The document discusses piracy off the coast of Somalia. It describes the area of operations as covering 27 regional nations and over 16.8 million square kilometers, including important shipping lanes and energy reserves. It outlines the clan-based Somali society and explains how pirates organize along clan lines. The document also summarizes the international naval response to piracy, including Operation Atalanta led by the EU and CTF-151 supported by the US. It notes challenges include stabilizing Somalia and developing long-term rule of law.
1. UNCLASSIFIED
Somalia Piracy
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2. UNCLASSIFIED
The Battlefield Issues
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3. UNCLASSIFIED
Area of Operations
1000 NM
1000 NM
27 regional nations (14 with coastline)
1000 NM 3 chokepoints
16.8 million km2
80% of global energy reserves
Religious center for 1.5 billion Muslims
23.000 ships passing the Gulf of Aden
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5. UNCLASSIFIED
Somali Society… The Core Issue
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6. Clan… Sub-Clan… Dia Paying Groups
• Clans
– General groupings of
individuals from a lineage
aspect
• Local manner of governance
– Tribal leaders
– Pay blood (dia) debts
– Forms the core of Somali
society as dia-paying groups
Formed around
economic activities
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7. UNCLASSIFIED
Red Forces…
aka The Pirates
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8. UNCLASSIFIED
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10. The Pirate Level Perspective
• Organized along blood-paying • Pirates coordinate their attacks.
group lines… Family ties matter. Cell phones
• Sea State Limited (no more than • Pirates leaders ashore or in larger
about 4-6 ft waves) mother ships are using
spoofing/fake distress calls etc.
• When met with over-whelming
force all pirates in small skiffs are
willing to surrender. Only dhow
mother ships have resisted
apprehension
• Pirates use different kinds of
mother vessels to disguise their
movements and for element of
surprise. AIS-information is most
likely utilized from the larger
mother ships.
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11. Pirate Incident Vignette #1
• M/V Sirius Star (January 2009)
– Taken down 450 nautical miles SE of Mombasa Kenya
– 2 million barrels of crude oil greater than a quarter of Saudi
Arabia's daily oil production output… Worth $100 million
– Ransomed for $3 million…
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12. UNCLASSIFIED
Eyl
IKONOS Satellite Image
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13. UNCLASSIFIED
Blue Forces…
The Naval Response
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14. Ongoing International Community Response
• Operation ATALANTA EU Task Force
– EU Mandate under Cooperative Defense
– RADM Duncan Potts, Royal Navy
• CTF 151 Supported Commander under U.S. C5F
– RADM Tanin Likitawong, Royal Thai Navy
• Russian Task Force
– Commander Captain Ildar Ahmerov
– 2 Ships a tanker and a tug
• Chinese Naval Escort Task Force 171 (recently detached)
– 1 Destroyer and 1 Frigate
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15. UNCLASSIFIED
Combined Maritime Forces
CFMCC
DCFMCC
Supported Commanders
CTF – 152 CTF – 150 CTF – 151
Central & Southern Arabian Gulf Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, Gulf of
Counter Piracy
Oman and Arabian Sea
Supporting Commanders
CTF- 50 CTF- 51 CTF- 53 CTF- 54 CTF- 55 CTF- 56 CTF- 561 CTF- 57
CSG ESG Logistics Submarines Patrol Boats Ordnance Special Maritime Patrol
Disposal Operations
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16. UNCLASSIFIED
Naval Forces Snapshot
TIPPU SULTAN
ARIAKE
TOWADA
SRI INDERA SAKTI NEUSTRASHIMY
MYSORE
JEAN DE VIENNE
GORKOVA
GOKOVA
ABHA PARRAMATTA
YELNYA
ABSALON
KARLSRUHE
PSARA.
MVP
ASSOCIATED SUPPORT TO CTF 151
PORTLAND
WAVE KN.
HALSEY DIRECT SUPPORT TO CTF 151
PRE M LHER
NATIONAL TASKING
NIVOSE EU
NORTHUMBL.
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18. UNCLASSIFIED
White Forces…
The Merchant Marine
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19. Defeating Pirates…
From the Merchant Ship Perspective
• To date, there have been no reported attacks where pirates have
boarded a ship that has been proceeding at over 18 knots.
• Well constructed dummies placed at strategic locations around the
vessel can give an impression of greater numbers of people on
watch.
• While most bridge windows are laminated, further protection against
flying glass can be provided by the application of security glass film,
often called Blast Resistant Film.
• Pirates have been known to gain access through portholes and
windows. The fitting of steel bars to windows will prevent this even if
they manage to shatter the window.
• The use of water spray and/or foam monitors has been found to be
effective in deterring or delaying pirates attempting to board a
vessel.
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20. UNCLASSIFIED
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21. Piracy Incident Vignette #2
• S/Y Le Ponant (French flagged yacht)
– 30 hostages
– $2 million ransom paid
• French military intervention
– Find… Fixed… Finished…
– Combined Naval, Commando, and
National Gendarmerie Intervention Group
(GIGN) mission
– 6 pirates captured… Half of the ransom
recovered
– Flown to Paris via Djibouti
– Trial in May 2013…
It was an intervention, not a pulverization…
General Jean-Louis Georgelin French Army COS
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22. Long Term Issues
• Stabilization and Rule of Law in Somalia
– AMISOM
– Other actors
– Other big questions (e.g. Somaliland)
• International Community Involvement
– Fortitude to deal with the real problem
– Money and risk
• Economics Matter
– International shipping
– Local economic activity in Somalia
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23. UNCLASSIFIED
Questions…
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24. UNCLASSIFIED
Backup
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