Piracy

Counter-Piracy Task Force: Strategic Approaches to the Piracy Challenge

Adrienne Chuck — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 12:58:41 -0600

On February 8, 2012, the International Security Program and the Michael S. Ansari Africa Center hosted a meeting of the Atlantic Council Maritime Piracy Task Force, chaired by Atlantic Council Board Director Franklin D. Miller. This is the third in a series of meetings looking into the challenge of piracy and possible strategic approaches. The first part of the discussion, led by Thomas Kelly, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary in the US State Department’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, reviewed the US Government’s perspective on piracy and current efforts to combat it off the coast of Somalia. The second part of the discussion featured a presentation by Commander James Kraska, USN, Howard S. Levie Chair of Operational Law at the US Naval War College, who highlighted the various international and domestic legal issues surrounding maritime piracy. Taking part in the meeting were representatives of the US government, including military personnel, and the private sector.

As maritime piracy has emerged as a potential high profile challenge for the United States, its allies, trading partners, and global commerce, the Atlantic Council is leading a limited-duration, limited-scope project designed to produce actionable and policy-relevant analysis and recommendations on US approaches to the maritime piracy challenge in the complex international context. The Task Force consists of a series of meetings by a standing group of high-level strategic actors--former US administration officials, distinguished members of academia, international organizations, transportation/logistics industry executives, and occasional ad hoc expert invitees to define the problem and develop courses of action for the formation of US policy. The Task Force will make explicit, implementable recommendations to key policy groups: Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Department of State, the Joint Chiefs, the National Security Council, and other elements of the interagency policy community.

Bronwyn Bruton on WAMU Radio to Discuss Hostages in Somalia

Adrienne Chuck — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 00:30:09 -0600

Bronwyn Bruton, deputy director of the Michael S. Ansari Africa Center, was featured on WAMU Radio's Kojo Nnamdi Show on a segment entitled "Piracy in Somalia." On January 24, US Navy SEALs rescued a Danish and an American aid worker that had been held hostage by Somali pirates for months. Ms. Bruton discussed the story behind the story, describing who the pirates are, what they want, and what -- if any -- role the international community can play in helping Somalia overcome its 'failed state' status.

Click here to listen to the interview

Senior Officials: New Defense Review Recognizes U.S. NATO Commitments

Jorge Benitez — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 11:03:32 -0600

From Donna Miles, Armed Forces Press Service: As the United States implements new strategic guidance that increases its focus on Asia and the Pacific, it also needs to pursue “smart defense initiatives” as it continues to honor its NATO commitments, a senior defense official said today.

Budget constraints will demand new efficiencies and new approaches to collective defense, Julianne Smith, deputy assistant secretary of defense for Europe and NATO policy, told reporters at the Foreign Press Center here.

Smith joined Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Phillip Gordon in explaining how the new strategic guidance will impact defense in the European theater.

“The trans-Atlantic relationship remains an essential source of stability in an unpredictable world,” Gordon said, with Europe remaining the United States’ principal partner in promoting global and economic security.

“And so the strategy outlined last week reaffirms our commitment to European security,” he said, and continued commitment to the so-called Article 5 responsibility to aid any NATO ally in the event of an attack.

Gordon underscored the need to continue enhancing U.S. cooperation and interoperability with European partners to maintain this commitment and address global challenges.

He cited the recent military cooperation in Libya and current operations in Afghanistan, Kosovo, the Balkans and Horn of Africa, as well as diplomatic cooperation on issues ranging from non-proliferation and missile defense. (photo: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)

Despite tensions, US rescues 13 Iranian seamen from pirates

Jorge Benitez — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 10:25:18 -0600

From Jim Miklaszewski and staff, MSNBC: Casting aside current tensions between the U.S. and Iran, the U.S. Navy on Friday rescued 13 Iranian seamen who were being held captive by Somali pirates in the Gulf of Oman.

A Navy helicopter from the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis, responding to a distress call from a merchant ship under attack by pirates, chased the pirates to their "mother ship," an Iranian-flagged dhow that had earlier been hijacked.

A heavily-armed counter-piracy team from the Navy destroyer USS Kidd met little resistance when they boarded the dhow where they found 15 armed pirates and the 13 Iranians who were being held hostage. The pirates were taken into custody. The Iranians were set free in their dhow.

The rescue occurred about 175 miles southeast of Muscat, Oman.

It came less than two days after Iran threatened never to allow the USS John C. Stennis back to the Persian gulf following its departure last week for the Gulf of Oman and North Arabian Sea. . . .

Britain's defense secretary warned Iran Thursday that any attempt to block the key global oil passageway the Strait of Hormuz would be illegal and unsuccessful — hinting at a robust international response.

During his first visit to the Pentagon for talks with U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, Philip Hammond told the Atlantic Council in Washington that the presence of British and American naval ships in the Persian Gulf would ensure the route is kept open for trade. (photo: AFP/Iran state media)

SACEUR: Five Key NATO Events in 2011

Jorge Benitez — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 16:51:22 -0600

From James Stavridis, Allied Command Operations: As I look back on 2011, I think we had a reasonably good year in the operational sense. Lots of good "end of the year” retrospectives are appearing in various magazines and on-line sites, and I thought I’d chip in with my own top five operational moments for the Alliance this past year – and a hope that it stays at least relatively quiet between now and the end of the year.

Libyan Operations. At the top of my list is the seven month operation we undertook at the request of the United Nations to protect the people of Libya from a repressive and ruthless dictator. It was successfully completed in late October.

We conducted 26,000 aircraft sorties and intercepted over 3,000 ships in the course of conducting a no-fly zone and an arms embargo. In order to limit the ability of the Libyan regime to attack its own people, we conducted nearly 9,000 strike sorties and hit well over 6,000 targets, effectively destroying much of the "kill chain.” While no operation is perfect, we tried very hard to limit collateral damage to the minimum. Overall we learned a great deal and will work on improving targeting, intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, air refueling, and other aspects of our capabilities.

Afghanistan Transition and Operations. In November, the government of Afghanistan announced a second group of provinces and districts that began transition to Afghan Security Force-led operations. This brings about 50% of the entire population of Afghanistan under the protection of Afghan Army and Police units, with the international coalition and NATO in a support, mentorship, and training role in these areas.

Our plan to complete a full transition by the end of 2014 remains on track, although significant challenges remain, especially in relations with Pakistan. We suffered from a cross-border incident that included the tragic deaths of 24 Pakistani soldiers and is under investigation today. We’re hoping to improve coordination and cooperation across the border as the New Year unfolds.

Tension in Kosovo. After several years of positive progress – and a reduction from 15,000 NATO troops in 2009 to only 5,000 today – we’ve seen rising border tension between Kosovo and Serbia. While far from the sort of Balkans tragedies of the 1990s (when over 100,000 were killed and close to 2 million people made refugees), we clearly have more work to do in Kosovo.

Due to a series of violent incidents in northern Kosovo, our NATO Commander requested and has in hand an over-the-horizon security force to help maintain a safe and secure environment. I’ll be headed there personally soon to evaluate and present options to NATO. Clearly, this is a politically charged situation and the EU is working hard to bring the parties together.

Reductions in Piracy. After several years of rising attack levels, we may be seeing progress against attacks in the second half of 2011. Success rates for attacks have dropped considerably, and there are fewer attacks than during this period last year. Some of the reasons for this include patrolling by NATO, EU, and various national forces at sea; pressure ashore militarily and in the area of development; better practices at sea by civilian mariners (convoys and citadels, for example); and the addition of armed security teams.

NATO remains committed to the counter-piracy mission, and our ships will continue to sail in the area off the coast of Africa for the foreseeable future.

Missile Defense Unfolding. The first steps in creating a new, alliance-based missile defense system in Europe are in progress. The United States, providing a sea-based AEGIS system initially, has sent ships to sea as a framework. NATO is putting in place the command-and-control system to ensure we do this right. The hope is to offer an initial capability in time for the May 2012 summit in Chicago. While a challenging timeline, I think we can and will make it. Stay tuned!

Overall, we’ve done quite a bit in NATO operations in 2011 – with 170,000 operators on three continents at our peak during Libyan operations. We’re also doing things in cyber, restructuring and stream-lining our command structures (cutting 6 major HQ and 4,000 billets, for example), air policing, and many other things.

It’s been a busy year, but a good one overall.

U.S. Admiral James Stavridis is NATO's Supreme Allied Commander, Europe (SACEUR). (photo: Jose Cabezas/AFP)

Martin Murphy’s RUSI Journal Article on Somali Piracy

Adrienne Chuck — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 05:23:13 -0600

Martin Murphy, resident senior fellow in the Michael S. Ansari Africa Center, is the author of an article on “Somali Piracy: Why Should We Care?” in the current issue of the RUSI Journal. In his essay, Murphy contends that Somali piracy is the single biggest maritime threat since World War II, with consequences resonating far beyond the shores of Somalia that have political, geostrategic, naval, economic and human security aspects. He then argues that only a multi-layered approach, combining long-term political and economic incentives with a short-term clamp-down on pirate activities, can provide an effective and sustainable solution.

First published in 1857, the RUSI Journal is the flagship publication of the Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies (RUSI) in London.

Click here to download the article (pdf)

Piracy in the Gulf of Guinea: A Growing Threat to Transatlantic Security

Adrienne Chuck — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 11:57:39 -0600

On December 13, the Michael S. Ansari Africa Center hosted a panel discussion on “Piracy in the Gulf of Guinea: A Growing Threat to Transatlantic Security,” chaired by Atlantic Council Board Director Admiral Henry G. Ulrich III, USN (Ret.). Following introductory remarks by Ansari Center director J. Peter Pham, presentations were made by Daniel Whiteneck, operations and tactic analysis research analyst at the Center for Naval Analyses (CNA); Kevin Doherty, president of Nexus Consulting; Stan Ayscue, vice-president of Securewest International; Phillip J. Heyl, chief of the Air and Maritime Branch at the US Africa Command (AFRICOM); and Martin N. Murphy, resident senior fellow in the Ansari Africa Center.

While piracy off Somalia is receiving considerable public attention—and consuming significant military and diplomatic resources from the United States and other countries—it is the growing number of pirate attacks in the Gulf of Guinea, off the coast of Nigeria and its neighbors, that actually presents the more direct threat to the economic security of America and its transatlantic partners. Nigeria’s failure to deal adequately with the revolt in the Niger Delta and well as the rising terror threat in northern regions from Boko Haram and other Islamist groups have caused some to worry that Africa’s most populous country a failed state in the making. Panelists discussed the recent history of maritime depredation in the Gulf of Guinea and what trends indicate might be developing, the role of naval force and private armed security in the protection of shipping, the potential impact of Nigeria’s growing internal turmoil on regional maritime security, and how the US and its allies should respond to these threats.

AUDIO (.mp3)

MEDIA MENTIONS

Piracy Rises in Oil-Rich West Africa - Nico Colombant, Voice of America

EU faces warship shortage for Somali piracy mission

Jorge Benitez — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 09:43:14 -0600

From David Brunnstrom, Reuters: The European Union is short of warships for its counter-piracy mission off Somalia and is unlikely the fill the gap until March given economic constraints, the top EU military officer said on Tuesday.

Swedish General Hakan Syren, chairman of the EU Military Committee, said the shortage would be a "problem", without going into further details.

An EU military official later played down the challenge, saying the shortfall would coincide with a period when pirate attacks normally declined and the bloc would be able to sustain the mission. . . .

Pirates operating from the Somali coast have raked in millions of dollars in ransoms from hijacking ships and a total of 243 hostages and 10 vessels are currently being held, according to figures from EU Navfor, the EU's anti-piracy task force. . . .

Syren said the EU operation, codenamed Atalanta, had a normal minimum force requirement of four to six warships, depending on the time of the year, and this would not be met in the period from December until March.

"The ... commander has a minimum level of both maritime patrol aircraft and ships; and during quite a limited time ... the number of ships is below the red line," he told a news conference after a meeting of defence chiefs of the 27 EU states.

"It's a problem. I am telling you the facts and it is really a problem ... and we have faced this before," he said. (photo: European Council)