RAF deployment to Saudi Arabia 'key to national security', insists Defence Minister following Houthi attacks
The UK mission will be limited to supporting Saudi aircraft defending the country from attacks by drones and missiles rather than supporting strikes against the Houthis.
Defence Minister Luke Pollard has insisted the deployment of an RAF refuelling plane to Saudi Arabia is 'key to UK national security', after Andy Burnham agreed to give military support to defend against Houthi rebels in Yemen.
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Detailing the move, the Defence Minister told Nick Ferrari at Breakfast that the UK will be sending an RAF Voyager, described as an "air-to-air refuelling tanker", to the region, deployed from RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus.
The deployment, which will last for "a matter of weeks in the initial phase", is designed to keep Saudi Arabia's Typhoon jets "in the air longer".
The move will help Saudi Arabia refuel the British-built jets and "fly in their defensive actions".
"The longer the jets are the air, the more deterrence they can offer," Mr Pollard insisted.
Late on Monday, the Prime Minister announced the move following discussions with Defence Secretary Wes Streeting and Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband amid fears that the deepening Middle East crisis will add to cost pressures facing British households.
"So many of your listeners, Nick, will have heard time and time again the concerns around what's happening in the Strait of Hormuz and when Iran closed that, the impact was on energy prices," the Defence Minister continued.
As a result, pressure has now been placed on Saudi Arabia's Bab el-Mandeb Strait - another maritime pinch point and alternative to the Strait of Hormuz that has become a target for the Iran-linked Houthi rebels.
The passage is the next best direct route for oil and goods, before eventually travelling through the Suez Canal into the Mediterranean.
"Now, making sure that we are acting to keep that strait open and supporting our friends in Yemen and also in Saudi Arabia to defend against the Houthi attacks— Houthis have been firing missiles at the capital in Riyadh— is an important part of ensuring our national security is protected.
Adding: "So we're backing the economic security of the region as well."
Speaking to reporters as he travelled to the United Nations General Assembly in New York, the Prime Minister said: “We have received a request from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for military support.
“On the advice of the Defence Secretary and the Foreign Secretary, last night I agreed to that request for defensive air-to-air refuelling.
“That’s the agreement we’ve given."
The Iran-backed Houthis have secured a stranglehold over the Bab al-Mandab strait, a maritime chokepoint on the Red Sea, vital for traffic heading to Europe through the Suez Canal.
The Saudis have been targeting the Houthis, while the Yemeni group has been firing missiles at the oil-rich kingdom.
The UK mission will be limited to supporting Saudi aircraft defending the country from attack by drones and missiles rather than supporting strikes against the Houthis.
The use of the Voyager tanker is expected to start within days, and the mission will be time-limited, with officials indicating it could last for “weeks”.
The refuelling mission is in addition to the UK Sky Sabre air defence system already deployed in Saudi Arabia.
Mr Burnham said he was “acting to secure the interests of Britain and the wider region because, of course, Saudi Arabia has been experiencing attacks, is looking at potential further disruption, and we need to keep those pathways open, and hence our agreement to the request”.