A severe readiness crisis is hitting the US military in the light of escalation against Yemen
A Pentagon official considered on Friday that fears that strikes against the Houthis (Ansar Allah group) in Yemen would affect the US military’s readiness in the Indian and Pacific Oceans are exaggerated, stressing that the military retains the authority to use its full capabilities in the region against the group.
CNN quoted unnamed sources as saying that US military personnel fear that the strikes in Yemen will negatively impact military readiness in the Indian and Pacific Oceans.
The sources told CNN that these soldiers are upset about the use of certain weapons against the Houthis, given their importance in the war with China.
They also complained about the use of a large number of long-range weapons against them.
CNN quoted a Pentagon official as saying that it was difficult to determine the quantity of weapons remaining in the hands of the Houthis, adding, “We’ve no concerns about using long-range weapons when necessary to enhance our effectiveness”.
On the other hand, sources told CNN that the cost of the US operation against the group is close to $1 billion in less than three weeks, “despite its limited impact”.
According to CNN, the US military need to request an additional funding from Congress to continue the strikes, as hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of munitions were used in the attacks.
Despite the strikes, US officials acknowledged that the Ansar Allah group remains capable of entrenching itself and maintaining weapons underground.
The sources indicated that some of the Houthis sites were destroyed, but this didn’t affect its ability to continue attacks in the Red Sea.
On March 15, US President Donald Trump announced that he had ordered his forces to launch a major offensive against the Houthi group in Yemen, before threatening to completely eliminate the Houthis.
The Houthis responded that Trump’s threat wouldn’t deter them from continuing their support for Gaza, as they resumed targeting sites inside Israel and ships in the Red Sea heading to the territory days ago.
This coincided with the Israeli military’s resumption of its war of extermination against the besieged Palestinian enclave on March 18.
