F-35C Gets a Taste of Combat Against Yemen Terrorists: The U.S. military has had it with Yemen’s Houthi bandits. These pro-Iran insurgents don’t know when to take a break. The United States keeps firing missiles at the Houthi defense infrastructure, but the terrorists continue to fight back. That’s why it is heartening to see the F-35C, the carrier version of the Lightning II, get its first taste of combat against the Houthis.
Marines Get Bragging Rights
U.S. Marine Corps pilots with F-35Cs conducted a bloody nose strike against Houthi positions last weekend. The “Black Knight” aviators flew from the USS Abraham Lincoln. The idea was to take out the terrorists’ weapons storage centers and reduce the number of Houthi missiles that have been terrifying ships in the Red Sea, including threatening U.S. Navy vessels.
“U.S. Central Command forces executed a series of precise airstrikes [on] November 9 through 10 on multiple Houthi weapons storage facilities situated within Houthi-controlled territories in Yemen,” Pentagon Press Secretary Air Force Maj. Gen. Patrick Ryder said at a DOD press briefing. “These facilities housed a variety of advanced conventional weapons used by the Iran-backed Houthis to target U.S. and international military and civilian vessels navigating international waters in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.”
Successful Mission for F-35Cs
No F-35Cs were damaged, and there were zero American casualties. It is not clear from the Central Command video on X what weapons the stealth jets were carrying, but we know that F-35Cs come armed to the gills with JDAMs, Paveway-series laser-guided munitions, and the Joint Standoff Weapon.
Now, all F-35 variants have seen combat. F-35As struck targets in Iraq in 2019. The F-35B hit the bad guys in Afghanistan in 2018. The F-35C first flew off carriers in 2021, so it has been a laggard, but now that it has entered the fraternity of combat-proven F-35 variants, the Lightning II has passed a significant milestone.
These exchanges with the Houthis are becoming a small-scale version of combat that would often be associated with a major power. The Iran-backed terrorists have a seemingly huge supply of missiles and drones, and they are terrifying civilian shipping – not to mention the U.S. Navy.
Latest Houthi Attack Targets Naval Warships
On November 11, two Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers, the USS Stockdale and USS Spruance, came under fire from eight combat drones and three anti-ship cruise missiles. The Stockdale and Spruance neutralized the incoming bogeys, but the launches were too close for comfort, even though there was “no damage and no-one hurt” according to Ryder.
Look for more F-35C strikes from the Marines and Naval Aviators. The Lightning II has proven that it can take out enemy targets on the ground. With stealth capabilities, the Houthis never know where the firepower is coming from.
Trump Administration Faces a Challenge from Houthis
But this raises yet another issue for new Defense Secretary-nominee Pete Hegseth. Hegseth’s strengths are his ground combat roles in Iraq and Afghanistan with the U.S. Army National Guard. However, he has no defense policy experience with the Navy, Air Force, or Marine Corps. He will have to answer questions on how to better address the Houthis during confirmation hearings.
Will the U.S. military continue to conduct bloody nose strikes with naval assets? That seems to be the strategy now. However, President Joe Biden only has two months left in his term. Then President-elect Donald Trump takes over. The new Trump national security team has no experience working together, and the Houthis are a difficult problem. They just love launching missiles and drones and are soaking up combat experience with a steady supply of munitions from Iran.
The pattern now is tit for tat, with the U.S. military mowing the grass every once in a while when the Houthis shoot at naval vessels. It is likely time for a mini-shock and awe strike from B-52s that are now in the region. Trump doesn’t want to start an all-out war, but he may be in favor of heavier bomb and cruise missile strikes against Yemen’s Houthis.
Fighting the Houthis is expensive. Missiles and bombs, plus strike airplane sorties from carriers, cost significant amounts of money. China is likely happy that the U.S. Navy is tied up in the Red Sea with these terrorists. That is one less aircraft carrier that could be deployed in East Asia. The Americans are playing the world’s policeman by ensuring civilian shipping can safely transit in the region. Trump is not known for the United States acting as the 9-1-1 rapid response force whenever regional combat heats up. The new administration will be searching for answers to this difficult question in the Middle East as it also addresses wars in Ukraine, Gaza, Lebanon, plus Iran.
About the Author
Brent M. Eastwood, PhD, is the author of Don’t Turn Your Back On the World: a Conservative Foreign Policy and Humans, Machines, and Data: Future Trends in Warfare, plus two other books. Brent was the founder and CEO of a tech firm that predicted world events using artificial intelligence. He served as a legislative fellow for U.S. Senator Tim Scott and advised the senator on defense and foreign policy issues. He has taught at American University, George Washington University, and George Mason University. Brent is a former U.S. Army Infantry officer. He can be followed on X @BMEastwood.
