Piracy and Maritime Terrorism

Cutting-edge analysis and comment from the world's oldest defence and security think tank

Piracy and Maritime Terrorism: RUSI focuses on the emerging global security threats of piracy and maritime terrorism.

Articles

Somalia's Pirates
Recent pirate attacks off the Somali coast have attracted much media attention, yet beneath the glitzy story and grainy footage lie some very serious issues: Somalia-based piracy is a major threat to humanitarian aid in the Horn; it threatens stabilisation efforts in the Horn; it is a blight on maritime commerce and insurance. This article outlines these and other issues.

The EU takes on the Pirates of Puntland
The EU is to launch a naval operation to counter piracy off the coast of Somalia. Challenges for Operation Atalanta abound, from the very basic – it is often difficult to distinguish pirates from fishermen, to the very complex – the EU is not a recognised entity under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and thus the operation will need to comply with the domestic anti-piracy laws of all participating states.

Pirates of the South Pacific
Piracy clearly remains a serious problem today despite the general impression that it faded away along with the age of sail. South East Asia provides an ideal location for maritime piracy for a number of reasons.

Prevention | The next port of call for terrorism?
The US, UK and Israel are increasing port security in the light of the threat to shipping from terrorist groups

A Navy of Navies
John Morgan is Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Information, Plans and Strategy for the US Navy. In this article he outlines an unorthodox US vision for combating those nation states and non-state actors, including terrorists and pirates, that threaten maritime security – a thousand-ship navy, drawn from all nations who desire a safe maritime environment.

Australia bolsters maritime defences after terror attacks
This article explains how Australia prioritised defence in the wake of terrorist offensives.

Security in the Malacca Straits
Concern over the security of South East Asia’s shipping routes is sparking debate. Following suggestions that the efforts of those states with coastlines in the region to counter attacks are inadequate, the debate has taken a bitter turn.

Maritime Security and the Terrorist Threat
Sir Jonathon Band discusses maritime security

Homeland Security...from the Sea
An outline of how the US Navy might bring its capabilities to bear to oppose modern day threats to the US homeland and to America’s allies.

Maritime attacks: detecting underwater terrorist threats
This article explores how terrorist groups are examining how to use scuba gear and other equipment to attack their targets and what is being done to counter them.

Commentary

Avoiding the institutional ‘beauty contest’ in countering Somalian piracy
As the European Union launches a counter-piracy operation in Somalia (EU NAVFOR), the likelihood of an institutional ‘beauty contest’ between NATO and the EU is again in the offing.

EU NAVFOR: Countering Piracy in Somali Waters
The European Union is set to launch its first naval operation off the coast of Somalia. A number of operational and legal challenges will have to be confronted.