The European Union will probably approve plans on Friday to strike Somali pirate equipment on beaches, widening the scope of its naval operations four years into a mission to protect shipping.Now I'll be waiting to see how Friday's vote goes. But if it goes as indicated above - well, hot dang!
***
"Military officers say they want to render harmless the ships on the beach that could be used. This was a convincing argument," German deputy defence minister Christian Schmidt said after a meeting of EU defence chiefs in Brussels.
***
Warships and helicopters will have "very well defined conditions" for firing at pirate equipment in order to avoid harming people, a European official said, noting that Germany and other nations wanted strict rules of engagement.
UPDATE: EU Extends Counter Piracy Mission Off Coast of Somalia :
On Friday 23 March 2012 the Council of the European Union confirmed its intention to extend the EU Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) counter-piracy mission, Operation ATLANATA off the Somali coast until December 2014. At the same time the Council also extended the area of operations to include Somali coastal territory and internal waters. Today’s decision will enable Operation Atalanta Forces to work directly with the Transitional Federal Government and other Somali entities to support their fight against piracy in the coastal areas. In accordance with the relevant UN Security Council resolutions, the Somali government has notified the UN Secretary General of its acceptance of the EU’s offer for this new collaboration.
Let the suppression of the Somali pirates begin!
And follow up with a mandatory blockade in which every boat leaving Somalia must get clearance before leaving Somali waters or face being sunk without warning.
That last comment sounds very much like what Operation Market Time did off Vietnam. Yes the USN/RVN force checked ALL coastwise sea traffic.
ReplyDeleteWe know the NATO forces have used its boats (LCVPs & RHIBs) inshore, what will the USN contribute IF anything? All they got are some broken PCs and fancy LCS ye to deploy?
I read the EU Naval Force has a budget of $20 million. That doesn't seem like enough to fund any kind of extensive operation. Is the force being subsidized by the nations contributing the ships, or is the budget intentionally small to keep the force from engaging in escalating operations?
ReplyDelete