Saudi Arabia names commander for maritime defence coalition

Rear Admiral Abdullah bin Salem Al-Shehri will lead the multinational coalition’s naval defence to protect trade, energy routes.Published On 6 Aug 20266 Aug 2026Saudi Arabia has announced the appointment of a commander for a multinational maritime defence alliance to protect freedom of navigation through the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.The Saudi Ministry of Defence said in a statement on Thursday that Rear Admiral Abdullah bin Salem Al-Shehri has been appointed commander of the coalition a week after its establishment.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Saudi Arabia announces maritime defence alliance to secure vital waterwayslist 2 of 3Yemen’s Houthis deny plan to charge ships transiting Red Sealist 3 of 3Misread as passive, the Gulf is quietly ending fifty years of dependenceend of listAl-Shehri will oversee joint naval defence, coordinate with member states and other maritime coalitions, and carry out missions under the coalition’s charter, it added on X.Bahrain, Bangladesh, the Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Turkiye and Yemen announced the formation of the coalition on July 30.More co...