Vice admiral John Miller of US Naval Central Command told a conference in Abu Dhabi that a "robust" US and international maritime presence was helping to minimise threats to oil-producing countries in the region.
"As dynamic as the region is today, what we have seen over the past years is the maritime atmosphere has been safe, the free flow of commerce has been stable and secure," he said.
Combined maritime forces have up to 70 vessels on the water every day. Miller believes this is enough.
"An organisation like ISIL (Islamic State) is capable of surprising us ... so we want to work hard to eliminate that opportunity for surprise and we do that through a robust presence in the maritime environment."
"In the Suez Canal what we've seen consistently despite unrest that has occurred in Egypt...(is) a Suez canal that is secure and properly administered," he said.
He described unrest in Yemen as a “very dynamic situation”, however.
"Instability in Yemen is something that has the potential to lead to instability in the strait of Bab el Mandab in the Gulf of Aden in the southern part of the Red Sea, all of which is cause for concern," he said.
