The European mission in the Red Sea seeks a significant increase in naval deployment. Operation Aspides, led by Greece, has escorted 68 merchant ships and repelled 11 Houthi attacks in seven weeks.

The mission, which has some 800 personnel at sea, is officially ordered to contribute to maritime security along the main lines of communication in the Gulf of Aden, Gulf of Oman, the Persian Gulf and a vast part of the northwest of the Indian Ocean. Since the Houthi rebels began in the area, maritime trade through this key route of commercial navigation has been sharply reduced.