U.S. Deploys Drones Against Somali Pirates

Unmanned Aircraft Survey Indian Ocean After Brigands Seized Three Ships This Week

(AP)  For the first time, sophisticated U.S. military surveillance drones capable of carrying missiles have begun patrolling waters off Somalia in hopes of stemming rising piracy.

Three ships have been seized in a week off Africa's lawless eastern coast and Vice Adm. Robert Moeller, the deputy commander for the U.S. Africa Command, said pirates continue to pose a significant challenge.

With the monsoon season now ended, there has been a rash of attacks as pirates return to the open seas. More than 130 crew members from seven ships are currently being held, including about 70 from the latest attacks.

In an effort to stem the surge, unmanned U.S. military surveillance planes called MQ-9 Reapers stationed on the island nation of Seychelles are being deployed to patrol the Indian Ocean in search of pirates, Moeller told The Associated Press in an interview at command headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany. The patrols began this week, military officials said.

The 36-foot-long Reapers are the size of a jet fighter, can fly about 16 hours and are capable of carrying a dozen guided bombs and missiles. They are outfitted with infrared, laser and radar targeting.

Military officials said Friday the drones would not immediately be fitted with weaponry, but they did not rule out doing so in the future.

Analysts said they expected the Reapers would also be used to hunt al Qaeda and other Islamist militants in Somalia. While Moeller said the aircraft would "primarily" be used against pirates, he acknowledged they could also be used for other missions.

Even the drones and the presence of an international naval armada are unlikely to deter pirates, Moeller said. Pirates are "prepared to take their chances against the warships that are patrolling the area, simply because the potential for big financial gain is significant," he said.

Cyrus Mody, an expert on piracy at the London branch of the International Maritime Bureau, said he expects the drones will help ward off attacks by acting as an early-warning system for tankers and other commercial vessels traversing waters off the Somali coast.

"What we hope will happen is that they will get much earlier warning of suspicious vessels or suspected (pirate) mother ships that can then be targeted by the naval vessels. Or alerts and broadcasts can be sent out indicating the positions of these ships (and) indicating they should keep as clear a distance as possible," Mody said.

U.S. Navy vessels have used 3-foot-long drones off the East Africa coast before. But the Reapers - which have a 66-foot wingspan - represent a significant investment by the U.S. military to gather intelligence in the region.

Last spring, U.S. Navy sharpshooters killed three of the four pirates who were holding Richard Phillips, captain of the U.S.-flagged cargo ship the Maersk Alabama, hostage in a lifeboat.

The drone deployment comes as piracy is on the rise in the area. While the bandits targeted 35 vessels in 2007 and 111 in 2008, they have launched some 178 attacks so far in 2009, according to International Maritime Bureau figures.

The high-seas hijackings have persisted despite an international armada of warships deployed by the United States, the European Union, NATO, Japan, South Korea and China to patrol the region.

In a sign that nations are being forced to step up security, Seychelles announced this week that it would send troops to its outer islands. A Seychelles minister, Joel Morgan, said the coast guard is working closely with international naval forces and that both the U.S. and Europe have maritime patrol aircraft stationed in the island nation.

The Somali-based pirates operate freely in a country with no effective government and can earn millions of dollars by hijacking a ship that might contain oil, coal or other goods - a windfall for young, unemployed men.

Moeller, the U.S. commander, said good governance, rule of law and economic development are all needed in Somalia so that pirates "have an alternative lifestyle to pursue. And unfortunately, that's not the case today."

"The long-term solution to the piracy issue is basically getting the conditions right in Somalia," he said.

Peter Chalk, an expert on piracy at the Washington-based RAND Corp., said he believed the new drones would be "largely irrelevant" in bringing an end to the lawlessness because problems with Somalia's government need to be addressed first. Otherwise, piracy will persist, he said.

"The risks of being caught are very low (and even lower in terms of being successfully prosecuted) while the potential rewards are enormous - at least in a Somali context," Chalk wrote in an email.

Pirates raked in up to $80 million in ransoms in 2008, Roger Middletown, a piracy expert at the London-based think-tank Chatham House, says. Tracing the cash has been difficult in part because of Somalia's chaotic civil war and partly because many Somalis use an informal clan-based money transfer system instead of normal banking channels.

Analysts say the pirate attacks are criminal in nature and not part of Somalia's Islamic militancy or al Qaeda. The pirates try to keep their distance from such groups so the ransom payments don't get seized by terrorists.

Surveillance gathered by the drones will augment other international investigations into pirate activity. Experts have been keen to trace the cash from ransoms, usually packed in a waterproof container and dropped by parachute into the sea, where it is picked up by pirates. Many worry about putting huge sums of cash in the hands of pirates who live in a country where al Qaeda operates.

The U.S. military is stepping up efforts in the region to ensure that shipping lanes in the Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden remain open, said Mark Schroeder, an Africa analyst at the global intelligence firm Stratfor. He said he believed the Reapers would also be used to track al Qaeda figures in Somalia.

"They need to ensure nothing gets disrupted (at sea)," Schroeder said. "There is the ordinary commercial traffic that is significant (and) the U.S. and the other navies there don't want to see that blocked by Somali pirates."

[TexasRifleman]

To help 1st poster ( finkfust ) with answers needed. I'd like to post the following outline:
MQ-9 REAPER's Onboard Programming Guide
1. Small boat/no fishing gear + Guns + chasing large ship = Pirates
2. Small boat/no fishing gear + Guns = Pirates
3. Small Boat/no fishing gear = Pirates
4. Small Boat = No one cares, refer to # 1

[finkfust]

So America now thinks it has the right to kill anyone it feels like, on land or on water, with no trial, no investigation, no accountability and no consequences.

... who goes to jail when innocent people are murdered by an American drone missile? Answer - nobody!

[bubbadubba]

<<Up to this point, I give President Obama the highest marks possible for being an effective commander in chief and decisive leader.>>>

Same here and now instead of being short on people enlisting, our miltary has too many people trying to enlist (largest number in over 30 years) so apparently other people feel the same way.
Regardless of the economy, if Americans do not trust the President they will NOT enlist in the military.
Hear that? It's the sound of a more peaceful and quiet world courtesy of President Obama. Since Obama took office there is so little bad news in the world compared to what it was under Bush that the media is having to recycle news stories over and over again.

[gnimelf1968]

Give me a break, people are enlisting because THERE ARE NO JOBS.

[HRPuffinstuff]

Unarmed Reapers are about as good as United Nations Monitors.
Arm the drones, blast the SOBs out of the water when they attack.
Find the mother ships and blast them, get 1000 bonus points.

[ForYourIdioms]

Piracy was the reason that Thomas Jefferson create the US Navy in 1783. The shores of Tripoli (as in the song) were Muslim states under the Ottoman empire and they blackmailed the British and French for extorsion payments by torturing hostages. They justified this enslavement as their right by faith.

Does any of this sound familiar? We have a right to defend ourselves by whatever means necessary and against however desparate or zeallous the adversary.

[vietnamwar]

good post

[fleabag75]

Keep in mind that this will happen anywhere when unemployment reaches high levels. Are people crazy enough to think these people are just going to say "Well, no job, no money, no food or shelter. Hey family, I guess we'll just go off into a corner and die". Not likely. People will do ANYTHING, anything at all to survive. They are not going to just disappear. Good people do bad things when left with no other option. Oh,,, yeah,,or do like others suggest, just kill them.

[dennisgreen5]

We want to be very cautious that we don't upset the pirates. We'll let them capture and hold hostage more people before we get tough with them. And then by God , we'll tell them that we've had enough and if they don't quit this piracy in five or six months we'll really get tough with them. that'll scare the hell out of them!

[dennisgreen5]

We want to be very cautious that we don't upset the pirates. We'll let them capture and hold hostage more people before we get tough with them. And then by God , we'll tell them that we've had enough and if they don't quit this piracy in five or six months we'll really get tough with them. that'll scare the hell out of them!

[prajaowain]

Sorry I don't buy it. How many innocent people do these reapers kill just to assasinate one individual? Dozens if not hundreds as they keep pecking away until they reach the intended target. This is mass murder perpetrated by Uncle Sam. Classic double speak. War is peace. Killing gives live. We the people better bring to a skreeching halt this arms race and technology of mass murder.

[wheresmycountry]

About F'ing time!!!

[salmoc44]

Just think, when Bush was as far into his Presidency as Obama currently is, he'd already lost the World Trade Center and 3 thousand Americans. Keep up the good work Obama!

[prelgovisk]

He saw the results of Clinton's failed policies and lost opportunities harm America and Americans. He did something about it. Without the Bush years, Saddam would still be in power and Al Queda would not be struggling for survival in rural Afghanistan.

[salmoc44]

prelgovisk,

Please tell us what steps Bush took in his first 8 months to address the threat from Bin Laden and Al-Qaeda.
Everyone knows the answer is: Nothing. Another quiz question: Who was President of the U.S. when we were hit by the largest terrorist attack in U.S. history?
Answer: George Bush Jr.

Now, spin away from the known facts.

[wheresmycountry]

Everything wrong during the Bush presidency was Clinton's fault. Now that Bush is no longer president, everything wrong is Obama's fault. Bush was never president.

[bobnjersey]

[He saw the results of Clinton's failed policies and lost opportunities harm America and Americans. He did something about it. Without the Bush years, Saddam would still be in power and Al Queda would not be struggling for survival in rural Afghanistan. ]

your post is obviously the result of some sort of brain injury ... or just plain stupid ignorance:


here's what clinton did during his eight years:

-- sent legislation to Congress to TIGHTEN AIRPORT SECURITY. (Remember, this is before 911) The legislation was defeated by the Republicans because of opposition from the airlines.

-- sent legislation to Congress to allow for BETTER TRACKING OF TERRORIST FUNDING. It was defeated by Republicans in the Senate because of opposition from banking interests.

-- sent legislation to Congress to add tagents to explosives, to allow for BETTER TRACKING OF EXPLOSIVES USED BY TERRORISTS. It was defeated by the Republicans because of opposition from the NRA.

When Republicans couldn't prevent executive action, President Clinton:

-- Developed the nation's first anti-terrorism policy, and appointed first national coordinator.

-- Stopped cold the planned attack to blow up 12 U.S. jetliners simultaneously.

-- Stopped cold the planned attack to blow up UN Headquarters.

-- Stopped cold the planned attack to blow up FBI Headquarters.

-- Stopped cold the planned attack to blow up the Israeli Embassy in Washington.

-- Stopped cold the planned attack to blow up Boston airport.

-- Stopped cold the planned attack to blow up Lincoln and Holland Tunnels in NY.

-- Stopped cold the planned attack to blow up the George Washington Bridge.

-- Stopped cold the planned attack to blow up the US Embassy in Albania.

-- Tried to kill Osama bin Laden and disrupt Al Qaeda through preemptive strikes (efforts denounced by the G.O.P.).

-- Brought perpetrators of first World Trade Center bombing and CIA killings to justice.

-- Did not blame Bush I administration for first World Trade Center bombing even though it occurred 38 days after they had left office. Instead, worked hard, even obsessively -- and successfully -- to stop future terrorist attacks.

-- Named the Hart-Rudman commission to report on nature of terrorist threats and major steps to be taken to combat terrorism.

-- Tripled the budget of the FBI for counterterrorism and doubled overall funding for counterterrorism.

-- Detected and destroyed cells of Al Qaeda in over 20 countries

-- Created a national stockpile of drugs and vaccines including 40 million doses of smallpox vaccine.

-- Robert Oakley, Reagan Counterterrorism Czar says of Clinton's efforts "Overall, I give them very high marks" and "The only major criticism I have is the obsession with Osama"

-- Paul Bremer, Bush's Administrator of Iraq disagrees slightly with Robert Oakley saying he believed the Clinton Administration had "correctly focused on bin Laden. "

-- Barton Gellman of the Washington Post put it best, "By any measure available, Clinton left office having given greater priority to terrorism than any president before him" and was the "first administration to undertake a systematic anti-terrorist effort."

Here, in stark contrast, is part of the Bush-Cheney anti-terrorism record before September 11, 2001:

-- Backed off Clinton administration's anti-terrorism efforts.

-- Shelved the Hart-Rudman report.

-- Appointed new anti-terrorism task force under Dick Cheney. Group did not even meet before 9/11.

-- Called for cuts in anti-terrorism efforts by the Department of Defense.

-- Gave no priority to anti-terrorism efforts by Justice Department.

-- Ignored warnings from Sandy Berger, Louis Freeh, George Tennant, Paul Bremer, and Richard Clarke about the urgency of terrorist threats.

-- Halted Predator drone tracking of Osama bin Laden.

-- Did nothing in wake of August 6 C.I.A. report to president saying Al Qaeda attack by hijack of an airliner almost certain.

-- Bush - knowing about the terrorists' plans to attack in America, warned that terrorists were in flight schools in the US - took a four week vacation.

[vietnamwar]

by salmoc44 October 25, 2009 12:56 AM EDT
prelgovisk,

Please tell us what steps Bush took in his first 8 months to address the threat from Bin Laden and Al-Qaeda.


what year is happen ? 9/11 Moron. and look what happen after 9/11 ? moron Dumacraft

[askagain]

The article mentioned that these drones may be armed later on. Isn't it possible that the military wants to test the effectiveness of tracking pirate ships before arming them? It appears that the military has a strategy in place. Why condemn the program before it is tested?

[bogistjoe]

unless they're Testing the program by hopefully tracking the pirates to a mother ship that lets them refuel and rotate shifts and such, I wish they'd just drop a missile on'em...too bad the missile costs so much though...Even better drop some napalm on'em. See how good they swim while dripping flesh. LOL

[wattEYEno]

Why have them at all unless they are going to DO something to solve the problem once and for all. Without being armed the only thing they can do is watch. GOOGLE Earth can watch for free.
A lot of taxpayer money went into the production of the drones. Arm them and get it over with or don't waste tax money on them in the first place.

[Samram001]

Daily Word ? Saturday, October 24, 2009

World Peace
Our expressions of love and compassion create a world at peace.
With every loving thought we hold, every kind word we express, we contribute to a world at peace. Each of us has the power to love and the ability to be patient and forgiving, no matter what is happening. Even in the appearance of turmoil and trouble, we can affirm: Peace, be still. We can still troubled waters with the power of our love.
As we go about our day, we express compassion wherever possible. As we pray, we see the divine good in our loved ones and we inspire others. Centered in the divine nature of our being and the oneness that we are, we are powerful. Our smallest acts combine with the actions of others to create a world at peace, a world that works for all.
"So that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them."--John 17:26

[dpu3jwallace]

UNLESS THESE DRONES ARE 'ARMED' AND 'ACTUALLY USED TO TAKE OUT ANY PIRATES WHO COME WITHIN A PROHIBITED DISTANCE OF ANY SHIPS IN INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING LANES', THESE DRONES ARE MUCH TO DO ABOUT NOTHING'!

[wheresmycountry]

ANY action that results in pirates being unable to take a ship will stop the piracy, just like good border patrol prevents the need to kill or prosecute illegal aliens within our country.

[armyoftwelve]

It's something but if observations of pirates aren't backed up with STRIKES on pirate bases this is just so much window dressing.

[bubbadubba]

And yet another example of "Obama's weakness" as he does things Bush was too chicken to do. Obama is the first US President to authorize the killing of the pirates, now he is sending the drones to follow them and you can bet money they are armed.
Looks like Limbaugh, Hannity, and Beck are right when they say Obama is weak unlike the great Republican GW Bush.
Yep, if the right wing stoned oxycontin poppers say it, it must be true.
LOL

[pensacola8-2009]

President Obama follows excellent common sense with his decisions about using appropriate military force. His value for the "human cost" on the equation of resolving armed conflict shows that he is very forward thinking. Former Air Force Stratigic Air Command Commander General Dixon, predicted the Remote Pilotless Air Force very accurately nearly 40 years ago. The fact that President Obama uses it wisely is what makes it either a success or failure.

Up to this point, I give President Obama the highest marks possible for being an effective commander in chief and decisive leader.

The recent criticism by Former VP Cheney about President Obama "Dithering" reflects a remarkable quality that President Obama does have and Former President Bush didn't have - discernment.

[mljohns00]

Great. A "super-power" deploys unmanned drones across multiple Muslim countries, destroying whoever the drone's owners decide are "the bad guy". And then denies each of the attacks.

[displeased]

You obviously didn't read the article. Did you even read the title?

[bobnjersey]

[Great. A "super-power" deploys unmanned drones across multiple Muslim countries, destroying whoever the drone's owners decide are "the bad guy". And then denies each of the attacks.]

so is that better or worse than pathetic suicide bombers ... putting themselves into crowds of innocent people ... blowing to pieces whomever they think are the 'bad guys, gals, and children' ... then claiming to do in gods name?

seems like this should be an easy one for you, no?

[pollroller1]

So they are going to fly them, but not arm them. Yeah, that makes a lot of sense.

[stuart-johns2]

Moeller, the U.S. commander, said good governance, rule of law and economic development are all needed in Somalia so that pirates "have an alternative lifestyle to pursue. And unfortunately, that's not the case today."

-------------------------

I see another occupation on the horizon.