So this is where we are at with anti-piracy off the coast of Africa. The UN has given the plea, as has most organizations out there, that we need to do something about the rampant piracy going on in the Gulf of Aden. But where it all goes is up in the air. We need action, and not just talk, if the issue of piracy is to be dealt with properly. This latest resolution is nice, but if none of the nations out there are willing to contribute to this effort with naval support or they do not have the resources, then I really don’t see how the job could be done. Unless….. we actually re-visit the idea of private naval companies and using contract security companies to protect these ships.
I disagree with those that say a private force could not properly protect these ships. My best analogy for this is convoy security in places like Iraq or Afghanistan. If set up correctly with Rules for the Use of Force, and with good UN oversight, then security contractors could do an excellent job. But yet again, that would take the UN to re-evaluate it’s view on this type of activity.
Another idea is to have private naval companies provide the boats and crews, and have either US Navy or Marine troops man the guns. If the US Navy or whatever navy does not have the vessels in their system to perform these tasks, I am sure if they were to contract this out, they would get some providers. And the concept below, with putting a tank on top of one of these vessels looks funny, but the more I think about it, the more I like it.
But back to the legalities– if the UN will only allow a Nation’s military to perform these activities, then maybe this military/private military combination is a possible solution? In Iraq, you would see US military escorting civilian driven trucks hauling food and water and fuel all the time–let’s just switch this over to water convoy operations. And the targeting system on an Abrams tank would be very impressive on the high seas and could be used to effectively shut down these guys.
