Saudi Arabia Names Commander of Multinational Maritime Defence Coalition for Bab al Mandeb, the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden

According to Al Jazeera, Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Defence said in a statement that Rear Admiral Abdullah bin Salem Al Shehri has been appointed commander of the Multinational Maritime Defence Coalition, a week after its establishment. The coalition, formed on July 30 by 14 countries including Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Pakistan, Turkiye and Yemen, aims to secure freedom of navigation through the Bab al Mandeb Strait, the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.

Al Shehri will oversee joint naval defense coordination with member states and other maritime coalitions, and the group will hold a planning meeting on August 12 and 13 to finalize its institutional framework. Al Jazeera noted the appointment comes as the US and Israel's war with Iran has effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, through which about 20 percent of global oil and gas supplies transited before the conflict, weighing heavily on the global economy.