Category Archives: Piracy

Panel: ISIS, Al Qaeda Franchising Efforts Changed the Face of Terrorism

Panel: ISIS, Al Qaeda Franchising Efforts Changed the Face of Terrorism

Members of the hardline al Shabaab Islamist rebel group hold their weapons in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu, January 1, 2010. Somalia’s hardline Islamist rebel group al Shabaab said on Friday it was ready to send reinforcement to al Qaeda in Yemen should the U.S. carry out retaliatory strikes, and urged other Muslims to follow suit. Reuters Photo

Creating franchises among groups claiming affiliation with al Qaeda or the so-called Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) is among the biggest change in international terrorism, two leading experts told the Atlantic Council on Thursday. Read More

U.S. 7th Fleet Would Support ASEAN South China Sea Patrols

U.S. 7th Fleet Would Support ASEAN South China Sea Patrols

Vice Adm. Robert Thomas, commander of U.S. 7th Fleet, delivers remarks during a change of command ceremony aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN-73). US Navy Photo

Vice Adm. Robert Thomas, commander of U.S. 7th Fleet, delivers remarks during a change of command ceremony aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN-73). US Navy Photo

The head of U.S. naval forces in the Western Pacific said the U.S. would support an emerging plan to create multi-national patrols in the South China Sea that could bear similarities to anti-piracy patrols in the Strait of Malacca. Read More

Marines Considering New Platforms to Extend Africa Reach, Including the Gulf of Guinea

Marines Considering New Platforms to Extend Africa Reach, Including the Gulf of Guinea

The mobile landing platform Lewis B. Puller (T-MLP-3/T-AFSB-1) successfully completed launch and float-off at the General Dynamics National Steel and Shipbuilding Co. (NASSCO) shipyard on Nov. 6, 2014. US Navy Photo

The mobile landing platform Lewis B. Puller (T-MLP-3/T-AFSB-1) successfully completed launch and float-off at the General Dynamics National Steel and Shipbuilding Co. (NASSCO) shipyard on Nov. 6, 2014. US Navy Photo

The Marines are looking to employ new types of ships to extend the reach of special crisis response units into Africa, senior service leaders have told USNI News. Read More

U.S. and China Conduct Anti-Piracy Exercise

U.S. and China Conduct Anti-Piracy Exercise

Visit, board, search and seizure team members pull alongside the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Sterett (DDG-104) to practice ship boarding. US Navy Photo

Visit, board, search and seizure team members pull alongside the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Sterett (DDG-104) to practice ship boarding. US Navy Photo

In a rare bilateral exercise, the U.S. and China conducted anti-piracy training off the pirate-prone Gulf of Aden, the Navy said in a Thursday statement. Read More

Chinese Ships in Iran for Joint Exercises

Chinese Ships in Iran for Joint Exercises

PLAN ship Type 052C Luyang II destroyer Changchun enters the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas on Sept. 20, 2014. Fars News Agency

PLAN ship Type 052C Luyang II destroyer Changchun enters the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas on Sept. 20, 2014. Fars News Agency

A Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) guided missile destroyer and frigate have docked in Iran on Saturday ahead of a series of bilateral exercises, according to Iranian and Chinese press reports. Read More

The World's Most Violent Pirates

The World’s Most Violent Pirates

An undated photo of West African pirates.

An undated photo of West African pirates.

West Africa is home to the world’s most violent pirates—who are now capable of overwhelming armed guards. Last month pirates killed a crewmember during an attack on German-owned oil tanker. Instead of fighting off the pirates, the embarked security team retreated to the ship’s citadel safe room. Read More