Column 129

Fight the pirates

When piracy threatens global commerce, great powers need to fight back --collectively.

Nothing better signals the lack of -- and thus opportunity for -- comprehensive maritime security cooperation among the world's great powers than their collective inability to stem piracy in the Gulf of Aden and the Persian Gulf, not to mention the Straits of Malacca -- chokepoint for Asia's energy imports from the Middle East. Add it all up and we're talking $15 billion of losses every year.

Read on at KnoxNews.
Read on at Scripps Howard.

Comments

[David Emery]

Maybe someone with a maritime operations background can explain to me why we (in the large 'great powers' sense) can't institute a convoy system to defeat the pirates...

It could well be there's something obvious that this ground pounder doesn't understand about naval ops...

[Galrahn]

There is a convoy system and it has worked well. Not everyone uses it though. The pirates are adapting, and are now attacking in new places adapting to the tactical changes.

It is also very important to note, the US Navy is NOT involved in anti-piracy operations. The US Navy monitors two ships, MV Faina and the MV Serius Star but otherwise is not a participant in any anti-piracy role. There are valid reasons, reasons rooted in Grand Strategy and the US policy is being very effective towards our strategic goals of addressing this international problem with an international solution.