| Operation Aspides | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part ofRed Sea crisis,Middle Eastern crisis (2023–present) | |||||||
  | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
| |||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Unified Command National leaders  Giorgia Meloni |
 Abdel-Aziz bin Habtour | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
1 Destroyer |  Unclear (seeHouthi armed strength) | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
18UAVs | |||||||
Operation Aspides, also known asEUNAVFOR Aspides, is anEUmilitary operation in response toHouthiengagements withinternational shipping in theRed Sea.[3] Named after the Greek word for shields (Greek:Ασπίδες), Operation Aspides—unlike the US-ledOperation Prosperity Guardian—is a "purely defensive" mission to increase maritime surveillance in the region, provide escort to merchant vessels, and defend against strikes.[4]
Since the start of theIsrael–Gaza war, theHouthi movement hasengaged with and boarded certain ships passing through theRed Sea, as a response to the Israeli attacks inGaza and the rest ofPalestine sinceOctober.[5]
Since the beginning of the conflict up to February 2024, at least four EU country-flagged ships have been struck by the Houthis.[6][7][8][9]
On 8 February 2024, EU member states took a decision in theCouncil of the European Union to start Operation Aspides, which was to begin on 19 February and last one year, with its base of operations being inGreece and with aHellenic Navy officer being in charge of operations.[10][11]
According to theEuropean External Action Service, the purpose of the operation is to protect merchant vessels against strikes, to accompany them and to reinforce maritime situational awareness in the region.[12] It thus has a "purely defensive" mandate, something which has also been underlined by EU officials, in contrast to the US-ledOperation Prosperity Guardian.[13] The mission is instructed to coordinate closely withOperation Atalanta, another EU-led naval mission in the wider region.[1]
The EUNAVFOR ASPIDES Area of Operations – AOO, according with its mandate, comprise the Baab al-Mandab Straits and the Strait of Hormuz, as well as international waters in the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, the Arabian Sea, the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf.[14]
On 14 February 2025, Council of the EU decided to prolong the mandate of the operation until 28 February 2026.[15]
EUNAVFOR Aspides is led by the Operation Commander, Rear Admiral Vasileios GryparisHN. He was appointed as Operation Commander on 8 February 2024 and promoted to Rear Admiral on 2 March 2024.[14]
The operational headquarters of EUNAVFOR ASPIDES is the Hellenic European Union Operational Headquarters (EL EU OHQ) inLarissa, Greece.[16][1] The European External Action Service has indicated that 130 staff officers will be based in the operational headquarters.[12]
On 22 February, theGovernment of Sweden announced that Sweden would be sending some military personnel to participate in Operation Aspides. Sweden will initially send four staff officers with the possibility to increase the number to ten.[17][18] On 8 March,Finland made a decision to participate in the operation by sending a maximum of five soldiers with staff duties, in addition to dispatching up to two soldiers with similar responsibilities to Operation Prosperity Guardian.[19] On 28 March, the government of Estonia announced that one member of theEstonian Defence Forces will participate in the operation.[20] Similarly, theLatvian National Armed Forces have also been greenlighted to participate in the operation.[21]
The Force Commander (FCdr) exercises command and control of all military forces in the area of operation. He and his staff are operating from a flagship in the Red Sea. Since 2 February 2025, the Force Commander is Commodore Michail Pantouvakis (HEL Navy), aboard Italian Destroyer FEDERICO MARTINENGO. The previous Force Commander till 2 November 2024 was the Commodore Konstantinos Pitykakis (HEL Navy) serving aboard Italian destroyerCaio Duilio. The post was first held by Italian Rear Admiral Stefano Costantino, based on the Italian destroyerCaio Duilio, and from 29 April on the Italian frigateVirginio Fasan.[22][1][23] From 15 June 2024, Netherlands Commodore George Pastoor took over the role, serving from on board the Netherlands joint support shipKarel Doorman till 8 August 2024.[24] From 8 August 2024 Rear Admiral Massimo Bonu took over the role of the Force Commander till 2 November 2024.
| Ship | Nationality | Class | Notes | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andrea Doria |  Italian Navy | Destroyer | Entered the area of operations on 20 July 2024, replacing Italian frigateVirginio Fasan, serving as Flagship since 8 August 2024. | [25][26] |
| Forbin |  French Navy | Frigate | Entered the area of operations in June 2024. | [27] |
| Chevalier Paul | French Navy | Frigate | [28] | |
| Psara |  Hellenic Navy | Frigate | ReplacesHydra, arrived in the area of operations in June 2024. | [29][30][31] |
| Ship | Nationality | Class | Notes | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Caio Duilio | Italian Navy | Destroyer | Served as operation flagship until 29 April 2024. | [32][22] |
| Virginio Fasan | Frigate | Deployed under operation Aspides from 19 April to 20 July 2024, serving as operation flagship from 29 April to 15 June under Italian Rear Admiral Stefano Costantino. | [33][22][25] | |
| Federico Martinengo | Frigate | - | [33] | |
| Hessen |  German Navy | Frigate | Embarks twoSea Lynx Mk88A. Left the area of operations on 21 April 2024 after a successful deployment. | [34][35][36][37] |
| Louise-Marie |  Belgian Navy | Frigate | Scheduled to transit theSuez Canal on April 12, deployment postponed due to failed operational and technical tests while transiting theMediterranean Sea, including an incident where aRIM-7 Sea Sparrow missile was reportedly "stuck" in its launch tube. On 27 April, the issues were resolved andLouise-Marie set course for the area of operations.Louise Marie remained in the area of operations until departing in late June 2024. | [38][35][39][40][41][31] |
| Hydra | Hellenic Navy | Frigate | In the area of operations from April to June, replaced by HSPsara. | [35][23] |
| Languedoc | French Navy | Frigate | - | [42] |
| Alsace | Frigate | - | [43] | |
| Tromp |  Royal Netherlands Navy | Frigate | Embarking anNH90. Was deployed underOperation Prosperity Guardian for 25 days from late March 2024 to late April 2024 while en route to theIndo-Pacific, delivering "associated support" for Operation Aspides. During the deployment,Tromp was once raised togeneral quarters, the first such incident in the Royal Netherlands Navy since theYugoslav Wars. | [44][45] |
| Karel Doorman | Joint support ship | Served as operation flagship from 15 June to 8 August 2024. Deployed from May to August under operation Aspides, embarking aEurocopter AS532 Cougar and a Swedish surgical team, and delivering "associated support" for Operation Prosperity Guardian. Deployment to the Red Sea was delayed in early May due to technical issues with theGoalkeeper CIWS, extending its stay inCrete Naval Base for several days, departing for the area of operations on 10 May. | [46][47][48][49] [50][51][24][26] |
On 27 February 2024, the German frigateHessen engaged and destroyed two Houthi drones.[52]
On 2 March, the Greek frigateHydra passed the Suez Canal to join the operation in the Red Sea.[23] On the same day, theItalian destroyer Caio Duilio shot down a Houthi missile over the Red Sea. The missile was within 4 miles (6.4 km) of the destroyer when it was shot down.[53] On 12 March, theItalian Ministry of Defense reported that theCaio Duilio had shot down two Houthi drones in self-defense.[54]
On 13 March, the Greek frigateHydra shot down two Houthi drones.[55][56]
On 12 April, Belgian frigateLouise-Marie failed technical operational tests in the Mediterranean Sea while en route to the area of operations, delaying her deployment indefinitely. The test failures reportedly included a case where aRIM-7 Sea Sparrow missile got "stuck" in its launch tube.[39][40]
On 20 March, a French Navy helicopter deployed in the area of the Gulf of Aden, the Strait of Bab el-Mandeb and the Red Sea to fight against the Houthi rebels shot down a drone, the first time this had happened.[57]
On 21 March, a German NavySea Lynx Mk88A helicopter engaged and destroyed an uncrewed surface vessel (USV) when it approached a civilian convoy under tow.[36] On the same day, the French frigateAlsace shot down three Houthiballistic missiles.[58]
As of 26 March, the French had fired 22Aster missiles.[59]
On 6 April, the German frigateHessen intercepted a missile launched from Houthi-controlled territory.[60]
On 25 April, the Greek frigateHydra fired shots at two drones as part of its mission in the Gulf of Aden. According to reports, the incident occurred while the frigate was deployed to protect a merchant vessel in the maritime route. The Greek frigate reportedly shot at two unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) using its 127 mm cannon: one drone was shot down, and the other altered course away from the merchant vessel.[61]
On 27 April, the issues affecting the deployment of Belgian frigateLouise-Marie were resolved, and the ship set course to the area of operations in the Red Sea.[41]
On 8 May, theNetherlands Ministry of Defence announcedKarel Doorman was suffering from technical issues with one of its weapons systems, delaying the deployment into the Red Sea. Independent reports confirmed the issues were with theGoalkeeper CIWS, which was deemed fully operational upon departure from the Netherlands on 21 April. After departingCrete Naval Base on 2 May, the vessel was spotted there again on 4 May, where it awaited repairs until setting sail for the area of operations on 10 May.[50][49][51]
On 13 June, the merchant vesselVerbena was struck by a Houthi missile attack. A heavily wounded crewmember was evacuated toKarel Doorman for medical treatment.[62]
On 15 June, Force Command transitioned from Italian Rear Admiral Stefano Costantino to Dutch Commodore George Pastoor, serving the role from aboardKarel Doorman.[24]
On 7 July, the Greek frigatePsara repelled a Houthi-launched drone strike of four drones, downing two of them.[63][64]
On 20 July, the Italian destroyerAndrea Doria joined the area of operations, replacing the departing Italian frigateVirginio Fasan[25]
On 8 August, command transitioned from Dutch Commodore George Pastoor aboardKarel Doorman, departing the area, to Italian Commodore Massimo Bonu aboard Italian destroyerAndrea Doria.[26]
On 21 August, the entire crew of the tankerSounion was rescued while the ship was drifting about 77 nautical miles (143 km; 89 mi) to the west ofAl Hudaydah port, using the French frigateChevalier Paul to evacuate the crew to nearbyDjibouti on 22 August 2024.[28]
While engaged in rescue operations,Chevalier Paul sighted an approaching Houthi explosive boat and successfully engaged and destroyed it with the frigate's20 mm Narwhal guns.[65]
