DOD won’t re-route ships

[unhappycamper]

DOD won’t re-route ships
By Jeff Schogol, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Friday, November 21, 2008

ARLINGTON, Va. — To hell with pirates: The Defense Department isn’t going to re-route ships to avoid the Gulf of Aden.

"We’re not going around the Cape of Good Hope," Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell said Wednesday.

Several shipping companies this week announced they would do just that, in an effort to avoid pirates lurking in the waters off Somalia. But the U.S. government is not considering such an option for its ships.

"Ultimately that’s not the solution to this," Morrell said. "And that, to me — in scenarios like that, the pirates win. And they should not be allowed to win."

Twice this year, security teams aboard Military Sealift Command ships have fired warning shots at perceived attackers.


Rest of article at: http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=58959

[Lasher]

1. That's one of the problems, warning shots.

To me it seems too much effort is being used to avoid the use of lethal force. Once you're sure they're attempting piracy, blow them out of the water.

[jeff30997]

2. WTF?

Who even imagined that warships fleeing from guys armed with AK47s and RPGs was even a possibility?

Those scumbags only attack defenseless ships.

[Angleae]

3. Not all navy ships are armed.

Sealife command is comprised primarily of unarmed freighters.