<span style="color: #222222;">Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles yesterday said that his government will send 11 military personnel to support Operation Prosperity Guardian, a US-led mission to protect cargo shipping in the Red Sea. </span><br />''<br />''He also said that they will not send a warship or plane, as their military needs to remain focused on the Asia-Pacific region. These military personnel would be sent in January to Operation headquarters in Bahrain, where five Australians are already posted.<br />''<br />''<span style="color: #222222;">Earlier this week, the United States announced that several nations are creating a task force named Operation Prosperity Guardian, to protect commercial ships from the attacks of the Iran-backed Houthis, using drones and ballistic missiles. </span><br />