“Our aim is to build the broadest international support to uphold freedom of navigation in the region, as protected under international law,” a British government statement quoted British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab saying. | Chris J Ratcliffe/Getty Images Defense U.S.-led Gulf maritime coalition 'rebranded' to attract more countries

Britain is joining the maritime coalition force protecting cargo ships in and around the Strait of Hormuz — but the mission, previously dubbed Operation Sentinel by the Pentagon, is being “rebranded” in an effort to attract more participation.

“The mission will see the Royal Navy working alongside the U.S. Navy to accompany merchant vessels through the Strait of Hormuz,” the British government said in a statement, adding British forces would play a “leading role” in the international maritime mission. Germany has declined to join the mission, which the U.S. military’s Central Command is organizing.


But neither the British announcement nor a statement from the Pentagon about Britain’s participation referred to Operation Sentinel, the name the U.S. military had given to the mission. That name is falling by the wayside, according to a British official who was not authorized to discuss the matter on the record.

“The rebranding, I’ll be frank, is to make this as open to as many nations as possible,” the official explained. “Some of the nations may have regional qualms or concerns or they may have economic qualms or concerns about badging any particular mission in a certain way.”

Spokespeople for the Pentagon and U.S. Central Command declined to comment on the rebranding or to say what happened to Sentinel moniker.

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But over the weekend, Defense Secretary Mark Esper told reporters he understood allies’ concerns that joining a U.S.-led naval coalition might risk drawing them into a confrontation between the U.S. and Iran.

“Nobody wants to be drawn into conflict with Iran,” Esper said when asked about the apparent reticence of allies to join the Sentinel mission.

More than 30 countries attended a Central Command conference on the mission last week, offering “various degrees of commitment,” he said, predicting “some announcements coming out soon … where you’ll see countries begin to sign up” for the effort.

“Our ambition has always been to internationalize it,” he said.

“Our aim is to build the broadest international support to uphold freedom of navigation in the region, as protected under international law,” British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said in his country's announcement. “Our approach to Iran hasn’t changed. We remain committed to working with Iran and our international partners to de-escalate the situation and maintain the nuclear deal.”



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