News - Yemen: Prominent military expert Brigadier General Mujib Shamsan has asserted that recent US reports, including analyses from the US Marine Corps Association, constitute a veiled admission of defeat for Washington in the Red Sea. 

"The United States, which has presented itself for decades as a global leader and reference in military tactics, today finds itself facing an unprecedented operational shock," Shamsan stated. He attributed this to confronting an adversary with "asymmetric capabilities" but "high flexibility and innovation in the use of low-cost combat means with strategic impact."

Shamsan highlighted that the tactical failures in the Red Sea represent a complete collapse of the deterrence doctrines Washington has relied on since World War II, particularly the theory of "long-range deterrence," which assumed an absolute American ability to monitor maritime and air domains and intercept any threat before it reached its interests.

The military expert pointed to a widespread US intelligence failure in tracking Yemeni movements, with attacks continuing for hours without the US ability to prevent or predict their trajectories. This, he said, exposed the fragility of American systems reliant on satellites, radars, and advanced aircraft.

Shamsan further elaborated that US defense systems failed to protect the aircraft carriers, destroyers, and ships that violated the Yemeni blockade, leading to a collapse of the "cost equation." He emphasized that the Yemeni forces defeated US troops in the field of engagement, depriving them of the ability to influence the course of operations—a failure he described as the most dangerous militarily.

Despite lacking a traditional navy or air force, Shamsan noted, Yemen managed to impose a full naval blockade on Israel from land and engage in fierce naval battles with the most powerful US military vessels. He concluded that this shift will have long-term strategic repercussions on the very concept of power in the 21st century, proving that low-cost smart weapons can neutralize heavy assets and that innovation and combat doctrine can, at times, outweigh pure technological superiority.

The Red Sea operations, triggered by Yemen in solidarity with Gaza, has presented an unprecedented challenge to US naval power. For months, the group has used relatively low-cost drones, missiles, and unmanned surface vessels to target international shipping and confront US warships, testing the limits of a superpower's defense systems.