Fourteen nations led by Saudi Arabia announced the creation of a naval coalition intended to keep the Bab el-Mandeb Strait open after the Houthis began harassing shipping, they said in a joint statement.
The coalition’s 14 founding members, announced on Thursday, are Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Sudan, Djibouti, Somalia, and the internationally recognized Yemeni government.
With the exception of Turkey, Egypt, and Pakistan, the collection of countries is notable for not having the most revered of navies. Somalia remains a largely failed state with no control over most of its claimed territory, and Sudan is largely occupied in a civil war currently locked in a stalemate. Every member of the coalition was almost entirely Muslim, with the exception of Nigeria, which has a population split between Islam and Christianity.
In the Global Firepower Ranking index, Sudan comes in 100th place in terms of number of vessels, out of 114 countries that possess actual monitored navies, making it the least valuable of the coalition. Somalia comes in 85th, Yemen in 74th, Jordan in 71st, Saudi Arabia in 67th, and Bahrain in 50th. Djibouti’s fleet is too small to even register. The countries also vary significantly in vessel quality.
Turkey, Egypt, and Pakistan may have the ability to make up for the deficit; however, with each possessing massive and modern navies, especially Turkey.
More notable are the absences: Only 14 of the 43 countries invited to the meeting in Riyadh joined the coalition. Even more notable were the absences of the United Arab Emirates and Oman, Gulf countries that have previously been closely involved in Yemeni affairs.
The United States attended the Thursday meeting and will provide support through its military partnerships with most members, but didn’t join.
Saudi Arabia’s path to direct combat against the Houthis after four years of a frozen conflict began earlier this month, when the Saudi Air Force bombed Sanaa Airport on July 13 to stop a Houthi delegation returning from former Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s funeral. The Houthis soon retaliated with a ballistic missile strike targeting Saudi Arabia’s Abha International Airport, then declared a naval blockade of Saudi Arabia. The group began attacking shipping in the Red Sea shortly after, and launched attacks on Saudi Arabia’s oil infrastructure.
Riyadh has undergone a complete overhaul of its military after its disastrous performance in the Yemeni Civil War, including the creation of a joint staff, a joint operations command, a new doctrine, a national defense strategy, and a human resource management program, all hallmarks of effective modern militaries that were entirely absent from the Saudi armed forces previously.
The biggest change has been the kingdom’s increase in military funding, becoming the fifth-biggest defense spender in 2025, and the third-largest arms importer. In terms of GDP percentage spent on the military, it is surpassed only by Ukraine. Its defense budget went from $64 billion in 2016 to $80 billion in 2024.
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Though most of the focus in reforms and expansion was on the air and ground forces, the navy has also been affected. Though much smaller than other regional navies, the kingdom’s vessels are mostly modernized and can outperform many regional competitors.
The Houthis were able to evade defeat from a coalition of some of the most capable modern navies from 2023 to 2025, including the U.S., setting up a daunting task for Saudi Arabia.