US-led coalition launches operation to protect Gulf waters
(VOVWORLD) - A new US-led naval coalition on Thursday launched operations to protect shipping in the troubled waters of the Persian Gulf, after a string of recent attacks.
The USS Boxer transits the Strait of Hormuz, August 12, 2019. (US Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class David Ortiz/Released)
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The coalition – the International Maritime Security Construct (IMSC) – aimed at warding off a perceived threat to the world’s oil supply, has been in the making since June. Bahrain, which hosts the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet, joined the IMSC in August. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates followed suit in September. Australia and Britain are the main Western countries to have agreed to send warships to escort Gulf shipping. The newest member, Albania, joined on Friday.