In recent weeks U.S. forces made multiple airstrikes against Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen in an effort to stop their disruption of commercial shipping in the Red Sea.
But the U.S. hasn’t done that work alone—it’s had the help of the United Kingdom, Canada, the Netherlands, and several other countries in carrying out those strikes. For most modern militaries, working with coalitions is the rule, not the exception.
What is a coalition?
In a coalition—“a temporary alliance of distinct parties, persons, or states for joint action,” according to Webster—the two key terms are “temporary” and “action.” One defines the “what” and the other the “why” of states with often disparate interests coming together to achieve some particular objective.
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