Red Sea: EU military operation decided: frigate “Hessen” expired

The German frigate “Hessen” has sailed for a planned EU military operation in the Red Sea to protect merchant shipping there against attacks by the militant Islamist Houthi militia. The warship with around 240 soldiers on board left the German Navy’s largest base in Wilhelmshaven.

Marine Inspector Jan Christian Kaack said in Berlin: “This is the most serious deployment of a German naval unit in many decades.” He assured: “There is no unit in the German Navy that is better prepared, better trained and better equipped for this.”

Equipped with anti-aircraft missiles

The frigate “Hessen” is equipped, among other things, with anti-aircraft missiles. The 143 meter long ship was specially designed for escort and maritime control. According to the Bundeswehr, its radar can monitor airspace the size of the entire North Sea. The anti-aircraft missiles therefore range more than 160 kilometers. In addition to the regular crew and two helicopters, there are also other emergency services on board, including a team of doctors and a military chaplain.

By relocating the warship, the Bundeswehr wants to create the conditions for German participation in the EU mission to secure merchant shipping. A mandate from the Bundestag is still pending – it was expected during February.

In view of the dangers posed by the Houthis, large shipping companies are increasingly avoiding the shortest sea route between Asia and Europe through the Red Sea and the Suez Canal. This now has a significant impact on the global economy. The USA and Great Britain have recently attacked Houthi targets in Yemen.

Commander: Threat is concrete

According to a statement from the Navy, the frigate’s commander, Frigate Captain Volker Kübsch, said: “A potential deployment in the Red Sea will represent another endurance test for the ship and crew.” The 44-year-old continued: “The threat there is no longer abstract, it is very concrete and consists of a large number of weapons that were regularly used there.” Marine Inspector Kaack said that the crew of the “Hessen” was “going into this operation with professional composure.” He added: “I wish you the success of the brave and that you all return safely.” The duration of the deployment is initially planned to last until around the end of April.

EU approves mission “Eunavfor Aspides” in the Red Sea

Meanwhile, the EU states decided on the planned military operation in the Red Sea. The decision determines, among other things, the mission and location of the headquarters for the “Eunavfor Aspides” operation, as the German Press Agency learned from diplomats in Brussels. Aspides is the plural of the Greek word “shield”. The formal decision to start the operation is to be made at a meeting of foreign ministers on February 19 in Brussels. The operational headquarters of the operation will be established in the Greek city of Larisa.

Plans for the EU mission include sending several European warships and airborne early warning systems to protect cargo ships. The Houthi militia wants to force an end to the Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip by firing on ships that are said to have a connection to Israel. The Gaza war was triggered by a massacre by the Islamist Hamas and other extremist Palestinian groups in Israel on October 7th.

Frigate “Hessen was already the flagship of NATO’s spearhead

According to Vice Admiral Kaack, in the last five months of last year the frigate “Hessen” was the flagship of the so-called NATO spearhead, the Joint Task Force Maritime. At that time, the frigate guided up to ten ships and also carried out exercises with live ammunition to defend against drones.

In view of a possible “sharp attack” in the Red Sea, it was clear to the Navy “that we could only send a particularly durable and well-trained unit” into the operation, said Kaack. “The “Hesse” is this ship.” A mandate from the Bundestag for the operation is expected at the end of February – probably for an initial year. The ship will then already be in the operational area.

Attacks with missiles, drones and kamikaze boats expected

When asked what attacks the crew would have to prepare for, Kaack said they were expecting attacks with long-range ballistic missiles, “normal missiles” and drones, but also with remote-controlled kamikaze boats. The frigate could stand like a kind of goalkeeper next to a merchant ship that needs to be protected in order to intercept incoming projectiles.

Operation “in the war march”

The operation meant psychological and physical strain for the crew, said Kaack. The frigate will sail “in the so-called war march”. Half of the team is always on the stations, as the expected threats can arise very quickly and then have to be responded to very quickly. “A ship can sustain the war march for a longer period of time, but then it also needs a certain period of rest,” said the inspector – for example “a weekend in port to regenerate the batteries.”

When asked whether the German frigate would also fight targets in Yemen if the ship came under fire from land by the Houthis, Kaack said this was not part of the EU mandate. The EU mandate does not stipulate that EU warships involved in the operation directly attack Houthi positions in Yemen. For him, the deployment in the Red Sea was something like “extended national and alliance defense” given the threats to the flow of goods in the region, emphasized Kaack. “If we can’t do that, then we won’t be able to defend Europe either.”