Borrell: We have to decide which country will lead the EU mission in the Red Sea

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said a decision must be made on which member state will lead the upcoming EU mission to protect vessels in the Red Sea. The top diplomat added that this operation could begin before mid-February, the Guardian reported.
"We have to decide which country will take command, where the headquarters will be and what naval assets the member states will provide," Borrell said ahead of an informal meeting of EU defense ministers.
He added that the operation would be called "Aspires", "which means defender", and said that February 17 was a possible launch date.
The EU already has one naval mission near the region - Operation Atalanta, which works against piracy off the Horn of Africa. Some member states were reluctant to expand its mission to cover the Red Sea and counter attacks by the Yemeni Houthis, preferring to create a new group./BGNES