The Right to Defend Oneself

By Michael Ruhl, University of New Mexico – Talk Radio News Service

“We all have an inherent right to self defense in international waters,” according to Senator Jim Webb (D-VA). This remark came out of a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing that saw testimony from Richard Phillips, Captain of the Maersk Alabama. Phillips received international media attention several weeks ago while being held hostage by pirates off of the coast of Somalia.

Both the Senators and the witnesses acknowledged that Piracy off of the coast of Somalia has been on the rise recently. Committee Chairman John Kerry (D-Mass.) said that America’s “ability to project naval power and to help ensure the free passage of goods and humanitarian aid is as important as ever.”

Phillips acknowledged that more needs to be done to secure vessels of the merchant marine, specifically arming the crew.

“In my opinion, arming the crew cannot and should not be viewed as the best or ultimate solution to the problem. At most, arming the crew should only be one component of a comprehensive plan and approach to combat piracy,” he said.

The comprehensive approach the committee discussed could include increased U.S. Navy presence in the most dangerous areas, the creation of a protected corridor that civilian ships can travel within, the rooting out of pirates in their land based sanctuaries and the “hardening” of ships, to make the ships structurally more resistant to pirates. “Hardening” measures include razor wire on railings, fire hoses to repel the pirates, and unbolting ladders that lead onto the boat. Phillips does not believe this will stop the pirates, but rather, that they will find a way to adapt.

Maersk Chaiman John Clancey, also present at the hearing, does not believe that arming the crews is a good idea.

“Our belief is that arming merchant sailors may result in the acquisition of even more lethal weapons and tactics by the pirates, a race that merchant sailors cannot win. In addition, most ports of call will not permit the introduction of forearms into their national waters,” Clancey said.

Clancey also posed that greater liability may be assumed by the companies if sailors are traveling with weapons. Neither Chairman Kerry nor Phillips felt that this argument was strong, because of the intense amount of training that mariners go through already. Kerry, a former member of the U.S. Navy, feels that the benefits outweigh the risks, and that multinational agreements can be reached to work out the issue of bringing weapons into port.

Richard Phillips is scheduled to testify next week before the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Comments

[Richard, U.S. Navy and OIF Vet]

Captain Phillips is correct when he says there is no need to hire expensive security agencies like Blackwater. The cost will just be passed on to the consumers and it will create the problems and confusion of a dual command during a fast moving emergency. I do NOT agree that armed response should just be limited to only the four top officers as posed by Captain Phillips; just where did that come from? Merchant mariners already have to hold qualifications in their maritime ratings in addition to fire fighting, damage control, emergency first aid, etc. Make it mandatory that all mariners qualify in small arms and how to repel boarders; a qualification they once held until 35-40 years ago before they were disarmed … thanks to the insurance companies, maritime unions, maritime lawyers, shipping company CEOs, and the UN treaty on gun control aboard ships. Those entities have had their way and it did not work. Here is the solution; mount just four deck mounted .50 caliber machine guns on each ship; one .50 per quarter to cover all approaches. They are easy to learn, easy to operate, easy to maintain, and can outrange everything the pirates have and are likely to use. Likewise, they can be dismounted and placed in the ship's armory in port. For back up, maintain a dozen or so assault rifles in a secure arms locker near the bridge, and a couple of sharp eyed topside lookouts with binoculars when at sea. During hazy or foggy weather, the ship should go to precautionary General Quarters with rifle armed personnel on deck. Problem solved. Look, merchant sailors are already highly trained, highly qualified, and highly paid in everything else having to do with maritime operations. Armed response would be among the least of their training in spite of what the insurance executives, company CEOs, unions, lawyers, and international gun control advocates would have us think. The U.S. Merchant Marine is still a part of America’s overall maritime defense capability. Train the crews and arm the ships. Train and arm them now.

[Piracy and arming crews | GunB]

[...] Maersk Alabama testifies before the Senate, and agrees with Blue Dog Demo Sen. Jim Webb that crews should be armed against pirates. The chairman of his line loses control of his bladder while worrying that pirates might escalate, [...]

[Scott]

A common sense, easy, low-cost solution to the pirate problem.

From all accounts, small groups of pirates are successfully attacking and hijacking ships in the waters within 100 miles of the Somali coast. Many fancy ideas have been suggested to solve this problem. There is one answer that could be used to great effect that needs consideration: the use of 2-man teams with .50 cal rifles. This plan would not put any weapons on ships in any ports.

Since the area where ships are threatened is limited, the rifle teams could board ships at each end of the major sea-lane that passes along the Somali coast. When a ship is about to enter the lane a team would board, when the boat gets safely to the other end of the lane the team would disembark. A midsize ship stationed at each end of the sea-lane would act as home base for the rifle teams. These ships could be naval vessels or civilian ships that only dock at ports friendly to the shipping protection program. All weapons would stay on the base ships after the cargo ships leave the danger zone, therefore no weapons would be aboard ships entering ports that prohibit weapons.

The U.S. Marines and Army have an inventory of M82 and M107 .50 Cal rifles that would be ideal for this use. The rifles are also available commercially. The key to why this system would work is the range of these rifles and their anti-materiel capability. With an effective range over 1500 meters and the ability to disable the engines of speedboats, the rifle teams could engage and disable the speedboats long before they enter the AK-47 range of 300-400 meters. Also, the rifle teams would be attacking a large target (speed boat) from a relatively stable platform (large ship) and the pirates would have to make almost impossible shots at a tiny target (the rifleman), at long range, from a boat bouncing in the waves.

The rifle teams could also use armor and shields, to minimize the chance of any harm to them. Due to the lopsided nature of the target dynamic, there is no way for the pirates to “escalate” this situation. Even if they had exactly the same rifles as the rifle teams, the shots they would have to make are almost impossible, before the speedboat is disabled and the ship sails out of range. The .50 cal cartridge can penetrate over 1 inch of armor plate, so attempts to armor the speedboats would not work. There is no other weapons system available to anyone that could change this no matter how much money the pirates have.

Once the pirate boat is disabled, the rifle team would radio a navy ship in the area to come pick up the pirates and return them to shore, without their boat and weapons. Once a few pirate boats are left floating offshore and the pirate business stops being profitable, pirates will be forced to move on to other endeavors. Once they know the ships have effective defenses, only a percentage of ships will need to carry rifle teams in the future, the possibility a team is aboard will provide protection for all ships.

Rotating Rifle teams armed with M82 or M107 Rifles on ships as they pass through the danger areas would provide protection and deterrence effectively stopping pirate attacks at sea.