EU foreign policy chief urges more naval assets for Red Sea shipping mission

European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has called on member states to deploy more naval vessels to help protect commercial shipping in the Red Sea, according to Bloomberg.

EU countries have conducted patrols in the region since 2024 under Operation Aspides, amid continuing threats from Yemen’s Houthi group that have disrupted shipping through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

“The operation needs more naval assets and more air assets to address the increased level of threats in the region,” Kallas told reporters in New York after an EU foreign ministers’ meeting held on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.

EU mission relies mainly on three ships

Kallas said the Black Sea, the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait were three critical maritime chokepoints whose disruption could have consequences far beyond their immediate regions.

Operation Aspides currently relies mainly on three vessels from Italy and Greece, while other EU member states provide occasional support, Bloomberg reported. EU countries have so far shown limited interest in increasing the number of ships involved or changing the mission’s objectives.

Mission initially expected to need 10 ships

“When Aspides was put in place, the indication was that it needs at least 10 ships,” Kallas said. “The situation, I think, is even more grave right now.”