US Navy's Fifth Fleet Planning to Launch Middle East-Based Drone Task Force Alongside Allies

US Navy Vice Adm. Brad Cooper, who heads the Middle East-based US Fifth Fleet, announced Monday that it would launch an unmanned naval drone task force to support allied nations in the region and patrol key oil and shipping areas. The fleet's area of operations includes the Strait of Hormuz, the Suez Canal, and Yemen's Strait of Bab el-Mandeb.