San Diego intelligent expert weighs in on Houthi attacks in Red Sea

SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — U.S. warships remain on high alert following a series of attacks against an American warship and multiple commercial ships in the Middle East.

These attacks happened on Sunday when Iran-backed Houthi militants fired a series of ballistic missiles at commercial vessels in the Red Sea.

SEE Pentagon says US warship, commercial ships attacked in Red Sea

10News spoke with Bryan Stern, founder and CEO of Project Dynamo, a non-profit organization based in Tampa, Florida, on how these attacks can affect San Diego.

Project Dynamo aids international search and rescue in disaster areas and conflict zones worldwide, where the U.S. government has no access or presence.

Stern is a career intelligence officer who has spent 25 years serving at the national level. He was also a 9/11 first responder, Navy and Army veteran.

“We’re now in a position where bad actors are not only attacking us but thinking they can get away with it,” Stern said.

The Houthis also launched drones, which were shot down by a US Navy Destroyer, according to U.S. officials. Stern said he expects military training protocols to reflect “the current threat environment.”

With an increasing number of commercial ships under threat, San Diego businesses could also feel the effects of the attacks, especially when it comes to shipped goods, according to Stern.

“We’ve survived global shipping problems all through COVID, and we all know how that worked out…it wasn’t very good,” Stern said. “When the ceilings are under duress or threat, manufacturing gets complicated. Shipping gets complicated. Commercial business gets complicated.”