U.S. officials are planning to expand a maritime force in the Red Sea to defend against escalating attacks from the Iran-backed Houthi rebels, which have impeded international shipping routes. The Combined Maritime Forces, a 39-member international coalition, operates under the U.S. Navy Fifth Fleet in Bahrain to protect maritime access and stability. A subdivision of the forces, called Task Force 153 is dedicated to the Red Sea. “What we’re trying to do is is strengthen and bolster it, and operationalize it, in ways that perhaps it hadn’t been operationalized prior to these Houthi attacks,” National Security Council ... (full story)