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--Robert Farley
A fleet of European warships operating under the aegis of the European Union is headed for the Horn of Africa:
Britain is to lead an armada of EU warships to the Gulf of Aden next month to tackle the escalating problem of piracy, in a mission expected to last 12 months.The EU contingent will relieve several ships currently operating under NATO command. This represents a serious commitment on the part of the EU to anti-piracy activity. It's also significant in terms of expanding the institutional military footprint of the European Union. In related news, the United Nations is imposing additional sanctions on Somalia (directed at those regions benefiting from piracy), and Russia is deploying additional ships to the area.The naval fleet, under UK command, would "disrupt and tackle the scourge of piracy", foreign secretary David Miliband said yesterday on a visit to Beirut. Piracy threatened trade and prosperity, he added.
EU military planners this week drew up a mandate, including rules of engagement for the use of force, for the mission at a meeting at Northwood, Britain's joint operations centre in north-west London. Plans for the EU fleet, led by HMS Northumberland and known as Operation Atalanta, are due to be formally agreed early next month, European defence officials said yesterday.
--Robert Farley
