Piracy That Calls for the Navy's Power
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There was one disturbing aspect of the Sept. 27 front-page story "On a Vital Route, a Boom in Piracy," and that is the near-total absence of the Navy in combating Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden. Not until near the end of the article was the Navy mentioned -- through a Royal Navy spokesman! -- as urging the shipping industry to arm to protect itself. Is this to be our Navy's major contribution?
The Navy, along with the Coast Guard and the Marine Corps, signed on to "A Cooperative Strategy for 21st Century Seapower" in October 2007. This strategy calls for the Navy to "act across the full range of military operations to . . . establish favorable security conditions." It pledges that "[c]redible combat power will be continuously postured in . . . the Arabian Gulf/Indian Ocean to protect our vital interests" and notes, "The creation and maintenance of security at sea is essential to mitigating threats short of war, including piracy."
Piracy is an internationally recognized crime, and the fact that it is being committed, in the case of Somalia, from an ungoverned territory increases rather than lessens the international community's responsibility to act. Has the commander of the Fifth Fleet read this strategy document? Does he believe it?
Long ago, merchant ships armed themselves because there were no warships. Can the world's most powerful navy really mean that merchant ships must now do so, again, because the Navy will not act on their behalf?
CHARLES DRAGONETTE
Alexandria
