Dear Friends,
Over the past two weeks, American forces in the Red Sea have been striking Houthi terrorist positions in Yemen as part of an extensive military operation aimed at restoring freedom of navigation for global shipping, while hitting Iran and its proxies. In doing so, President Trump sent a strong message to our allies and adversaries alike: the United States does not back down from a fight.
Under the Biden administration, the Houthis were delisted as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist entity and removed from the Foreign Terrorist Organization list. Emboldened, the Houthis—backed by their Iranian funders—launched a campaign of aggression against civilian and American military vessels in the Red Sea while repeatedly firing ballistic missiles indiscriminately at our Israeli allies.
By surrendering American and allied freedom of navigation through the Red Sea, our adversaries, including China and Iran, have grown in strength, able to transit goods without fear of attack. Conversely, the United States and our allies have suffered increasing economic costs due to inaction, while our soldiers and sailors have been repeatedly put in harm’s way.
Failure to address threats like those posed by the Houthi’s creates gaps that are easily exploited by our adversaries. The United States remains the only free and democratic country in the world capable of addressing these challenges. Should we neglect our duty to protect our interests and those of our allies, authoritarian regimes like China will readily step in, eager to assume responsibility for global issues critical to our national security such as maritime trade.
President Trump’s leadership in redesignating the Houthis as a Foreign Terrorist Organization and conducting strikes against them has set us on the path to reestablishing deterrence, reaffirming our standing amongst our allies, and ensuring strong American leadership remains present across the globe.
Join us at Veterans On Duty as we fight to uphold strong American leadership and safeguard our national security. Follow us on X, LinkedIn, and Facebook. Share this message with your fellow veterans, friends, and family. Together we can ensure that the United States remains safe, strong, and free.
Signed,
Jeremy Hunt
Chairman, Veterans On Duty