After sending billions in military aid to Ukraine, the Biden administration is concerned about the costs associated with protecting U.S. forces in the Middle East against hostilities from the Houthis, an Iranian-backed militia group attacking commercial vessels in the Red Sea.
In an apparent show of support for the Palestinian people, the Houthis have attacked several commercial vessels in the Red Sea as well as U.S. naval forces in the region, who are now being forced to spend millions to deter hostilities, Politico reported on Tuesday. The Biden administration is worried about the high costs of protecting these forces but has sent over $46 billion in military assistance to Ukraine and continues to seek more aid from Congress, according to The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR). (
The administration is concerned because these naval vessels are equipped with high-power weapons that can cost millions to use even once, while the Houthis’ attacks often come in the form of relatively cheap drones and missiles, according to Politico. For example, one medium-range Block IV missile costs roughly $2.1 million to fire and the shorter-range Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile costs $1.8 million to fire; for the Houthis, one Iranian-made suicide drone costs a maximum of $2,000.
These U.S. naval vessels are also equipped with 20mm Close-In Weapons-Systems they could utilize, but those weapons are not preferable to deter these types of attacks, as their short range of fire would allow the Houthis’ drones and missiles to get too close, according to Politico.
“My guess is the [the destroyers] are shooting SM-2s for as long as they can — they are not in [the] business of taking chances on hostile targets getting close,” Mick Mulroy, a former DOD official and CIA officer, told Politico.
U.S. naval forces in the Red Sea have intercepted 38 Houthi drone and missile attacks in the past two months, a Department of Defense (DOD) official told Politico. Though what weapons were used for deterrence are not publicly known, the current administration is concerned with the sudden rise in costs. “The cost offset is not on our side,” a DOD official told Politico.
However, the Pentagon and Biden administration largely haven’t publicly expressed similar reservations about sending billions in aid to Ukraine, while maintaining that Kyiv can achieve a military victory over Russia. The administration has sent roughly $46 billion in military aid to Ukraine, about half of which is for weaponry, and the other portion mostly for security assistance – such as training and logistics support, according to CFR.
The Biden administration has sent Ukraine approximately $75 billion in total assistance, which includes military, humanitarian and financial aid, according to CFR.
President Joe Biden has on multiple occasions asked Congress to approve an additional $61 billion in aid to Ukraine, which would include the line items listed above, according to The Associated Press. Biden has cast blame on Republican lawmakers for not approving his request and recently made alarming overtures to a global war starting, should Russia beat Ukraine and attack a NATO ally.
“I think it’s stunning that we’ve gotten to this point in the first place,” Biden said on Dec. 6. “The Republicans in Congress are willing to give Putin the greatest gift he could hope for and abandon our global leadership, not just to Ukraine.”
“If Putin takes Ukraine, he won’t stop there… He’s going to keep going,” Biden predicted. “If he keeps going and then he attacks a NATO Ally… Then we’ll have something that we don’t seek and that we don’t have today: American troops fighting Russian troops.”
Biden seemed to admit in July that the U.S. is running low on munitions but insisted on continuing military aid to Ukraine. The White House later appeared to walk back his statement that the U.S. is low on munitions.
The Pentagon did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
Jake Smith on December 19, 2023
