A US Navy commander said that officers proposed more aggressive strikes on the Houthis, but the senior leadership rejected this.

Rear Admiral Mark Miguez, who oversaw most of the Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group's missions in the Red Sea for eight months, said in an interview with YouTuber Ward Carroll that the US National Command Staff was considering an Iranian response.

Miguez said in the interview published on Monday: “There are specific strategies that have been put forward to deal with the Houthis, but the command body has decided that those I would call more aggressive stances and more aggressive strikes are not something we want to challenge.”

He said: “We all know the Iranian-backed groups like the Houthis, and we know where this threat stems from. This is the issue that is being dealt with from the highest bodies like the National Command Authority, at the National Security Agency, and everyone else.” He added, “These are things I do not interfere in it.”

Miguez added to Carroll that the aircraft carrier group launched seven ad hoc attacks on Houthi targets during its two-deployment from October 2023 to June 2024.

The group, which includes the aircraft carrier, had previously reported that it had fired more than 500 munitions to directly strike the Yemeni rebels and intercept their drones and missiles as they attacked commercial ships in the strait.

Since the departure of the Eisenhower Group, the carrier strike groups Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln have moved to the Middle East as regional tensions continue to rise.

Miguez indicated that he believes that the United States should adopt a more aggressive stance with the Houthis. “Moving forward, we are going to have to continue to deal with this,” he added. “It will be up to our command staff to be more aggressive against the Houthis using strike groups and all of our assets, not just the navy.”

More recently, the rebel group attacked a Greek-flagged oil tanker that caught fire and was left floating in the Red Sea.

Migüez said that in order to stop the attacks, the United States needs to mobilize all its resources more aggressively, including diplomacy and economic policy.

He said: “If we can focus on this approach comprehensively, I believe this is what will lead to freedom of navigation in this critical strait, which affects about 20% of global trade.”

Miguez was appointed Chief of Navy Legislative Affairs in July. Since leaving command of the Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group, he has been vocal about the need for the United States to train more to counter drones after seeing how widely the Houthis are using them in the Red Sea.