Subscribe to RSS feedUS mulls law to put military on its ships
The US House of Representatives has hinted that lawmakers might take matters into their own hands and introduce legislation requiring military personnel on board US flag ships in piracy-prone regions, if US Department of Defence (DoD) and US Coast Guard (USCG) officials do not come up with a similar plan by June.
Elijah Cummings, Democratic Congressman from Maryland, turned up the heat on the DoD, the US Navy and the USCG, demanding to know why US mariners are being left to fend for themselves against pirates.
The Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Subcommittee, chaired by Mr Cummings, met for the first time since the beginning of February, with piracy on the agenda.
Mr Cummings spearheaded a spirited discussion, demanding to know why the US Navy or the USCG are not providing “embarked military personnel” on the few US-flag ships that continue to transit the Horn of Africa.
“While I have no doubt that the Navy would respond immediately if another attack occurs against a US-flagged vessel, the timeliness of their response could be hindered if navy assets are far from the scene of the attack,” Mr Cummings said.
“And sadly, in the time that it takes the navy to respond to an incident, another hostage situation may have been created, putting another US mariner at the mercy of pirates who have already announced their intention to take revenge against US mariners for the deaths of their pirate colleagues in the Maersk Alabama incident,” he said.
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