Australia to send military personnel to help protect Red Sea shipping, but not warships or planes

(Patria) - Australia will send eleven soldiers to support a United States-led mission to protect cargo transport in the Red Sea, but will not send a warship or plane, the defense minister said on Thursday, AP reports.

Defense Minister Richard Marles said the Australian military needs to remain focused on the Pacific region.

The United States announced this week that several nations are forming a force to protect commercial shipping from drone and ballistic missile attacks launched from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen.

Marles said eleven military personnel will be sent in January to the headquarters of Operation Prosperity Guardian in Bahrain, where five Australians have already been deployed.

"We will not be sending a ship or a plane," he told Sky News television.

"Nevertheless, we will almost triple our contribution to the combined naval forces."

"We need to be clear about our strategic focus, and our strategic focus is our region: the northeast Indian Ocean, the South China Sea, the East China Sea, the Pacific," he added.

Australia is one of the United States' closest military allies. The US Congress passed legislation last week allowing the sale of Virginia-class nuclear-powered submarines to Australia as part of a security pact that includes the United Kingdom.