Yemen: Yemen continues to reshape military equations and rules of engagement, far from the norms once dominated by global powers, chief among them the United States. It has now compelled its adversaries to rebuild their military capabilities after exporting a unique and unprecedented experience that global powers have adopted.

Following earlier international reports and statements by Arab and Western analysts about Yemen’s success in imposing a new reality on the battlefield—and assuming a leading regional role that exposed the vulnerability of both American and British power, and by extension, Israeli power—US military officials have now acknowledged that Washington is no longer merely designing new capabilities to counter Yemen. Instead, it is restructuring its forces based on the “Yemeni method” in order to confront Russia and China.

The US-based military strategy website Business Insider published a new report citing statements by the commander of a US destroyer, who said the US is currently rebuilding its capabilities based on lessons learned from the Red Sea battles—not merely to counter Yemen’s unprecedented deterrence, but to prepare for future confrontations with China and Russia. These nations, he said, have learned from Yemen the kind of tactics that have undermined American naval dominance despite its massive fleets—tactics now starting to appear in the ongoing war in Ukraine.

The site stated, “The US Navy is using lessons from the Red Sea battle to plan for future naval conflicts,” noting that the new preparations are not limited to countering Yemen alone.

The commander of the USS Thomas Hudner was quoted as saying: “It’s hard to predict what the future will look like, but what happened in the Red Sea must be taken into account.” He added, “The conflict in the Red Sea, in many ways, resembles fighting in a narrow and complex space.” This indicates that the restructuring of US capabilities is being shaped by its confrontation with the Yemeni Armed Forces—regarded as the most difficult battlefield the US Navy has ever faced, according to earlier statements from Pentagon officials.

The website attributed the new US approach to the exhaustion of munitions and fatigue experienced by crews of destroyers, warships, and aircraft carriers in the Red Sea. It reaffirmed that “the US Navy faced logistical challenges in rearming ships from friendly ports—a serious risk in high-intensity conflicts.”

It also reiterated what American media has previously reported regarding the high costs borne by Washington in countering Yemen’s low-cost, mass-produced weaponry.

These acknowledgments are not new. In May, US Vice President J.D. Vance admitted that America must come to terms with the end of its era of dominance following the 19-month-long Red Sea conflict. He stated that countries possessing low-cost drones now have the ability to damage American fleets—an implicit reference to Yemen’s operations, which, despite being based on what may appear as simple tools and tactics, managed to create a deterrent balance and neutralize Washington’s vast military arsenal.

Russian analysts previously noted that Yemen demonstrated how emerging powers can overcome a force as large as the US Navy. They expressed initial astonishment at Yemen’s tactics, which soon transformed into practical lessons adopted by Moscow in its war against Ukraine. Russian media highlighted how the “Red Army” abandoned costly conventional weapons and began using inexpensive drones extensively to achieve previously unattainable results. These tactics were evident in intensified drone attacks on Ukrainian forces using UAVs imported from Iran and, in some cases, Turkey. Russia inflicted heavy losses on Kyiv through this strategy. Conversely, Ukraine adopted the same approach, inflicting serious damage on Russian forces—using the same type of low-cost weaponry and steering clear of conventional force structures.

The on-ground realities across the conflict zones and the statements emerging from the West and far North confirm that Yemen is solidifying the military rules of engagement it has imposed on the US, foreshadowing the rise of new powers capable of challenging global arrogance—beyond conventional measures of strength, capabilities, or resources.

Moreover, the "Yemeni school" has inspired others in demonstrating how to utilize available resources, no matter how limited, to confront heavily armed adversaries with expensive military hardware. The immediate result has been the opponent's exhaustion and psychological destabilization, leading to tangible damage and the creation of a deterrent balance. Strategically, this has led to shifts on the battlefield.

The use of drones to target aircraft carriers and ballistic missiles to strike moving naval targets was a historic Yemeni first. It introduced a new equation outside the traditional military playbook—one that has turned the Yemeni Armed Forces into a credible source of power and real-world impact. In doing so, it has helped dismantle a long-standing global order built on “historical reputation” and rigid “institutional tactics” set and enforced by the United States across its global zones of influence.

Translated by Almasirah English website