"Defensive Naval Coalition" Commander: Any threat to freedom of navigation will be met with deterrence

Abdullah Al-Shahri, the commander of the multinational defensive naval coalition hosted by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, stated that any threat to freedom of maritime navigation will be met with deterrence.

Al-Shahri’s remarks, reported by the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) and Saudi Arabia’s Al-Ekhbariya channel, came following a coalition meeting in Jeddah amid tensions surrounding the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

Defense equipment manufacturing

Nature of science

Al-Shahri emphasized that protecting international waterways is an international responsibility, and that any threat to freedom of maritime navigation will be met with deterrence by nations operating under a single command with integrated capabilities.

He added that freedom of navigation within the coalition’s area of operations is a collective responsibility, requiring active participation, shared capabilities, and a collective response.

He confirmed that the defensive naval coalition has reached initial operational capability, paving the way for its operational presence at sea, without specifying a timeline.

He explained that the participation of 41 countries in the planners’ meeting in Jeddah reflects the expanding membership of the defensive naval coalition.

According to a coalition statement carried by SPA, the fourth planning meeting of the multinational defensive naval coalition was held on Thursday at the Western Fleet Command in Jeddah, with the participation of 154 naval commanders, planners, ambassadors, and European Union representatives from 41 friendly and sister countries.