What the US Navy has learned from Red Sea conflicts – and what it means for China

Actions by and against Yemen’s Houthi rebels have been a real-world stress test for the American military, report says

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The wreckage of a US Air Force MQ-9 Reaper drone after the Houthis shot down it over the northern province of Saada, Yemen, last year. Photo: EPA-EFE/Houthis Media Centre

Published: 8:00pm, 31 Jan 2025

US experience gained in the Red Sea conflicts, including those against drones, could be useful in a potential conflict with China, according to a US report.

“The past 15 months in the Red Sea have provided the [US] Navy with a real-world stress test of its systems, platforms and people”, including “taking down hundreds of missiles and drones” from Yemen’s Houthi rebels since November 2023, defence news website The War Zone (TWZ) reported on Tuesday.

The Houthis have attacked Israel and Israeli-linked shipping in the strategic waterway, disrupting US$1 trillion in trade and delaying aid to Sudan and Yemen.

The group, which says it is acting in solidarity with the Palestinians, has announced plans to halt the attacks, following a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

TWZ quoted active and retired US military officers as saying that the Red Sea experience had sharpened their air defence tactics and been “a prime stress test for a fleet preparing for war with China”.

The experience includes the use of US laser-guided Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System II rockets by F-16 fighters to shoot down Houthi drones.