With the rise in attacks of domestic terror growing in rapid amount over the end of the twentieth century and the beginning of the current, and although Piracy is often disassociated with most aspects of terrorism, the United States must always compare the two as merely constituents. The sea is the lifeline to all wealth and trade. Its disruption is, in one way or another, an act of economic, physical, or national terror. Combating this lucrative form of crime is imperative to the success of nations regardless of their affiliation with the world’s oceans, as all trade at one point or another must be run via ship. Disruption of this line when repeated often enough will lead to the eventual rift in the balance of power. As most pirates who claim allegiance to any body are either revolutionary or ideologically driven, malicious action against a sovereign state is usually no issue.
One of the founding and most important goals of the United States Navy is to keep sea lanes open to international trade, as our nation straddles two of the largest oceans on earth. In order to survive, our own nation and most others depend on open lanes, constricted and dangerous straits, gulfs, and other bodies of water important to the economy of several nations. Not only does this include economic need, but also a humanitarian cause as well. The Coast Guard, often thought of as an appendage of the Navy, was originally designated as the one law enforcement agency empowered with jurisdiction over the seas, under constant watch for enemies both domestic and foreign, and to halt all illegal actions, both within national waters and international. Piracy is no exception. Together, the maritime Armed Forces act as our vanguard against the very ideal of piracy, symbolizing a beacon of economic hope to those who seek it. The techniques when combating piracy have proved worthwhile and constant, the effort at maintaining a free sea not perfected, but possible.
As defined by the International Maritime Organization, a constituent body of the United Nations, Piracy is any illegal acts of violence or detention, or any act of depredation, committed for private ends by the crew or the passengers of a private ship or a private aircraft, and directed: (i) on the high seas, against another ship or aircraft, or against persons or property on board such ship or aircraft; (ii) against a ship, aircraft, persons or property in a place outside the jurisdiction of any State. Plaguing littoral nations and international waters since time immemorial, maritime piracy both of independent initiative and by the incentive of a sovereign state has been a common route for those seeking quick wealth and power within a region. Heavily romanticized and more likely career during the eighteenth century, and contrary to popular belief, piracy has not at all vanished. No longer as prolific as it was in its heyday, it still maintains popularity with international crime syndicates and militant separatist movements all throughout the world.
Piracy was, is, and shall remain a threat to national security. Both of our own nation and of those abroad, it is imperative that all cargoes of merchant vessels are guarded to the highest level available. Though alternative methods of trade exist, (Plane, Truck, Rail) their history, use, and volume all pale in comparison to the importance and mass that trade by sea allows. All nations must invest in some level of maritime trade to prosper. Everything internationally sold and bought must, at some point, travel by sea. Weapons, ammunition, and supplies for overseas expeditionary forces are carried – for the most part – by civilian owned or crewed vessels. If overtaken without a measure of prevention first compromised, arms are put into the hands of dangerous individuals. Those arms could be traded for small amounts of money and could be used to fight against our Armed Forces or against an ally, an obvious issue to our domestic and foreign security. These pirates often identify with no nation or movement, simply using this as a means of living. Whole families have learned to operate this way, growing up in areas where stealing with brute force and intimidation is the only possible avenue by which they may earn revenue. Most common in Southeastern Pacific nations such as Indonesia and Malaysia, the issue of piracy in that portion of the world is currently by far the worst.
Since our nation’s inception and fight of independence, the threat of piracy has loomed along our coasts and throughout the waterways of the western hemisphere. The dissolution of the Continental Navy made our nation’s merchant seamen defenseless against impression and looting by the British Empire and assault on US waterways. Efforts to establishment official government entities to prevent and negate acts of piracy by the British, other nations, and independent pirates were not sought until 1790, a full seven years after the end of the war for Independence. The adoption of the Articles of Confederation delayed the formation of a standing Navy or any law enforcement agency that could fulfill the duties of maritime crime deterrence. The United States Coast Guard, (Then Revenue Marine, Revenue Cutter Service) established 4 August 1790 by Alexander Hamilton under the Department of Treasury and the United States Navy as an officially sanctioned Armed Force under the Navy Department in 1794 would both prove invaluable for defense of maritime assets at home and abroad.
