Folks have probably seen the reports of two pirate attacks off Somalia in the last couple of weeks. In one, a group of pirates attacked a North Korean flagged ship and were fought off by the crew, with the assistance of a US Navy destroyer (piracy makes strange bedfellows). In another attack, pirates successfully seized a Japanese ship, which is currently being shadowed by another USN destroyer. A couple of observations to build on what I wrote last week; first, piracy is mainly a consequence of geographically convenient failed states. When state governments have substantial control over their own territory, it becomes difficult for pirate bands to operate. As such, it probably shouldn't be U.S. policy to recklessly create failed states, as we've managed to do in Somalia. Whatever the shortcomings of the ICU, it did manage to cut down on piracy. Second, while an Arleigh Burke class destroyer (a very powerful and expensive ship) probably isn't the ideal vehicle for chasing pirates, it's better than nothing. We're already beginning to see some functional differentiation in naval force structure, dependent upon alliances. That is, instead of building fleets that replicate each others capabilities, the NATO allies and other allies of the United States are building ships with the idea of collaboration in mind. The hope is that as the USN and allied navies continue to pursue collaborative projects, the material (ships) available to the navies will become more appropriate to their likely tasks. --Robert Farley
