulting in the sinking of several commercial vessels.
Deadly Yemeni Missiles
Rear Admiral Marc Miguez, commander of the second US aircraft carrier group, said, “During seven months in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, the Eisenhower carrier group conducted over 13,000 air sorties – more than 29,500 flight hours, and each ship in the group sailed over 65,000 nautical miles.”
He highlighted that the deployment in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden was unprecedented in every sense of the word, adding, “We are still learning from each operation to gain combat experience that will help guide future conflicts.”
The Rear Admiral explained that the war is constantly evolving, and US Navy officers have witnessed this firsthand as Ansar Allah (Houthis) adopt different methods to locate and target ships.
He confirmed that when missiles and attack drones are launched from Yemen in swarms, the problem becomes extremely complex and rapid. The anti-ship ballistic missiles from Yemen are deadly and have only been used in combat history in the Red Sea.
Rear Admiral Miguez added, “When a cruise missile or an unmanned aerial system is launched from Yemen, its speed and flight profile allow very little time to respond, and it’s best to stop the threat before it is launched.”
Persistent Challenges
The American newspaper “The Hill” reported that after half a year of conflict, the United States failed to deter Ansar Allah from attacking commercial ships in the Red Sea, confirming that Yemenis continue to sink commercial ships and disrupt trade, posing an increasingly difficult challenge for the larger US military.
It emphasized that repeated American bombardments on sites in Yemen have not succeeded in stopping the attacks, which have escalated with the use of advanced weapons such as unmanned boats and anti-ship ballistic missiles to confuse US forces.
Meanwhile, the Israeli enemy newspaper “Jerusalem Post” stated that the new unmanned boats launched from Yemen have proven more effective in attacks on ships than drones and ballistic missiles, confirming that it is difficult for US naval forces and their allies to detect unmanned boats in a large area like the Yemeni coast or the Red Sea.