Pirates

So, the Somali pirates are getting even more active, having now captured the Ukrainian ship Raina. This ship is loaded with, among other things, 33 T-72 tanks, bound for Kenya. Judging from the pictures, Raina is a ro-ro (roll-on / roll-off), so unloading the tanks is a matter of finding a pier and driving them off. Although there is much more to an effective army then a few tanks, these weapons in the hands of a local warlord would greatly destabilize an already unstable situation.

To nobody's surprise, The World's Police Force (tm), AKA the United States Navy, is on the case, represented by the USS Howard (DDG-83). The Ukrainian and Kenyan navies are nowhere to be found. One of the discussion points in US Naval strategy has been the new 1,000 ship fleet. This is the idea that, as our navy falls to around 300 ships (pre-WWII levels) our allies will pick up the slack. Not working.

Writer's group tonight, in which my second novel of space piracy, Space Rescue, gets discussed.