The recent attack by the Yemeni Armed Forces on the American aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln and its accompanying destroyers has reverberated widely.
The American magazine National Interest described the targeting of a US warship as an event capable of shattering Americans’ false sense of security and shifting public opinion about the global deployment of US forces.
This week, the magazine published a report highlighting the attack, stating that if the “Houthis” succeed in targeting a US warship, it is likely to awaken the American public. The perpetual deployment of US forces worldwide, as a de facto global police force, is inherently dangerous. While this truth is self-evident, Americans have long been deceived by a false sense of security.
The report highlighted that such an attack would likely destabilize America’s illusion of security. It would also serve as a stark reminder that large-scale, permanent deployments are inherently risky and that young men and women are in danger.
The magazine argued that such a strike could compel the American public to reconsider US military priorities and tactics, prompting questions like: How should US forces be deployed? What justifies risking American lives and resources?
According to the report, if such a strike were carried out, the Pentagon would be forced to reassess its strategies, something that might already be underway.
The magazine noted that the ability of the “Houthis”, relying on relatively low-cost, low-tech weaponry, to endanger such advanced and expensive warships is both embarrassing and concerning. It could drive adjustments in US military doctrine.
In a separate report, the magazine previously argued that the Yemeni Armed Forces’ targeting of two American destroyers as they passed through the Bab al-Mandab Strait revealed “vulnerabilities in the US Navy’s surface fleet.”
The United States continues to downplay the targeting of the Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier in the same attack. A Pentagon spokesperson avoided addressing the incident directly, only admitting that the destroyers Spruance and Stockdale were attacked by drones and ballistic and cruise missiles.
However, this latest attempt at concealment has failed to diminish the significance of the attack, especially after earlier denials of Yemeni strikes on the Eisenhower carrier in June were gradually disproven.
The former commander of the Eisenhower carrier group, Mark McGeez, admitted to moving the vessel multiple times to escape attacks. Another report later revealed that a Yemeni missile came within 200 meters of the fleeing carrier, demonstrating the failure of all its missile and air defense systems and confirming it was indeed hit.
Adding to the fragility of American denials are unprecedented acknowledgments from Bill LaPlante, the Pentagon’s Under Secretary for Defense Acquisition and Sustainment. In a recent statement, he admitted that Yemen has become “terrifying” and described the country’s missile capabilities as “stunning and shocking.”
