Saudi Arabia hosted an international meeting in Riyadh to finalize the creation of a multinational maritime defense alliance aimed at safeguarding freedom of navigation in the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait. The gathering addressed growing threats to maritime security, including risks to commercial vessels, oil tankers, and maritime infrastructure.
Participants discussed the draft alliance charter, its organizational structure, command and control arrangements, and future operational mechanisms. Attendees reached understandings on finalizing the establishment procedures, including the final draft of the charter and completing necessary organizational structures and technical arrangements.
Reports on attendance varied. One account stated that chiefs of staff and representatives from 43 countries and a delegation from the European Union attended. Another source indicated that the Saudi Ministry of Defense met with nearly 50 countries in Riyadh to establish the coalition.
Founding members and structure
Fourteen countries issued a joint statement at the conclusion of the meeting declaring their support for the alliance. The listed supporters included Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Jordan, Egypt, Pakistan, Turkey, Djibouti, Somalia, Bangladesh, Yemen, and the Comoros. However, discrepancies exist in reporting; one source includes Sudan in the list of founding countries instead of the Comoros, while other lists contain only 13 names despite claiming 14 participants.
Saudi Arabia was designated as the coalition’s founding and leading state and permanent headquarters. The Joint Operations Coordination Center, the Joint Maritime Operations Center, and the General Secretariat will be based in the kingdom. Participating states will continue completing their domestic procedures necessary for formally acceding to the coalition’s charter.
Defensive mandate and regional context
The move comes amid escalating threats to commercial shipping in the Red Sea after Yemen’s Houthi group, which is reported to be Iran-backed, declared a maritime blockade on Saudi Arabia on July 20 and reportedly claimed attacks on Saudi-linked vessels. Riyadh has vowed to protect maritime traffic and respond to threats against international navigation.
The joint statement called for strengthening cooperation in maritime security, intelligence and information sharing, operational planning, joint exercises, exchange of lessons learned, training, capacity building, and joint maritime operations. Officials described the initiative as an effective institutional framework for confronting shared maritime threats in areas including the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, the Red Sea, and the Gulf of Aden.