to protect commercial ships in the red sea. countries joining the security group include the uk, france, canada, bahrain, norway and spain. it comes after the energy giant, bp, suspended its shipping operations through the red sea because cargo vessels are being attacked by houthi rebels from yemen. this is the route taken by around 12% of world shipping which then passes through the suez canal. but several major freight companies have now stopped passing through here. because of the risk. instead they are taking the much longer route all the way around africa via the cape of good hope. that adds costs and delays. here s the us defense secretary lloyd austin. these attacks are reckless, dangerous and they violate international law. we are taking action to build an international coalition to address the threat. i would remind you that this is not just a us issue, this is an international problem and it deserves an international response. joining me now is marc 0stwald, chief e