Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro has decided that sailors operating in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden will be eligible for combat awards and devices for any actions that they have performed since Oct. 19, when violence spiked due to the Israel-Hamas war and Houthi rebels began drone and missile attacks.
As the Pentagon publicly argued that the U.S. military had not been pulled into a wider conflict in the Middle East, Navy officials said sailors and crews have downed nearly 200 drones and missiles in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden since Oct. 19 and conducted strikes on more than 400 targets in Yemen since Jan. 11.
“Since Oct. 19, our ships, aircraft and those who operate them have performed with exceptional professionalism and dedication — our Navy and Marine Corps are integral to our economic and national security,” Del Toro said in a statement released Wednesday about authorizing the awards and devices.
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The move serves to recognize the valor of sailors and service members under fire, but it also underscores some of the lack of transparency and shifting arguments that military leaders have employed since the shooting began last fall.
The naval administrative message that accompanied the announcement said that sailors and units will now be eligible for the Combat Action Ribbon, as well as personal military…
