Analysis of the Strategy to Combat Maritime Piracy

Abstract

The United States Navy has always considered combating piracy a mission and responsibility under international law and tradition. Recently, the importance of this mission has increased markedly. There are two reasons for this. First, the increase in pirate attacks has endangered the passage of shipping through major shipping lanes and choke points. Pirates have attacked several ships, placing the lives of U.S. citizens in danger. Second, because piracy has recently been highly profitable, many unsavory characters have accumulated large sums of money. These parties may, at least in part, be supplying funding to support terrorist groups. A nation must have a plan to expend limited resources in pursuit of a clear and achievable objective. Given the United States limited assets, is the current Strategic Plan to combat piracy effective? This thesis argues that the United States current strategy for combating piracy is ineffective because the social and economic factor that contribute to piracy in the Horn of Africa are not adequately addressed.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Dec 11, 2009
Accession Number
ADA512384

Entities

People

  • William M. Davis

Organizations

  • United States Army Command and General Staff College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Ground and Sea Platforms
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Boats
  • Coast Guard
  • Commerce
  • Employment
  • European Union
  • Geography
  • International Law
  • International Organizations
  • Law
  • Marine Transportation
  • Maritime Industry
  • National Security
  • Naval Operations
  • Naval Vessels
  • Topography
  • United States
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Economics
  • Naval Engineering and Maritime Security
  • Strategic Security Studies