Washington, May 4 -- The United States' "Project Freedom" involves a large-scale military operation involving guided-missile destroyers, more than 100 aircraft and roughly 15,000 personnel, underscoring the urgency displayed by certain countries to support merchant vessels seeking safe transit through the Strait of Hormuz.
Yet despite its scale and firepower, it is unlikely to offer a lasting solution to the growing instability in one of the world's most critical maritime chokepoints.
According to US Central Command (CENTCOM), the mission extends far beyond escorting commercial vessels. Instead, it represents a broader effort to restore freedom of navigation in the strategically vital waterway, through which nearly a quarter of global sea...