councils worldwide. since its founding in 1992 the navy league's mission has been to protect the american people and their leaders about the importance of sea power to a maritime nation and to support men and women of the u.s. c services. i very much appreciate the support today and i would like to recognize dan branch to get the executive director for the contributions to put this together. now for the core of today's event. the united nations estimates indian ocean piracy costs 5 to $7 billion annually. though there are only a few attacks that make news they still occur on a daily basis as the tragedy proved last month with the deaths of four american hostages. parts are increasingly resilient, bold and adaptive free fighting tactics by

implementing -- increasing manpower through recruitment. the real question is how can the global community meet this evolving fret be on the horn of africa. looking at numbers as much as $238 million in 2010, which was roughly $5.5 million. to enter these questions about piracy we have assembled a panel of the steamed experts who delivered a brief opening remarks and answer your questions. i will introduce four of them to you now. to my right terence mcknight has commanded numerous ships for the u.s. navy as well as multiple assignments on land for the up the sector. the assistant secretary of the navy, he assumed his duties as commander expeditionary strike group in september of 2007.

also commander steve waddell who has many experiences with coalition forces. he has commanded we to canadian ships and served as combat officer. he serves as director of maritime strategy for the navy. on my left, capt. alexander martin is executive order of the first marine expeditionary force. ever 3 tours in iraq he served with the fifteenth marine expeditionary unit and work at middle eastern security forces on marriage, salt. last september he led his units against pirated vessel magellans start resulting in apprehension of nine somali and pirates and rescue of 11 hostages. also here as well rear admiral paul zukunft, assistant

commander of marine security and stewardship in 2010. he is responsible for developing national marine safety, security adviser to protection policy and regulation as low as insuring policy alignments through the federal government and international maritime partners. we would like to hear briefly from each panelist before we take questions from the media magnets today. sore brief introduction. >> thanks for having me third today and thanks to the navy league for posting this event. i want to give a little background about myself. i stood up the task force 151 in january 2009. as a result of the increased piracy in the gulf of aden and the united states navy decided we had to come out in the forefront so i got a call to get

out here and stand up to the taskforce. that was the good news. we stood up to the task force set that time. i had myself on the uss san antonio and the british ship and a danish ship and both ships were well-prepared for the tour operations we faced. two things there were significant about this. it was a coalition task force. we got here in the modern world today and we hear a lot of complaints to the united states is the master sea power but we went out as a task force and today when i talk about it. a microcosm of what admiral mullen said is a 1,000 ship navy. we have anywhere from 25 to 30 nations out there right now fighting piracy. the other significant thing is the united nations was firmly behind us.

there were two security resolutions. basically gave us all necessary means to fight piracy in the somali basin and resolution 1851 which deplores all acts of piracy. this was significant. we have a coalition of the willing and the united nations firmly behind us so is pretty significant that these tasks forces are out there fighting the pirates and doing a significant job. there has been a lot in the press the past few weeks anger taskforce are in affect but we need to come back on that and say there are two significant things you have to realize. the area itself is 1.1 million square miles of ocean eagles three times the size of the gulf of mexico. if we say we have 25 warships out there and you can do the math and say they are effective is like saying mayors crime in

martians in d.c. and the police to promise not effective. it is a vast ocean. now that they have expanded to the indian ocean it compounds the problem significantly. the task forces are very effective and doing a great job. the other thing that would like to close. the maritime community has taken significant responsibility out there and some of the thing they have done, weather is increased speed the personal stay in the transit lane and basically take on the responsibility to combat pirates. lastly, how do we solve the problem? we could go into somalia and start wiping out people but for the pirates? they don't have a package up there are and stand up and say i'm a part. when they there pirates and the next day there smuggling drugs.

bixby fishermen or smuggling people soda the complicated problem. the big issue that is always address is the legal system. when i was out there recaptured anywhere between 30 to 50 suspected pirates. but we have little opportunity to get the prosecuted. if they're going after u.s. flag vessel like the rest alabama it is clear the u.s. had jurisdiction but when you go into a situation where pirate attacks a panamanian flag vessel and u.s. stocks the piracy and it goes back to the nation states you want to prosecute them. most of the time they say we just don't want to deal with this. the dog catching the car. what do you do with the pirates. it is a complicated issue and i'm glad take your questions after this. >> quite a number of points ray is already. very complex issue. i would like to has steve

waddell to come back. >> i appreciate the opportunity to be here to provide perhaps an international perspective. a number of key seems the admiral has indicated. the importance of the coalition environment, the importance of bringing capabilities of several nations abroad to a truly international problem that is piracy. affects all of us. you might think it is a foreign issue on the other side of a planet solution to affect us the effect of the matter is worth 90% of trade occurring by cn significant importance coming modeling tuned to canada or the u.s. the problem that occurs abroad affects all of us at home. the importance of deploying forces to deal with the problem. one of the things is in dealing with the problem it is expanding at the same time. it has spread across the entire indian ocean right up to the shoreline with india and we have

seen significance spikes in some of the attacks. originally in the gulf of aden balls of the indian ocean and we cannot put enough assets warships at that problem. when you talk about the sheer geography and scale of the operating area pirates are working in. techniques where we are looking at taking mother ships and cargo and fishing, use them to their invented. allows further distance off shore and allows an opportunity to not only use the platform to extend their range and capabilities but sometimes use the crew to assist in future attacks. so we're seeing a change in their tactics and procedures. when i went to the gulf of aden in the fall of 2009, november. i joined nato. the standing test. there are three principal western group's operating in the

counter piracy campaign. and nato -- the e.u. has a force of 4 and one of the subjects of combined maritime forces is 151, as the admiral is quite aware. those of the three principles, purely multinational task groups operating in the area to try to deal with the piracy problem. at the same time there are a number of independent reporter countries like japan, korea, rush of, china, working together to deal with the problem but each with a subtly different mandates whether they're escorting convoys were trying to protect their own national shipping. these and other strategies they are employing. one 9 noted when we were operating there was despite a national mandate and a few different approaches to how to deal with the problem the crux of the issue is they all want to do something about piracy. what we found is everybody was

working together to share information, exchange bits of information that might prove useful to locating direction and that shared responsibility have found a very constructive element while we were working over there. >> i want to give you a sense of how we dealt with certain issues. and i know we have a bit of a strategic goal the rain and sense of the operational environment but to put yourself in my position of the ship's captain when you are out there operating and it is an immense geography and you are trying to reassure the shipping community that is obviously quite concerned about the problem you can hear it every time they call on the radio. they see something suspicious. looking for support, looking for the voice of the an end of the radio that says we're here and doing our best to reassure you to try to suppress your acts of piracy and time and again we

will hear the jittery voice of ship's captains full of fear thinking something was going to happen. recalled one night we heard the captain coming across an icy something suspicious. we got on the radio to tell him we're on our way and we will come out which we did and clearly what struck home to me was to hear the apprehension in his voice first off and then to hear the relief in his voice once we arrived on scene to do what we could and there were three skiffs in his vicinity that once we arrived he took off. his appreciation for the fact that there was an naval force doing what we could do to suppress them before we could get on board and take his ship so i found that time and again that reassurance of the legitimate mariner, those who want and need to use the global commerce of the sea to make sure we can transfer cargo to keep the livelihood in place, to keep

commerce moving, that legitimate use of this event is important and the reassurance that we can provide by dealing with the problem because ultimately also we will do what we can, the problem is going to be offshore but until that time occurs we will be finding ourselves in a position to continue to try to do our best at suppressing and disrupting acts of piracy. >> a good mix of the strategic and policy. my operational colleague here, capt. martin. >> thank you for having me from a tactical perspective the purchase will a small unit approach to counterpiracy operations. i will begin my remarks with a point on the ninth of september of 2010. remarkable day and not because the magellan star was recaptured. this will be trained to do with the navy and marine corps and

all of our elements in the fifteenth marine expeditionary unit. it was a remarkable day because simultaneously the fifteenth was conducting operations across the fear and that day people arrested in pakistan, bombs dropped on taliban in support of enduring freedom and a hostage rescue. such a remarkable commentary on what the navy and marine corps is doing and the importance of maritime influence out at sea so it was a truly remarkable day. our role forced the company to provide the fifteenth with an assault. my role on that is a bunch of talented individuals i work for and i set out of the way and let them do their job and that is what it comes down to the 9 on the radio telling my boss about the work we're doing. we were the proof of concept for the marine corps in 2008 and we stand up to a maritime trade force and get back to search and seizure and ability to conduct

into the collaboration's, distributed operations at sea so we were that element. on may of 2010 we deployed head of the fifteenth and conduct training operations throughout the pacific southwest and southeast asia with various countries, maritime assaults, preparing the other coalition navys how to conduct the assault on these vessels. on the eighth of september we left taskforce 152 the week prior which is the task force in the arabian gulf and we coming to task force 151 which the admiral stood up down there and we were conducting convoy operations in the internationally recognized corridor. couple days prior the monsoon season ended and the only way i can describe it as the skipper mentioned was it is an eerie feeling. you feel like you're in a bad neighborhood and you would agree

with that. there's a sense about what the gulf of aden is like. a day later the magellan star and another motor vessel were simultaneously pirated. that was on the eighth of september. weaver conducting escort operations moved to the scene of the uss princeton along with the turkish flag ship ahead just assumed command of taskforce 151 and was the perfect storm of the events. we have the task force commander on scene. we had a very capable coast guard detachment. the dubuque was uniquely organized to conduct and installed at the post level. that is the capability my unit brought to the rate force that we can conduct and assault against an oppose target. so on the eighth of september we were prepared to go to the authority, went up the chain of command and it worked out that

we launched the assault the morning of the ninth which worked to our vantage. we were able to look up the ship schematics and conduct detailed planning and coordination with the navy and other assets that were on site. the pirates drop the night were basically intercepting radio traffic and they were saying they were going to stay on and fight their way through this one. we conducted the assault and we were on board in minutes and basically within 15 minutes we had the pirates apprehended, 9 in total. the real work came in the three are effort to give the crew out because as murphy reveals his evil hand. the second we hooks and began our climate lost communication with the ship's crew in the citadel and the pirates made one last attempt to get them so it became a three are reaching effort to get into their citadel and conduct a rescue culminating with having to cut a hole and

show an american flag passed through to let them know we are the americans under here rescue you and they came out close to that afternoon. the bid take away that i can bring to the table as a junior officer in terms of counter piracy are the taskforce does work. it is a phenomenal thing. there are complications. it takes a lot to curb what is going on but the task force, especially 151 is a phenomenal thing. the pirates are motivated, fluid and creative. that is what we were seeing out there. in terms of the marines and navy team of their operating with the task force, in terms of tactics triggered the violence of action and restrained, you should all know the most important thing for me as a small unit leader was the professionalism of the marines that operated and the sailors that operated bad day.

certainly the weapons save us multiple times, executed their targets by pass level of restraint. so that was fun all. the navy marine corps team operating now there is doing great work. certainly not the answer to the complicated panel of strategy level minded thinkers are here but at the tactical level the problem is solvable and we proved that on the minds of september. >> thank you. very interesting session. admiral paul zukunft please. >> this is not a new phenomenon, piracy. we grappled with piracy in the baltimore--perhaps one of the silver linings and a cloud of that tsunami is it eliminated many of those piracy vessels that were operating largely on

government territories in the nation and indonesia. if you really look back in our history a book i recommend is jefferson's war, the first war on terrorism which is when the barbary pirates were holding u.s. mariners hostage and in fact a number of nations would front load their annual ransom payment to the barbary pirates so they could continue commerce in that part of the globe. here we are in 2011. what has changed? the events are on the increase. the level of violence are on the increase and the area of operations have expanded as well. you heard terence mcknight mention 1.1 square miles. those of the high risk water is defined by the un. we are actually looking at doubling that to over two million square miles because we are now seeing piracy events take place well offshore. the use of mother ships that are expanding their reach to cover the western shores of india and

into the maldives so we're seeing the threat expand. this time of year is the monsoon season which is not the most favorable for extended operations and the season is going to change for the benefit of the pirates. as we look at jefferson's war on terrorism, the marine corps, the shores of tripoli, that was the land invasion that ultimately eliminated the barbary pirates. we're looking at is a significant challenge and rule of law which does not exist in somalia which does provide safe haven. these are not vessels that fly the jolly roger. on the open seas that we can identify legitimate from allegis and merchant men. it is difficult to do. what we call in the department of defense, connecticut operations. yesterday i met with the national security staff and we

are meeting with state department justice of commerce, transportation, defense, department of homeland security, looking at a government approach of what other tools we can use to attack this very pernicious threats. we look at ransom payments. you heard average payments of $4.5 million. these a typically cash payments. a very difficult challenge to track down where did the money go. typically having worked a number of counterdrug cases brought by coast guard career we have been very successful tracking down money payments, using that to get to the head of the hydrate if you will as the threat continues to expand. what we have stood up is the contract group from piracy of the coast of somalia and now that has emerged four work groups. the u.s. leads a work group on

working with the maritime industry, situational awareness. this is called work group for the. we met on the 20 eighth of february. when we look at our trends. so far this fiscal year which commenced on the first of october, eighty-one piracy events. of those, 37 were successful. and again with the $5.5 million path. if you are 37 out of 81 that would probably get you in the hall of fame if you are playing baseball. these are generally viewed from a country where the daily wages $2 a day. $5.5 million ransom is a lucrative business to be in if you have a large diaspora within somalia in a largely unemployed few. this is literally the opportunity of a lifetime. so what is working? we have through the international organization a

number of best management practices for commercial vessels. it typically means eliminating the means to access the vessel but ultimately increasing speed. and other vessels that used these management practices, 19 attempted attacks against those vessels only five were successful. usually speed was the limiting factor. if they could not take speed in excess of 16 knots the pirates were going to capture them. what has proved successful, there has yet to be a successful attack against a commercial vessel that had armed security teams on those vessels. that is not a shared philosophy on a global scale. this is a challenge for the global community but we are seeing security teams to work. the concern is will that cause increased in violence among pirates? what we do know right now is

this does work. the challenge out there is how do you get armed teams from one vessel to another in areas where if you can just imagine if you had a foreign team coming in to new york wanting to board a vessel, by the way they are carrying automatic weapons, cit probably not get through the tee as a screening process. we need to treat this as -- that is one practice that has proved to be successful. we are also seeing success in the u.s.. the united states has shown and demonstrated a national will to prosecute. on february 16th, one of the pirates from the most -- risk alabama was sentenced on suppression of unlawful acts to 33 years and nine months.

and last month, the best foresight staged an attack in april of 2010. the vessel they attacked was the uss nicholas. the sentencing will take place next month and we will see what that is. we are all familiar with the sailing vessel quest which i can't go into further detail but they're undergoing extradition proceedings, and the open media and certainly those 14 individuals will be brought back to the united states and prosecuted. two days ago u.s. naval vessel with commandos on board were successful in detaining four pirates on a japanese flag vessel. japan is taking those four pirates into custody for

prosecution as well. this provides notes to parents whatsoever. it is a global will to prosecute. under the soo convention ironically somalia is not a signatory to that. there's a lot about reach within the coast guard with the national association of administrators, we have a staff attorney who is maritime liaison who outdoes outrage with the number of these were gone ups to make aware that these are not safe -- undersale to be doing these open water were gonnas. the sailing vessel quest working with that, perez was manageable. we saw how that played out. there was another regatta that

was ongoing. there were eight vessels participating. they put those vessels -- they have since cleared the area. i do not expect to see any recreational vessels flying those waters in the near future. we also provided a notice to mariners to all recreational vessels in the u.s. and out reach the number of forums that define the geographic limits and this is not a safe place for the operation. that is everything from the panel and we look forward to entertaining your questions. >> if i can ask the question from the floor, we will be running around with a microphone. anybody asking a question please identify yourself by name, affiliation and if you wish to address that specific member panel please do so. >> can i ask anyone where is the

money really going, these teenagers walking away with $1 million each. are they organized -- organized-crime involved and are these organized groups outside of somalia or fully within somalia? where is the money really going? >> i will take that. that is the challenge we face in a meeting i held yesterday with the staff. these are cash payments that go typically into somalia and and we do not have good awareness of where the money goes. we do know some of it goes to buy property and some of it goes to buy education. that is a key piece of information we currently lack. these are cash payments. not wired for money that makes the tracing difficult.

we have the department of justice chasing drug money. this is an intelligence gaps that exist with show me the money. >> the other question is is that money going to tariffs? it is not going that route. when i was out there in 2007, in dubai someone would walk in and there will always a middleman and everybody else got their cotton and the pirates got $200 but lately the cash that was done traditional they cut out the middleman. it was an extensive organization of a plan that knows what they're doing. is going somewhere but once it gets out in the community it is

hard to follow. >> there were examples where it is cherry attractive to get access to that money and there were examples of rival pirate plants going at each other essentially to get access to that as well. >> another question? >> the navy has been talking to the coastguard for ages if you have basic protection on the ship and you go 15 knots you are probably not going to be hit. the number of ships being hit is going to. are the companies simply unwilling to spend the extra money to go faster, and take the basic precautions? >> we do a lot of work with global shipping companies and

certainly an number of them are represented here today and there are incentives to follow these best management practices. the underwriters for the ship and cargo. this does provide a financial incentive to follow these management practices. i have been tracing drug smugglers for charity for years and haven't put the lot of business yet. we have become very capable. there were mother ships, and go fast. when we started arming helicopters they went to submersibles. now they have gone a step for of her and gone to full the submersible vessels which makes and all the more difficult to monitor and when you have a lucrative business like that and the have rule of law to prosecute, go back to what

economic conditions are in a non government territory that will be there for some time. certainly the industry is just one niche, combination of public and private sector to eradicate this threat. >> the number of vessels that goes through, 30,000 vessels. it is a small number but so significant. there is a lot of traffic that goes through and if you are doing 16 knots and staying in the transit zone especially where it took place where pirates attacked during the day, your chances of being pirated are very low. we have to continue to watch the

vessels, they have a big beat and that does come get me. those of the ones that are targeted. >> my follow-up would-be and ships that are being nailed -- [inaudible] >> shipping companies are dealing with what they have available. they have ships that only do 3 knots. they can't stop commerce because that is a ship that is available to transfer their cargo. we have seen those particular ships that are more vulnerable, in the best interest whether it is look out or that sort of thing but they are also encouraged to report to the task forces that are operating to

provide extra awareness as to the higher risk vessels in that part of the exchange of information between commercial shipping and what is operating there. >> these guys are not the most educated people in the world. in the last year, they attacked the uss ashland and the uss newman. they wake up in the morning and go after ships and they're looking for a target of opportunity. it is not that they have a particular ship in mind. just what comes by when they see something. >> thanks to some of these people. >> that is reflective of what we saw based on the jones star. young 20s, narcotic effect, played into the decisionmaking cycle in terms of threat assessments and criminals, we

thought we would see on the target site. the use of lack of education, there was an initial bravado that they have but the training, indications we were getting from them, just line of sight through the lens was they were not well trained. certainly a creative group of guys that should not be underestimated. that was something we don't want to do. >> you have a view on the ships you were looking at? >> in terms of physical security. the security -- citadel was phenomenal. the ship owners and captains get through, the crew of the

magellan star basically defense in depth on their ships to fall back to continued positions that have water and food and communications. that is an important thing to consider. there was no security on the outboard of the ship. certainly raise the barbwire. they like to board from the port quarter or beam but they're coming up lightweight ladders. they use these tests, the closest angle of attack is at that quarter to come on board and get one guy and the risk of teams on so the crew has to be well rehearsed to get to the citadel. what are they using to contact their crew and take people off watch? you only have minutes and the pirates will go from there approach to the bridge and get control of the ship.

certainly the use of citadel dummies they come into play. and coalition forces, using you p.m. those are very important. >> the unmanned systems magazine, possibly 1 to two million square mile area, to survey and look over the threat of piracy. i was wondering if for the military and taskforce if you view it as more about your will to scanning systems or is there a growing need to use more long endurance systems? >> this was in 2007, and 2009 and this was the multiplier. i beg every single day to the staff to send more scan eagle. we would love to have peace 3s

but the number is decreasing. so right now a scan eagle type u.s. is great to have. it is grade system to have. when i came back and debriefed i praised it and at that time in 2009 it was not in the permanent record but now we selected it. it was a great problem and i endorse it. it is what you need. >> it was an international sense of assets and the systems that are available. >> 151 was working alongside the taskforce in the gulf of aden. there were two scan eagles locating hard skiffs.

certainly it was a false multiplier, and they tell that information to the task group but also our would note that with international perspective for japanese or mbas operating in the area you can't always substitute a set of eyes and capability to respond from a helicopter with unmanned systems. they are a useful tool for capabilities. >> any other questions? >> from navy times. i want to ask in the wake of the quest, where the pirates killed a hostage, how does that change things on the tactical level in terms of the non compliance border? >> there are various aspects

that are under investigation. there was dissension among the pirates. the two that had fbi hostage rescue teams and try to cut a deal with the pirates. there was dissension within the ranks. it probably goes back to what you heard the captain and terence mcknight mention, the sophistication among these folks, the use of k h 80 is a narcotic. their state of mind is questionable at best. the fact of their running on adrenalin and operating in the shadow of a u.s. warship.

it is a very spontaneous event in that regard. we do see the recent case with the danish vessel, theing with family members on board. we are aware that any attempt to recover those individuals would result in immediate execution. we are seeing that type of behavior become more prevalent. is it out of frustration? difficult to say. the state of mind of these pirates is always in question. >> next question please. >> you may reference to the

mother ships. we heard some dipping numbers in terms of how many are out there. the concern i have that we talked about, technical operations, what will prevent different task forces from wiping out the mother ships? we can't go to the land-based solution. what naval forces go to that route? >> the first problem with the mother ships is often they are legitimate mariners. whether it is a yemeni fishing or cargo or down to the african continent, is a legitimate mariners who find themselves being taken hostage by pirates skiffs and once they are on board they mix with legitimate mayor said you are in a hostage situation where they are being compelled to assist pirates in attacking a more lucrative target. any decision to go after the mother ships you are and a

position where you put innocent mariners at risk. >> the mother ship issue has been going on, they hijacked a yemeni fishing vessel and abandoned it. there was a case in i think late 2008, where the you can actually boarded the yemeni fishing now, they got into a firefight. they're using bigger vessels to go out farther distances into the indian ocean. that complicates the issue. there fly a flag, it is hard to say, you see them strategically going after another vessel. >> the same challenge we have

getting it used in counterdrug operations. we have 37 bilateral agreements where we can go aboard vessels of various flags states but when you go on board a number of legitimate fishing vessels it is only a question of time before we get -- violating mayor rights so it is very difficult. they are not flying the jolly roger. it is difficult to discerned did legitimate from illegitimate. board every vessel that is out there will probably result in some type of reprisal as well through diplomatic channels. >> my question is for anyone who can answer. what type of training are the parts receiving?

>> i am not sure i can answer that question in detail but just watching the patterns, open source analysis, you can see they're doing better than they were a decade ago, there is some kind of training going all at that small pirate action group level. we saw -- ascertain there is some training going on. the level of that training in my assessment was low. this was just one event, one single event so take what you will but these basic things we know how to do. very low levels of training legal awareness and discipline. that is what you are looking for. they told me and my leaders look

how they're pulling weapons, this will probably not be too bad of a fight. does that answer your questions? >> i have seen any pure examples of training. what i have seen is they aren't very well trained. what they make up for lack of training they make up for in zeal to get out there and get on board a ship. examples of several ships that are pirated along the coast of somalia you would think those would be an opportunity for them to bring other teams to get on board and i have seen that. what they're doing is fabricating weapons and doing the best they can. fumbling their way through sometimes but obviously it is working. we have a question at the front.

>> how many actual pirates are retiring about worldwide? you said the average makes $2 a day. how much does the pirate maker year? >> i will take a stab at that. i don't feel we have a good number of low we have seen like we have with the quote drug for at which enjoys an 80% profit margin. any fortune 500 company, those numbers would be sitting pretty. the ability to reconstitute the force is the real challenge. we are going to eliminate the threat and readily reconstitute. we talked about the mother ship

operation. pirated vessels are turned and become a support direct activity. makes it difficult to get our arms around the magnitude but when you look at for example 14 pirates on a 56 foot sailing vessel like quest, if that settlement had come to $5 million, how does that get distributed? many of these sponsors -- pirates have sponsors they helped train, equipped. we didn't get into the investment portfolio but if you are an investor, it may be a lucrative investment. there may be a sharing of those proceeds. the real intelligence gathering we talked about earlier where this money goes, following the cash flow is a challenge. it would help us get a better

indication how much they profit. we know they are making investments and purchasing land in somalia and also investing in education for universities. difficult to say how much a profit but certainly it provides a much more promising life style beyond that event than they would otherwise experience and somalian. >> another question. >> my question for you is the piracy trend, number of hostages nearly doubled from last year. pulling for a of the hostages being held is much water. we are talking about a law enforcement paradigm. you talk about discussions that are going on at the policy level

about looking at new ways of handling this problem. are things on the table increasing -- taking other aspects of a war on terror paradigm? >> we explore every option. even putting a bounty on pirates. that is not one that we are going to push forward. looking at this from a number of different strands. certainly you have the offensive aspect, the defensive parter, that are being pirated. following the money flows and rule of law. if not somalian, at least the nations of the willing. we see that with the membership

in the coalition, nearly 30 nations participate and others doing independent operations off of the coast but it is going to be a confluence of offensive and defensive posture, rule of law and other policy following the money flow and the whole rule of law challenge. ultimately prosecution but we take a combination of -- there is no one holy grail to deal with this problem. that is what we're looking at at the policy level. it is certainly not one approach. that being strictly connecticut operations. putting. on the ground in somalia is not an option that is under consideration right now. [inaudible]

>> what you have seen right now, within several successful operations, having overwhelming force when you are able to bring that force to bear in a pie wrestle, all to leave when the crew is in the citadel, citadel is a hardened area on the ship that the pirates are not able to penetrate so long as the crew is in that compartments, it is they should automated security, and colored button, is under attack and that provides an indication including the name of the vessel and its location that the event has taken place. that at least allows us, it is all about proximity. we are talking purity of business.

having a vessel in that proximity. if those events come together it makes that type of intervention that we can take under consideration but recognizing we put people at great risk when we go in to intervene as well. when you look at this from a business case, there are some shippers that would just as to write a check at the cost of doing business but that will only cause this type of activity to flourish. that is in the private sector which is not something at the policy levels that we can control especially in a foreign state but those of the challenges we face as well. there are nations that are willing to write a check. the u.s. government will not sponsor -- to free hostages. >> i have a long winded answer.

there really is no one answer. it is private, public, private sector within our shipping industry. it is a combination of the two. >> there is a persistent rumor for longtime the crystal substantiated the arrival for without again, there has been iranian involvement by some other ships, any true to this? [talking over each other] >> if you look at the history of somalia, it is a planned space society. event in a somalian it self, the pirates don't get along. bringing foreign influence in

would be pretty extreme. it is not something that we saw. it would be a very far extreme. >> i would also note in my operations that on several occasions i shared tactical information with a the iranian navy that was operating in the region and they were very professional in how they dealt with sharing that information and contributing to the anti virus the problem. they were in the position with their own security teams on board their national shifting lines which frequently operated north of the internationally recommended transit quarters all my dealings with the iranian navy were very professional. >> anything to add? >> what are the questions? we have one more in the front.

>> we haven't spoken about the humanitarian crisis that is also ongoing. approximately 100,000 that are going from africa to the middle east. how does that complicate the counterpiracy mission and as a follow-on, the units that are over there at the international coalition, are they prepared to render assistance to those who are in distress? >> to the wealth of the west of where the high risk area is right now, certainly is more of a european concern right now in terms of the maritime flows but certainly under the safety of life at sea incumbent upon any vessel when you see mariners in distress to render assistance. it is not just a coastguard

mission but really is a good samaritan and unwritten law to render assistance to those in distress. the terms of that, we have the migrant flow entering this high threat area. we are not seeing that nor do we expect to. >> i was going to ask if you have any further questions. i hope we have covered everything everyone is looking to learn about today. i would like to thank our panelists, steve waddell, terence mcknight, alexander martin and paul zukunft. for their insights and manifest. we have to do a number of similar events in washington and we welcome your feedback on future topics. we will be around. ps feel free. guests of the navy league are welcome to remain in a room for brief networking event at 10:30.

so on behalf of the 2011 exhibition, the navy league, many thanks for your participation. thank you. [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations]