Royal Marines Stand Ready

It is still unclear if anything will come of it, but the BBC is reporting the Royal Marines are standing ready to conduct an evacuation of British citizens from Yemen if necessary.

Some 80 Royal Marines are on standby off the coast of Yemen to assist with the possible evacuation of British civilians, the BBC has learned.

The marines are thought to be aboard a naval support ship, RFA Fort Victoria, near Yemen, according to naval sources.

The Ministry of Defence said British military assets were in the region but it would not comment on their exact operational task.

Yemen has been affected by weeks of political instability and violence.

This represents an interesting use of an axillary ship. It is entirely possible that in the future we could see this kind of operation done by the United States using ships of the Maritime Sealift Command.

When a fleet shrinks, you use what you have as opposed to what you need.