Vice Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of U.S. 5th Fleet, speaks to sailors aboard the guided-missile destroyer USS Carney. Cooper presented combat medals to sailors while the ship was in Bahrain on Jan. 2, 2024. The entire crew also received the Combat Action Ribbon. The Carney on Dec. 16, 2023, shot down 14 Houthi drones in the Red Sea. (Jacob Vernier/U.S. Navy)
Sailors serving on a U.S. warship in the Middle East received commendations on Tuesday for their roles in shooting down more than a dozen drones launched by militants more than two weeks ago, military officials said.
The sailors are serving on the USS Carney. On Dec. 16, the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer shot down 14 drones over the Red Sea, which borders Yemen and Saudi Arabia. The Pentagon said the attack drones were launched by Iranian-aligned Houthi rebels in Yemen.
Vice Adm. Brad Cooper, the commander of the 5th Fleet, visited the Carney on Tuesday in Bahrain to award medals to several sailors who helped shoot down the Houthi drones. The Navy said the medals recognized the sailors for their “exceptional performance.” Cooper also recognized the entire crew of the Carney with the Combat Action Ribbon, which is given for active participation in combat.
Houthi rebels, who have been fighting a civil war in Yemen for a decade, have engaged with U.S. forces on multiple occasions in recent months. Apart from sending the drones on Dec. 16, the rebels also have fired missiles across the region, in some cases in the direction of Israel.
“It’s very important to understand that the Houthis aren’t attacking just one country. They’re really attacking the international community,” said Air Force Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, the Pentagon’s top spokesman. “So, in effect, they’ve really become bandits along the international highway that is the Red Sea.”
The USS Carney has shot down many of the Houthis’ weapons. In mid-October, the warship shot down a barrage of missiles and drones that the Houthis fired and launched toward Israel. That attack came just days after Hamas militants in Gaza launched a surprise attack Oct. 7 on Israel.
In service since 1996, the Carney is armed with several guns, missiles and torpedoes and is part of the military’s Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense System, a program that provides defense against short- and intermediate-range missiles. The Carney and several other ships were sent to the Middle East in October to provide stability in the region and deter other countries and groups from escalating the conflict.
Last week, U.S. forces again shot down more than a dozen Houthi missiles and drones in the southern Red Sea, a firefight that officials said lasted for 10 hours. Other Iranian-backed militias have also carried out more than 100 attacks on U.S. bases in Iraq and Syria since the start of the Israel-Hamas conflict, but none have caused serious injuries to U.S. personnel or major property damage.
