Feral Jundi

Saturday, April 25, 2009

Maritime Security: Petraeus-Shippers Should Consider Armed Guards

Filed under: Maritime Security,Somalia — Tags: , , , , — Matt @ 7:48 AM

“It’s tough to be on the end of a water hose if the other guy is on the end of an RPG. So you’ve got to think your way through that calculation as well.” 

   I wonder if Petraeus reads FJ? LOL So maybe now the shipping industry might finally adjust their thinking on such things? –Matt

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Petraeus: Shippers should consider armed guards

By LARA JAKES, Associated Press Writer Lara Jakes, Associated Press Writer Fri Apr 24

WASHINGTON – The global shipping industry should consider placing armed guards on its boats to ward off pirates who have become increasingly violent, the U.S. military commander who oversees the African coastline said Friday.

Gen. David Petraeus, who came to the Capitol to talk about a wide variety of issues, told a House committee Friday that just trying to outrun or block pirates from boarding cargo ships isn’t enough to deter sea bandits off the Somali coast who are becoming more aggressive. The Pentagon is starting to study how to better protect merchant shipping, but hasn’t yet come up with a formal plan.

The shipping industry has resisted arming their boats, which would deny them port in some nations.

In response to questions from a House Appropriations subcommittee, Petraeus said defensive preparations short of armed guards “can work. You can have water hoses and others that can make it more difficult.”

But in a wry tone, he added: “It’s tough to be on the end of a water hose if the other guy is on the end of an RPG. So you’ve got to think your way through that calculation as well.”

An RPG is a rocket-propelled grenade launcher.

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Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Maritime Security: Congressman’s Plan to Fend Off Pirates

Filed under: Maritime Security — Tags: , , , , — Matt @ 11:52 PM

 “a free-market solution to make the high seas safer for cargo ships.”

   This should be the theme of Feral Jundi, although I would rework it to apply to the big three–piracy, drugs, and terrorism.  I really like this idea, and it is an ‘out of the box/building snowmobiles’ solution that has actually been implemented in the past with great success. Applying a free market solution to not just make the seas safer, but the world safer, is the kind of concept that could be a game changer in these endless wars we are fighting.  

   The other point I wanted to make, is nothing else seems to be working that great in the war on drugs, terror, or piracy. Why not try it out, and really give it a go?  Wars are extremely expensive, and the Letter of Marque might be the solution to actually save some money.  Things to think about, as these wars drag on. –Matt 

Edit:  Watch Ron Paul’s Youtube Talk about the Subject Here 

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Ron Paul’s plan to fend off pirates

By: Erika Lovley

April 15, 2009 04:16 AM EST

A little-known congressional power could help the federal government keep the Somali pirates in check — and possibly do it for a discount price.

Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) and a growing number of national security experts are calling on Congress to consider using letters of marque and reprisal, a power written into the Constitution that allows the United States to hire private citizens to keep international waters safe.

Used heavily during the Revolution and the War of 1812, letters of marque serve as official warrants from the government, allowing privateers to seize or destroy enemies, their loot and their vessels in exchange for bounty money.

The letters also require would-be thrill seekers to post a bond promising to abide by international rules of war.

In a YouTube video earlier this week, Paul suggested lawmakers consider issuing letters, which could relieve American naval ships from being the nation’s primary pirate responders — a free-market solution to make the high seas safer for cargo ships.

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Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Maritime Security: Aegis to Help Combat Piracy Off Somali Coast

   Interesting news.  I wonder if this is a precursor to Aegis coordinating a massive security contractor effort in Africa to deal with piracy? Kind of like the ROC in Iraq.  We will have to keep our eye on this one. –Matt

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Aegis to help combat piracy off Somali coast

By Sylvia Pfeifer in London

April 21 2009

Tim Spicer, the founder and chief executive of Aegis Defence Services, the private security company whose main market is in Iraq, is preparing to do battle on the high seas by tackling piracy off the coast of Somalia.

The company is in talks with several states in the region, including the Yemeni and Djibouti governments, about setting up a command and control centre that would monitor the threat of piracy and act as an information exchange centre for vessels in the area. Somali pirates have stepped up attacks in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean in recent weeks, forcing the issue on to the agenda of Western governments.

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Sunday, April 19, 2009

Somalia: William Lind on Piracy, and Letter of Marque in the News

Filed under: Maritime Security,Somalia — Tags: , , , — Matt @ 9:15 AM

Everything old, is new again!  lol

    This article is from last month, but it is still pretty good.  It has pissed off some folks though, because some say Lind’s assessment is too dated or simplistic for today’s complex world.  But hey, Lind is just using history to help answer today’s questions and this is the 4th Gen. Warfare master talking here.  I also posted a Google search for Letter of Marque, and surprisingly the concept has some legs. –Matt

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A Barometer of Order

William Lind | March 04, 2009

      On the surface, the antics of Somali pirates and the comic opera response of the maritime powers is worthy of a re-visit by Gilbert and Sullivan.  Despite the presence off Somalia of the largest concentration of international warships since World War II, Somali pirates go on their merry ways, taking ships and holding them for ransoms.  While they seldom make their captives walk the plank and most prefer the green flag of Islam to the Jolly Roger, they are pirates in the full sense of the word, owing allegiance to no state.  Pirates might be justified in claiming they were the original Fourth Generation warriors.

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Tuesday, April 14, 2009

History: U.S. Code, Title 18, Part 1, Chapter 81-Piracy and Privateering

Filed under: History,Legal News,Maritime Security — Tags: , , , — Matt @ 10:02 PM

   So there you have it, a legal framework for how to deal with piracy or fire up the privateer machine to go after these Somali pirates.  It’s a little old, but blow off the dust and do a little tweaking, and these old laws could definitely be applied to this modern day scourge of piracy

   All kidding aside, if you really get into the language of these laws, you can totally get a feel for what that era was like back then.  It was part business, part warfare, and this was our attempt at regulating this massive industry back then.  Crude-yes, but at least they were rules to keep everyone in line.  Something we can certainly learn from. –Matt

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U.S. Code 

TITLE 18, PART I, CHAPTER 81

CHAPTER 81—PIRACY AND PRIVATEERING

1651. Piracy under law of nations

Whoever, on the high seas, commits the crime of piracy as defined by the law of nations, and is afterwards brought into or found in the United States, shall be imprisoned for life.

1652. Citizens as pirates

Whoever, being a citizen of the United States, commits any murder or robbery, or any act of hostility against the United States, or against any citizen thereof, on the high seas, under color of any commission from any foreign prince, or state, or on pretense of authority from any person, is a pirate, and shall be imprisoned for life.

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