US Central Command says it will be launching “Project Freedom” on Monday to restore freedom of navigation for commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
“The mission, directed by the president will support merchant vessels seeking to freely transit through the essential international trade corridor,” CENTCOM says in a statement after Trump announced the planned operation earlier to escort ships stuck in the Strait of Hormuz.
“Our support for this defensive mission is essential to regional security and the global economy as we also maintain the naval blockade,” says CENTCOM commander Adm. Brad Cooper in a statement, pointing out that a quarter of the world’s oil trade at sea and significant volumes of fuel and fertilizer products are transported through Hormuz.
The latest operation will include guided-missile destroyers, over 100 land and sea-based aircraft, multi-domain unmanned platforms, and 15,000 service members, CENTCOM says.
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