Somali Pirates: The Netherlands Trying New Tactic Against Pirates

GvG has the post: Information Dissemination: The Netherlands Trying New Tactic Against Pirates describing the use of numerous, albeit slow landing craft to patrol waters close inshore with some success. And in there is a revealing lesson:

By using their landing crafts to patrol the pirate infested waters, the Dutch are showing that quantity has quality of its own.
And I would think that it should be easier to catch the pirates closer to were they left, because the area to look for pirates is smaller (although still quite large) compared to trying to find them when they are 700NM away from the Somali coast.

Well, some of us have been arguing for just this sort of thing for some time - see, for example, Department of Crazy Ideas: How about a cheap inshore fleet?, How to Make the Navy Bigger, Sooner, Cheaper, If the "'Sea [is] too large to prevent all piracy,' admiral says"--then you have to make the sea smaller....

So, good for the Dutch! Now, if everyone else would just join in and blockade the pirate havens...

UPDATE: Dutch Navy site report here: (Google translation)

Gade Beaten from the Johan de Witt bring two landing craft seized a pirate ship amphibious transport op.Het Hr. Ms. Johan de Witt is by applying a new tactic, possibly due to its landing craft, all 2 times pirate activities successfully disrupted. Johan de Witt patrol for only a few days off the Somali coast.
The successful patrols done differently than hitherto. The amphibious transport ship of the Navy may, in its landing craft operate closer to shore. Instead of waiting to detect pirates on the open ocean, patrolling the Johan de Witt famous pirates near cities and prevented the pirates since the departure.
 
"That's exactly what happened," said Major of Marines Theo Manure Rini, who leads a group of landing craft. He has his cabin on board temporarily exchanged for a cot on the deck of a landing craft. "Early in the morning we suddenly noticed a large fishing boat. It was close to a pirate village, where we last nights activities had seen everything." After approval of the commander of the Johan de Witt was called the Whaler approached. "It soon turned out here to go to a Whaler as mother ship for pirates is used. They were about to leave the ocean. We have thus nipped in the bud".
It was the second successful campaign in just 4 days. Now are two former pirate boats on the deck of the Johan de Witt. The crew returned to shore. "The Johan de Witt has six landing craft with him, put the commander Ben Bekkering. "We can always a large part of the coast coverage. This kind of commitment is entirely new. It's a different part than we're used to, but it shows the flexibility of the ship and its vessels to."
Somali pirates make it difficult actions taken hostage by the shipping in the Gulf of Aden and off Somalia. Therefore, the navies of many countries for some time active in the area to combat piracy. Johan de Witt participates in the anti-piracy mission Atalanta of the European Union. The success of the approach demonstrated by the fact that the pirates operate further from home and the number of successful attacks decreases.

UPDATE: From November 2008:

In the September 2008 issue of the United States Naval Institute's magazine Proceedings, the Secretary of the Navy looked at the issue of "An Affordable Naval Presence." It has a sub-head of "We need a more cost-effective Fleet."

The piece lays out the requirements imposed by our maritime nature:

Our nation's maritime strategy reaffirms the use of sea power to influence actions and activities at sea and ashore, including the need for our naval forces to support humanitarian operations, counter piracy, and assist in capacity building and training of partner nations. The requirement to support these missions moves us to adopt persistent global presence as a key tenet of our strategy. The increasing desire for U.S. Navy presence is one of the driving factors behind our decisions on Fleet size and composition.

 The value of presence is under-appreciated by many, for they fail to recognize the role of maritime security in support of the world economy to protect it against the vulnerabilities that terrorism and rogue nations pose. Clearly, most would agree that the world is far more connected and interdependent than in years past. Nations have moved away from the idea that they must possess economic self-sufficiency and have largely recognized the value of trade and specialization.

***

The more dispersed nature of today's world trade patterns has major implications for our view of maritime security . . .

Ah, there's the rub. Too much ocean, too many shorelines, too many needs, too few ships. What's a navy to do?

Secretary Winter wants analysis of the right ships to build and a more efficient process to build them. All of which is fine, but - there is a faster, cheaper path to get bigger, sooner at lower cost - putting hulls in the water while awaiting that analysis.

Here's my modest proposal:

1. Take $250 million dollars and put it aside;
2. Of that $250 million, use $100 million to buy or lease 50 to 100 offshore crew boats as currently used in the offshore oil industry (many of them are reaching the end of their expected useful life in the industry - you might be able to pick up some bargains).
3. Invest $50 million in refurbishing the boats and in getting weapons for their decks. Turn them into "navalized" vessels. Make 22 knots the minimum acceptable speed. (UPDATE: Or 15 kts - just bring some "go fasts")
   
4. Do not try to make these low cost littoral combat ships into battleships for all conditions. Talk to the LCDRs who will be squadron commanders and the LTs who will be the commanding officers about what they would need to provide a presence, fight in a low threat environment against modestly armed pirates and the like, support occasional missions ashore and interdict drug smuggler semi-submersibles. Give them what they need in terms of state of the art comms using COTS (heck, load put a communication van on board if so that no time is wasted trying to rewire the little ships more than needed). Put in some comfortable berthing suited for the sea states in which these things (I call them Special Purpose Vessels or SPVs) will operate.
5. Under no cirmcumstance should the total U.S. Navy investment in any single SPV exceed $2 million, excluding the cost of adding weapons systems (adding a M-1 Abrams, for example) and the personnel costs.
   
6. Make the project a 12 month "emergency" - and kill the bureacracy that would ordinarily take on this job - find a hard charging Captain, make him or her report directly to SecNav and tell them what the mission and the budget will be. Then get out of the way except for monthly status reports.
7. Find a group of O-3s who are ready for command and who can think for themselves and train the heck out of them by letting them go to sea in the type of ships that you are acquiring, let them learn from the masters of current offshore supply and crew vessels. Find some O-4s who can take hold of the idea of being a squadron commander of a 5 ship squardron and train them in mission like that being conducted by the Africa station.
   
8. Borrow some Army Rangers or fleet Marines and train them in the ship boardings, small boat ops, shipboard firefighting and ship defense. Treat them like the Marines of old. Stress people skills appropriate for counterterrorism work.
9. Lease some ships to be used as "tenders" for the SPVs - small container ships on which the containers can be shops, supply warehouses, refrigerator units, etc. Bladders for fuel. Use the Arapaho concept to set up a flight deck for helo ops.
10. Be generous with UAV assets - use the small "net recoverable" types.
    
11. Don't limit the small boat assets to RHIBs. Experiement with M-ships, small go-fasts captured from drug dealers, whatever. The idea is to have boats that can operate in one sea state worse than the pirates, drug smugglers, etc.
12. Use the old MIUW (Mobile Inshore Undersea Warfare) van concept for adding some sonar capability. TIS/VIS is a necessity.
    

Start with a couple of squadrons, tell your O-6 that you want them ready in 6 months for operational testing. Unleash the budget dollars. For op testing, send one squadron off to the coast of Somalia for anti-pirate work. Send the other off Iraq. Put those expensive great big cruisers and destroyers currently in the area to work doing blue water stuff.

Paint Coast Guard like stripe on the hull of the SPVs - but make it Navy blue. If the Coasties want to join in, give them a boat and paint the stripe orange. Make the SPVs highly visible. Nothing deters crime like a visible cop on the beat.

Show the flag.

Please let your thoughts be known.

Good advice then, good advice now. And the Dutch are proving it.

On the Arizona Immigration Law

Report on latest protests here.

See previous post on this topic here.

All weekend I heard the chattering classes saying this law makes it "a crime under state law to be in the country illegally..."

Which just puts state law into compliance with federal law, which says exactly the same thing.

You can see why the feds hate it when someone tries to get laws enforced when it is counter to a political party's interests...

More constitutional fun ahead.

Somali Pirates: Busy Weekend

Reported by the ICC Commercial Crimes Services IMB Piracy Reporting Center here :

25.04.2010: 0515 UTC: Posn: 13:46.2N – 042:57.7E, Red Sea.

Pirate boats chased and attempted to board a bulk carrier underway. Master increased speed and carried out evasive manoeuvres. After about 80 minutes, pirates aborted the attempt and moved away. No casualties and no damage to ship.

25.04.2010: 0523 UTC: Posn: 13:48N – 043:00E, Bab el Mandeb, southern Red Sea.

Two skiffs were sighted at a distance of one nm from a chemical tanker underway. Suddenly, one skiff with high speed approached and came very close to the tanker. Four pirates armed with guns and an aluminium ladder was seen in the skiffs. Security personal onboard fired several warning shots in the air but the pirates kept approaching. Finally the security personal fired closed to the skiffs and the pirates aborted the attempted attack.

25.04.2010: 0348 UTC: Posn: 17:59n – 065:49e, around 760 nm from Socotra island (Arabian Sea), off Somalia.

Six pirates armed with machine guns and RPG in a white coloured skiff chased and fired upon a chemical tanker underway with intent to hijack. Tanker contacted coalition forces, increased speed and took evasive manoeuvres. Pirates attempted to board the tanker several times but unable due to the evasive manoeuvres and finally they aborted the attempt. No injuries to crew.

25.04.2010: 0215 UTC: Posn: 18:06N – 065:47E, around 760 nm from Socotra island (Arabian Sea), off Somalia.

Four pirates armed with machine guns and RPG in a white coloured skiff chased and fired upon a tanker underway with intent to hijack. Ship raised alarm, sent distress message, increased speed, took evasive manoeuvres and crew locked all accommodation doors. Pirates tried to board the ship using a steel ladder and hooks attached to ropes. They fired RPG at the accommodation and the ship continued with her evasive manoeuvres. After several attempts, finally pirates aborted the attempted boarding. No injuries to crew.

All maps from ICC CCS IMB.

Things that Make Heroes: Navy pilot's last act: saving 3 crew mates

From the The Columbus Dispatch Navy pilot's last act: saving 3 crew mates:

The E-2C Hawkeye, returning from a mission in Afghanistan, was a few miles out from the Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier. Zilberman, 31, was a veteran U.S. Navy pilot who had flown many times in the Middle East with the Hawkeye, a turbo-prop aircraft loaded with radar equipment.

The starboard propeller shut down, causing the plane to become unstable and plunge. Zilberman ordered his three crew mates, including the co-pilot, to bail. He manually held the plane as steady as possible so they could jump.

"He held the plane level for them to do so, despite nearly uncontrollable forces. His three crewmen are alive today because of his actions," Navy Rear Adm. Philip S. Davidson wrote to Zilberman's parents.

Zilberman went down with the aircraft on March 31. The 1997 graduate of Bexley High School was declared dead three days later, his body lost at sea.

Donations for the education of his children can be made here.

Bugler, sound taps.

Where do we get such men?

UPDATE: Steeljaw on it early and first report.

Fearless navy Bloggers Took to the Air: Episode 18: Ponder Back and Look Forward

And you can hear it by clicking below:

LtCol James Zumwalt will be at a book signing at the Navy Memorial in Washington, DC on 26 April 2010. Details here:

James G. Zumwalt Will Discuss and Sign His Book Followed by a Q&A

Monday, April 26, 2010, 12:00 NOON
Free and open to the public

People react differently to grief. For James G. Zumwalt, it turned to animosity, directed against not only the war but also the enemy against whom we had fought. In 1994, traveling to Vietnam for the first time since the war, he met with Vietnamese leaders to discuss the Agent Orange issue. In doing so, it provided him with the opportunity to learn about the conflict from the perspective of those who had fought it on the other side of the battlefield. As these former enemy veterans began sharing their personal stories of hardship and tragedy—one of which was not too dissimilar from Zumwalt’s own—he was struck by a stark realization. As difficult and tragic as the war had been for Americans who served, it had taken as much, if not a greater, toll on the Vietnamese. In war, there are never winners—and Vietnam was no exception. Returning to Vietnam more than 50 times to interview hundreds of North Vietnamese Army (NVA) and Viet Cong (VC) veterans, in addition to Vietnamese civilians, Zumwalt obtained a better understanding as to the extent of our former enemy's suffering during that war. The result was a metamorphosis, which changed his attitude towards a former foe. Bare Feet, Iron Will, newly published by Veterans Publishing Systems, became the vehicle by which he shares what this metamorphosis taught him.

Book info here.

Iran: Military Sea Drills

Iran reports on its "Great Prophet 5" war game wrapping up in the Persian Gulf waters off its coast.

The drills reveal that Iran's sea-side defense is built around a combination of missiles, mines and swarm attack small boats, including an alleged missile firing remotely controlled "sonar-evading" boat as set out in IRGC unveils homemade vessel:

Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has unveiled a homemade sonar-evading vessel dubbed Ya Mahdi in the initial phase of a new Persian Gulf military drill.

“The domestically-made vessel that carries rockets with powerful destructive capability shows Iran's determined military strength in establishing security in the Persian Gulf,” IRGC's naval commander Ali Reza Tang-siri said Thursday on the first day of the three-day military drill code-named 'The Great Prophet 5'.

High-intensity rockets launched by remote-controlled Ya Mahdi vessels are able to destroy any targets on water surface, added the top commander, quoted by IRNA.

Over 300 vessels equipped with torpedo and guided-missiles are taking part in the massive naval maneuvers that coincide with the 31st anniversary of IRGC's formation.

Iran asserts its forces can cover the entirety of the Persian Gulf (see here). The Gulf is about 600 miles long and, at most, a couple of hundred miles wide. Of course, Iran cannot claim ownership of the entire Gulf, since it shares it with Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar and the UAE.

Exercises included mine laying and other exercises as set out here:

The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has wrapped up the third phase of a major military exercise in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz after the US threatened Iran with a nuclear attack.

Codenamed the 'Great Prophet 5', the massive air, land and naval maneuvers kicked off on Saturday with the main aim of preserving the security of the region.

Phase three of the war games carried out on Saturday focused on defending the Persian Gulf coasts and islands, featuring anti-heliborne attacks and asymmetrical war tactics.

Missile tests are included in the festivities:

Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has announced plans to test-fire four domestically-made missiles at the fourth stage of its ongoing military maneuvers in the Persian Gulf.

Speaking to reporters on Saturday, Commander of the IRGC's naval forces Rear Admiral Morteza Saffari said four Iranian-manufactured surface-to-sea missiles were selected for a test launch on Sunday.

Iranian “defense experts have upgraded and improved the power and range of the missiles, and we will witness their capabilities in the new phase of the maneuvers,” Fars News Agency quoted Saffari as saying.

The senior commander identified one of the missiles as Nasr — a short-range cruise missile that can be launched from both inland bases and military vessels.

Earlier in the day, IRGC Air Force Commander Amir Ali Hajizadeh announced that Iran's 'stealth' drone, Pehpad, was scheduled to become operational in the second half of this year.

Commander Hajizadeh added that the radar-evading unmanned aerial vehicle, which is capable of bombing and conducting reconnaissance missions, had played a successful back-up role in the ongoing military drills.

Naturally, all of this is done in the name of peace. In the meantime, the IRGC has thrown its weight around by stopping foreign-flagged merchant ships in the Strait of Hormuz for "environmental inspection" as set out here:

The Islamic Revolution Guard Corps' naval patrol units have stopped an Italian and a French vessel in the Strait of Hormuz and inspected them.

The two vessels were inspected by the IRGC forces during a military maneuver on Friday for verification that they complied with environmental regulations.

The vessels were allowed to continue sailing after confirmation that they had not breached any regulations, the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) reported.

The IRGC has been holding the third day of a major military exercise dubbed 'Great Prophet 5' in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz.

According to some reports, the Iranian NASR missile is a version of the Chinese C-704 anti-ship missile and China has opened a C-704 plant in Iran:

China inaugurated a missile plan in Iran last month, even as the United States and its allies were pressing Beijing to support a new round of tough economic sanctions on the Islamic Republic over its nuclear program, Jane's Defense Weekly reports.
***
The Nasr is identical to China's C-704 anti-ship missile, Hewson says. Iran's burgeoning defense industry, much of it controlled by the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, has been producing Chinese-designed anti-ship missiles such as the C-801 since the early 1990s.

The C-704, developed by China Aerospace Group, targets ships of 1,000-4,000 tons displacement and is the equivalent of the U.S. AGM-119 anti-ship missile. With a range of 106 miles and a 240-pound warhead, the C-704 has a kill probability of 95.7 percent.

You might notice in the photo above the NASR comes with its very own box launcher, suitable for shipboard use and land launchers. You might enjoy this post from 4 years ago in Iran's radar evading missiles. As noted in this DefenseTech post you can get an unclassified intelligence estimate of Iran's military strength here (pdf). From which this highlight:

Coastal defense cruise missiles (CDCMs) are an important layer in Iran’s defense of the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz. Iran can attack targeted ships with anti-ship cruise missiles (ASCMs) from its own shores, islands, and oil platforms using relatively small mobile launchers.
The C801/802 is Iran’s primary CDCM, first imported from China in 1995. It is capable of engaging targets at a range of six nautical miles, and has greater accuracy, a lower cruising altitude, and a faster set-up time than the Seersucker missile Iran used during the Iran-Iraq War. The C801/802 allows Iran to target any point within the Strait of Hormuz and much of the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. Iran has worked with China to develop shorter range missiles, including the C701, for deployment in narrow geographic environments.

Iran can readily deploy its mobile CDCM launchers anywhere along its coast. These systems have auto control and radar homing guidance systems, and some can target using a remote air link. Iran’s objective is to overwhelm enemy air defenses with mobile CDCMs, combined with multiple rocket launchers (MRLs), coastal artillery, and ballistic missiles.

UPDATE: Iran to Mass-Produce New UAVs:

A senior commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) announced on Sunday that his forces plan to mass-produce a new home-made Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) tested during the current wargames in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the last stage of IRGC naval exercises, codenamed as Payambar-e Azam (The Great Messenger) 5 in Iran's southern waters today, Commander of the IRGC Aerospace Force Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh said that the new UAV (Pahpad) will be mass-produced in the near future.

"In addition to reconnaissance flight over the operation (battle) field, this kind of drone brings ease to battle command by transferring real-time data," Hajizadeh added.

Judging by the photo accompanying the article, one approach to "stealth" will be to make the Iranian drones look exactly like U.S. "Predator" drones, right down to the U.S. markings on the fuselage . . .that's so . . . asymmetric.

UPDATE2: Another article on Iran's homemade missiles here, this time with a photo of an older "Silkworm" type ASM on the beach.

Of course, that reminds of another post from 4 years ago setting out Silkworm range from Iran's shore here. As I recall, the pink areas are within Silkworm range in the lower Arabian Gulf. Sorry to say, all the source info for the map seems to have dried up.

Fearless Navy Bloggers Take to the Air: Episode 18: Ponder Back and Look Forward

Join us Sunday, April 25 at 5pm Eastern for Midrats Episode 18 :

We look back at the Vietnam War and then look forward to the next decade's Fleet options for our Navy. 50 years in 1 hour.

Our guests will be retired Marine Corps Lieutenant Colonel J.G. Zumwalt and journalist Greg Grant.

Lt. Col. James Zumwalt is a retired Marine infantry officer who served in the Vietnam war, the 1989 intervention into Panama, and Desert Storm. He is an author, speaker and business executive, and currently heads a security consulting firm named after his father—Admiral Zumwalt & Consultants, Inc. His articles on Vietnam, North Korea, foreign policy and defense issues can be found in various newspapers and magazines, including USA Today, The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Washington Times, The LA Times, The Chicago Tribune, The San Diego Union, Parade magazine and others. He is a member of the Committee on the Present Danger (CPD), and from 1991-92 was the Senior Advisor to the Assistant Secretary of State for Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs.

Greg Grant is a national security and defense writer and edits the Defense Tech blog and is an associate editor with Military.com. His writing on military technology and international security have appeared in Foreign Policy, Slate, The Washington Post, The Los Angles Times, Defense Technology International, The Washington Quarterly, Survival, Government Executive Magazine and National Journal. He arrived in Baghdad in April 2003 with the Third Infantry Division and returned a number of times to cover the war there. He reported for Jane’s Defense Weekly and from Iraq, and Afghanistan for the Military Times newspapers. Before taking an interest in journalism, he worked as a military analyst the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, DC. He holds an M.A. in Strategic Studies from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies.

Listen to Midrats on Blog Talk Radio

Latest U.S Navy Office of Naval Intelligence Piracy and Worldwide Threats to Shipping Reports (to 21 April 10)

ONI Worldwide Threats to Shipping Report (to 21 April 2010) found here. Highlights:

1. INDIAN OCEAN: French navy captures six men after pirate attack, 19 Apr 10. French forces captured six suspected pirates in the Indian Ocean after a command and supply ship was attacked by gunmen in speedboats, the French military said on Wednesday. Pirates in two skiffs attacked the (SOMME) overnight on Monday, some 300-km (190 miles) off the coast of Somalia. The French fired back and the speedboats fled. No one was injured and after a brief search of the area, the Somme discovered the assailants' mother ship. "We found the suspected
pirates, petrol and equipment that could be used for anything but fishing," said Colonel Patrick Steiger, a spokesman for the military. It was the second time in six months that the "Somme" had come under attack while taking part in a European anti-piracy operation in the area (Reuters).
.
2. INDIAN OCEAN: Turkish navy commandos capture pirates, 18 Apr 10. Turkey's
military says navy commandos aboard a frigate captured 13 pirates in the Indian Ocean. The military says the commandos aboard Turkey's (TCG GELIBOLU) stopped the pirate vessel on Sunday as it sailed off the Seychelles on a route being used by a Turkish freighter heading to Mombassa, Kenya. The commandos captured the pirates, destroyed their two skiffs and confiscated other pirate material. The military says the pirates were photographed throwing weapons and ammunition overboard, but didn't say how close the pirates were to the freighter. The military did not say where the captured pirates would be taken (AP).
.
3. INDIAN OCEAN: US Navy ship captures pirates in Gulf of Oman, 5 Apr 10. The Navy guided-missile destroyer MCFAUL captured 10 pirates after an attack on a ship near Salalah, Oman. The pirates pulled alongside the motor vessel RISING SUN on Tuesday and were firing small arms and rocket-propelled grenades, prompting the crew to send out a distress call, according to a news release from the U.S. Navy. The RISING SUN’s crew increased its speed and used evasive maneuvers such as spraying the attackers with fire hoses, the release says. The maneuvers worked and the pirates broke off their attack and returned to their mother ship, an Indian cargo dhow under their control. The Oman Navy warship AL SHARQUIYAH arrived
first on the scene, and as it approached the dhow, nine sailors who were being held hostage jumped into the water, the release says. One of the sailors drowned, but the others were taken aboard the Omani Navy ship. The MCFAUL arrived as the Omani crew was helping the sailors who escaped. The MCFAUL’s crew directed the pirates to surrender by putting their hands in the air and gathering on the bow of the seized dhow. As they complied, they could be seen throwing weapons overboard. Two boarding teams from the MCFAUL took control of the dhow and detained the pirates, who were transferred to the U.S. destroyer CARNEY, where they will be
held until they can be transferred for prosecution, the release says. The surviving sailors who escaped their captors aboard the dhow were returned to the vessel, according to the U.S. Navy (LM: Virginian-Pilot).
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4. INDIAN OCEAN: Dutch sidestep EU red tape to rescue German ship, 5 Apr 10. Gaining fast on the pirates who had seized a German freighter, Dutch naval captain Col. Hans Lodder had no time to waste on bureaucracy. Sidestepping the command of the European Union's anti-piracy task force, he went instead to his own government for authorization to recapture the ship by force. Lodder first ascertained that the freighter's crew had locked themselves in a bulletproof room. Then he launched his ship's Lynx helicopter with a team of six special forces marines. With troops providing cover fire from the helicopter, the marines rappelled onto the ship's deck of the MV TAIPAN to shoot it out, if need be, with the pirates. But they met no resistance. The 15-man crew was rescued, and 10 Somali pirates were captured. "The pirates surrendered the moment they saw the marines," Lodder said in a telephone interview Tuesday from the Dutch frigate TROMP. No one was injured. Monday's successful rescue showed that, when swift decisions are needed, it can be quicker to work around the European Union's command. It was the first time a Dutch ship involved in the EU mission had used force to recapture a hijacked ship. An EU spokesman could not immediately recall any incident when troops under EU
command had boarded a seized ship under the threat of fire. Lodder said he decided to seek permission from his own command for an "opposed boarding" — one where pirates may resist — rather than act under procedures laid down by Brussels. "We just told my force commander we would operate under national command until after the boarding," Lodder told The Associated Press. "We kept everyone in the EU informed of everything we did." A spokesman for the EU mission acknowledged the Dutch action avoided a delay and was legitimate. "For speed of reaction, if you're on the spot ... (and) dispatched at haste to react to something immediately, the best thing to do is to go under national command," said Cmdr. John Harbour, U.K.-based spokesman for the European Union Naval Force Somalia. "If we were about to conduct an operation with a bit more time on our hands then we may well have gone through the standard EU process with a view to consulting," he added. "That consultation just takes a bit longer." The TROMP may turn over the 10 captured Somalis on Monday to German or Dutch prosecutors for what would be a rare European piracy trial (AP).

***
7. SOUTH CHINA SEA: Tug (PU 2007), towing barge (PU 3316) reportedly hijacked 19 Apr 10 at 2328 local time while underway in position 04:25.51N – 104:18.92E, approximately 57NM northeast of Kuantan, Malaysia. The tug activated its SSAS while underway at the above position and subsequently every 30 minutes after that. Suspected that it had been hijacked, the owners reported the incident. It is assessed that the tug and barge had deviated from its planned
course and heading easterly. The last assessed position of the tug is approximately 91NM east northeast of Kuantan, heading easterly at almost 4 knots towards the Philippines. On 20 Apr 10 at 1525 local time, the barge was spotted at position 04:29.9N – 104:56.8E, approximately 105NM east northeast of Kuantan (ReCAAP).
9. SOUTH CHINA SEA: Chemical tanker (THERESA LIBRA) robbed 7 Apr 10 at 2300
local time while underway in position 02:44.2N – 105:16.3E, approximately 6NM west of Pulau Damar, Indonesia. While underway at approximately 12 knots, eight men armed with knives boarded the vessel from a boat. They took the engineer hostage and entered the accommodation area. Upon reaching the bridge, they threatened the crew with knives and took the captain hostage. They proceeded to raid the cabin of the captain and officers, taking cash and valuables. After approximately 20 minutes, the robbers escaped in their boat, which was alongside the poop
deck. The men were casually dressed, spoke English with a local accent and were aggressive throughout the incident. No crewmembers were injured (ReCAAP).
.
10. SOUTH CHINA SEA: Fishing vessels fired upon 23 Mar 10 at 0901 UTC while
underway in position 05:16N – 106:30E, approximately 205NM northeast of Tanjong Berhala, Malaysia. Armed robbers in a 15-meter long boat chased and fired upon two fishing vessels. The vessels increased speed and managed to evade the boat. No injuries to the crew were reported (IMB).
***
12. PHILIPPINES: Chemical tanker reported suspicious approach 4 Apr 10 at 0215 UTC while underway in position 04:10.3N – 120:41.3E, south of Tawi Tawi, Celebes Sea. Vessel reported being chased by skiffs for 30 minutes. Evasive maneuvers were conducted and the vessel continued its transit (IMB).

From: ONI's SOMALIA: Piracy Analysis and Warning Weekly (PAWW) Report

(Horn of Africa) for 15 April- 21 April 2010:

1. (U) Vessels Hijacked
1. INDIAN OCEAN: Bulk carrier (VOC DAISY) hijacked 21 Apr 10 at 0605 UTC while underway in position 16:25N – 057:13E, approximately 280NM northeast of Socotra Island. Suspected pirates in skiffs boarded and hijacked the vessel, taking 21 crewmembers hostage (AP, IMB).
2. INDIAN OCEAN: Fishing vessels (PRANTALAY 11) (PRANTALAY 12) (PRANTALAY 14) hijacked 18 Apr 10 at 0200 UTC while underway in position 09:29N – 069:18E, approximately 230NM northwest of Minicoy Island, India. Armed men in skiffs opened fire on the three fishing vessels and ordered them to stop. They boarded and hijacked the vessels to possibly use as motherships. The three Thai vessels have 77 total crewmembers onboard (AP, IMB, Operator).
2. (U) Vessels Fired Upon
1. GULF OF ADEN: General cargo ship (THOR TRAVELLER) fired upon 14 Apr 10 at 2345 UTC while underway in position 12:42N – 047:23E, approximately 125NM northwest of Bosasso, Somalia. Approximately seven men armed with RPGs and guns in a skiff chased and opened fire on the vessel underway. The captain conducted evasive maneuvers and contacted nearby warships for assistance, who later intercepted the skiff. The vessel sustained damages from gunfire (IMB, CMF).
2. INDIAN OCEAN: Bulk carrier fired upon 21 Apr 10 at 1050 UTC while underway in position 01:10.05N – 065:00.08E, approximately 665NM northeast of Port Victoria, Seychelles. Four men in a blue skiff armed with RPGs and automatic weapons opened fire on the vessel for approximately three minutes. The vessel increased speed and conducted evasive maneuvers, forcing the attackers to abandon the attempt (IMB, Operator).
3. INDIAN OCEAN: French warship (FS SOMME) fired upon 19 Apr 10 at 2101 UTC while underway approximately 400NM southeast of Mogadishu, Somalia. Two skiffs opened fire on the ship, causing the SOMME to return fire with warning shots. When the skiffs attempted to flee, the SOMME pursued the skiffs and was able to capture one, detaining four suspected pirates (Reuters, MSCHOA).
4. INDIAN OCEAN: Tanker fired upon 18 Apr 10 at 0725 UTC while underway in position 09:29N – 068:56E, approximately 865NM southeast of Socotra Island and 430NM west of Kochi, India. Four men in a skiff armed with RPGs opened fire on the vessel. Counter-piracy measures were enforced and an embarked security team fired warning shots at the skiff, forcing them to abort the attack. No casualties to the crew or ship were reported (IMB, Operator).

More on the missing tug boat PU2007 available at the ReCAAP site here (pdf) from which the following picture are liberated:

You know, just in case anyone was wondering if piracy might be a problem.

GM Money Game - Jamie Dupree

All day, local radio has been praising the "GM loan payback" but there's a rest of the story they left off:
GM Money Game - Jamie Dupree :

General Motors will make a big splash in the news today by announcing that the automaker will repay several billion dollars loans from the federal government earlier than expected. But it's not really coming out of the GM wallet.

The issue came up yesterday at a hearing with the special watchdog on the Wall Street Bailout, Neil Barofsky, who was asked several times about the GM repayment by Sen. Tom Carper (D-DE), who was looking for answers on how much money the feds might make from the controversial Wall Street Bailout.

"It's good news in that they're reducing their debt," Barofsky said of the accelerated GM payments, "but they're doing it by taking other available TARP money."

In other words, GM is taking money from the Wall Street Bailout - the TARP money - and using that to pay off their loans ahead of schedule.

"It sounds like it's kind of like taking money out of one pocket and putting in the other," said Carper, who got a nod of agreement from Barofsky.

Hey, it's just your money they're playing games with.

And they wonder why people are going to tea parties...

Somali Pirates: Mistake French Naval Replenishment Ship for Merchant- 6 captured, boats sunk

Reported here:

Pirates attack French Military Replenishment Ship SOMME – 6 pirates captured

21/04/2010 15.56 UTC

During the night of 19th April 2010, 400 nautical miles from the coast of Somalia, French replenishment ship SOMME came under attack from two skiffs with six pirates on board.
FS SOMME had been engaged in a support mission for the EU NAVFOR anti piracy operation Atalanta, replenishing her supplies, when she was attacked during the night of 19th April 2010. The pirates, mistaking the SOMME’s silhouette for that of a merchant vessel, opened fire on the French ship. FS SOMME responded with warning shots, causing the two pirate skiffs to flee. During their flight the two pirate skiffs were separated.
Whilst chasing one of the skiffs, FS SOMME detected another boat which turned out to be the pirate mother ship, the vessel which controls and resupplies the pirate skiffs. The mother ship was captured less than half an hour later with two pirates on board, and her fuel and pirate paraphanalia (weapons and grappling lines) were seized. The mother ship was destroyed and sank.
FS SOMME then gave chase to the skiff which was apprehended with a further 4 pirates on board. The skiff and the six pirates to now being held on board FS SOMME.

Note: FS SOMME was also attacked by pirates on 7 October 2009. The ship’s company then intercepted 5 pirates and their skiff. (see here)

Drilling Rig Blows Up in Gulf of Mexico -11 still missing

Reported here:

Transocean Corp. said 11 people are still missing from a drilling rig that experienced an explosion and fire late Tuesday night about 40 miles off the Louisiana coast in the Gulf of Mexico.

In a news conference today, officials said they still do not know for sure the cause of the accident, but it appears to have been a blowout, where hydrocarbons travel up the subsea piping to the rig in an uncontrolled manner.

Adrian Rose, Vice President of Quality, Health, Safety and Environment for Transocean, said the rig had stopped drilling and was in the process of getting the 18,000-foot-deep well ready for production. It appears hydrocarbons were able to travel up the drilling riser — a pipe that carries mud and other drilling fluids back to the rig on the surface — and ignite.

“So this was a blowout?” asked a reporter.

“Basically, yes,” said Rose. “But we still don't have all the facts and this is just an assumption we're making.”

Firefighters continued to battle the oil-fueled blaze aboard the Deepwater Horizon this afternoon. The fire has ebbed and flowed throughout the day on the rig, which appears to be listing at about a 10 degree angle, Rose said.

Of the 126 workers onboard, 17 were injured and flown by helicopter to onshore hospitals. Seven were considered critical. One is in a burn unit at The University of South Alabama Medical Center in Mobile while nine have been released from that facility and others. The location of the remaining seven is unclear.

U.S. Coast Guard photo.Caption:

NEW ORLEANS - Fire boat response crews battle the blazing remnants of the off shore oil rig Deepwater Horizon April 21, 2010. A Coast Guard MH-65C dolphin rescue helicopter and crew document the fire aboard the mobile offshore drilling unit Deepwater Horizon, while searching for survivors April 21, 2010. Multiple Coast Guard helicopters, planes and cutters responded to rescue the Deepwater Horizon's 126 person crew.

Somlai Pirates: Grab a Ship and 21 Crewmembers Off Oman

MSC(HOA0 reports here:

Liberian owned M/V VOC DAISY hijacked south of Oman
21/04/2010 09.00 UTC

On the morning of 21April 2010, the Panamanian Flagged (Liberian owned) M/V VOC DAISY, a bulk carrier of 47,183 dead weight tonnes, was hijacked in the Gulf of Aden, 190 nautical miles East South East of Salalah, Oman.

At the time of the attack, the MV VOC DAISY, owned by Middleburg Properties Ltd, Liberia, and operated by the Greek company Samartzis Maritime Enterprises, was heading west from Ruwais, U.A.E, making for the eastern rendezvous point of the International Recommended Transit Corridor (IRTC), for onward transit through the Suez Canal. She was 280 miles from the IRTC when she was hijacked.

MV VOC DAISY was registered with Maritime Security Centre Horn Of Africa (MSCHOA) and was able to raise the alarm before the four armed pirates, carrying three AK47s and one RPG, stormed onboard and cut their lines of communication.

EU NAVFOR is monitoring the situation and can confirm that all the 21 Philippino crew of the MV VOC DAISY are safe.

Photo by Ian Baker and found at Shipspotting.com. Used in accord with terms of that site.

Somali Pirates: Moving East, Take 3 Thai Vessels 1200 miles Off Somalia

Reported at MSC(HOA):

Pirates head east to counter EU NAVFOR success

20/04/2010 12.10 UTC

On 18th April 2010, three Thai fishing vessels from Djibouti, were hijacked 1200 nautical miles east of the coast of Somalia.
These latest hijackings are the furthest east of any pirate attacks in the area since the start of EU NAVFOR’s Operation Atalanta in December 2008, almost 600 miles outside the normal EU NAVFOR operating area. It is a clear indication that the EU anti piracy mission, together with those of NATO and CMF, is having a marked effect on pirate activity in the area.
The hijacked vessels, MV PRANTALAY 11, (26 Thai crew) MV PRANTALAY 12 (25 Thai crew) and MV PRANTALAY 14 (26 Thai crew), belong to a Thai based company PT Interfishery Ltd. EU NAV FOR can confirm that all 77 Thai crew are safe and well and that the vessels are heading towards the Somali coast. EU NAVFOR will continue to monitor the situation.

Actually, there have been reported attack at least as far as the one noted by the EU above, see NATO Shipping Center Somalia Piracy Update 20 Apr 2010, for this report of an attack on a merchant (charted by me above):

18. April 2010

WARNING, Pirate Attack, Indian Ocean (0929 N,06856 E)

Alert number 334 / 2010.

At 0726 UTC a merchant vessel was attacked by one skiff in position 0929N 06856E.

See also reports of ships being captured 1000 miles off Somalia, near India Somali Pirates: Turkish Cargo Ship Taken 1000 miles at Sea (23 March 10), report of attack off India here (11 March 10), a December 2009 report of a tanker attacked 300 miles off India here with a follow on here. The maps below reflect those earlier attacks:

If you want to stop these pirates, it's time to get serious in blockading known Somali pirate ports.

Click on maps to enlarge them.

Somali Pirates: Turkish navy commandos capture 13 suspected pirates

Reported here:

Turkey's military says navy commandos aboard a frigate have captured 13 pirates in the Indian Ocean.

The military says the commandos aboard Turkey's TCG Gelibolu stopped the pirate vessel on Sunday as it sailed off the Seychelles on a route being used by a Turkish freighter heading to Mombassa, Kenya.

The commandos captured the pirates, destroyed their two skiffs and confiscated other pirate material.

The military says the pirates were photographed throwing weapons and ammunition overboard, but didn't say how close the pirates were to the freighter.

Illegal Immigration from the Sea

From here:




Recent attempted landings reported here (8 people) and here (23 people),
More here.

UPDATE: A look at the U.S. Coast Guard and the illegal immigrant problem off the east coast of the U.S. here. Photo nearby is of a Yola used for people smuggling from the Dominican Republic.

Sunday Reading

Victor Davis Hanson How Could We Be So Stupid? Let Us Count the Ways:

Why, when we owe $12 trillion, would the Obama administration set out budgets that will ensure our collective debt climbs to $20 trillion? Why are we borrowing more money, when Medicare, Social Security, the Postal Service, Amtrak, etc. are all insolvent as it is?

What is the logic behind something so clearly unhinged?

I present seven alternative reasons — some overlapping — why the present government is hell-bent on doubling the national debt in eight years. Either one, or all, or some, or none, of the below explain Obama’s peculiar frenzied spending.

I add that when you elect to office people who do not understand economics, you get programs that reflect their level of understanding. And, that when their operating premise is that everything you earn and own really belongs to the state, they are being kind to let you "keep" any of it while they redistribute the remainder to make up for alleged unfairness in the the system which you and your family exploited to the detriment of others. At least in the future we will all be poor together, fed, housed and cared for by the loving state.

A salute to the government pen at The Skeptical Bureaucrat.

George Will on the VAT and abandoning the income tax here. He needs to take a look at the "Fair Tax" which takes his point and still provides for those with less income - fairly - see here:

The FairTax plan is a comprehensive proposal that replaces all federal income and payroll based taxes with an integrated approach including a progressive national retail sales tax, a prebate to ensure no American pays federal taxes on spending up to the poverty level, dollar-for-dollar federal revenue neutrality, and, through companion legislation, the repeal of the 16th Amendment.

The FairTax Act (HR 25, S 296) is nonpartisan legislation. It abolishes all federal personal and corporate income taxes, gift, estate, capital gains, alternative minimum, Social Security, Medicare, and self-employment taxes and replaces them with one simple, visible, federal retail sales tax administered primarily by existing state sales tax authorities.

The FairTax taxes us only on what we choose to spend on new goods or services, not on what we earn. The FairTax is a fair, efficient, transparent, and intelligent solution to the frustration and inequity of our current tax system.

The FairTax:

* Enables workers to keep their entire paychecks
* Enables retirees to keep their entire pensions
* Refunds in advance the tax on purchases of basic necessities
* Allows American products to compete fairly
* Brings transparency and accountability to tax policy
* Ensures Social Security and Medicare funding
* Closes all loopholes and brings fairness to taxation
* Abolishes the IRS

Oh, yes, it also reduces government control over doling out perks to meet social agendas (see the first item above by Hanson).

UPDATE: Global warming may cause more volcanic action (see here) which may cause a slow down in global warming (see here).

Whatever.

Somali Pirates: Damage to Turkish Ship "Yasin C"

With a hat tip to Saturn5 of Bosphorus Navy News, a collection of photos of damage done by Somali pirates to the Turkish flagged vessel "Yasin C" can be found at Turkish maritime publication Aktüeldeniz.

For those of you unfamiliar with the saga of Yasin C, the ship was boarded by Somali pirates (reported here), but the crew managed to shut down the operating systems and hide in a "safe room."

Saturn 5's comment to that report:

As of today the ship is free again. It turned out that the crew stopped the ship and locked themself in a safe room inside machinery space. after 17 hours of wait one of them ventured to the outside to check the situation only to find the ship empty.

The crew is in charge again and are sailing to Mombasa.

It seems the pirates vented their frustrations on the vessel before departing.

Sunken South Korean Warship Raised

From VOA Sunken South Korean Warship Raised.

Big crane!

Somali Pirates: Royal Navy Forces Pirates to Give Up a Ship

Reported as HMS Chatham Forces Release of Pirated Dhow:

An Indian flagged dhow, the VISHVAKALYAN, which had been seized by Somali pirates and used as a pirate mother ship has been intercepted by the NATO warship HMS Chatham in the area to the East of the Gulf of Aden. The Royal Navy frigate, which is part of NATO’s counter piracy Operation Ocean Shield, spent three days shadowing the vessel, exerting pressure on the Somali pirates on board until the mother ship ran out of fuel and was forced to stop. Stricken and overwhelmed by the warship which closed to the point of bringing the mother ship alongside, the pirates were directed to leave the VISHVAKALYAN under the shadow of HMS Chatham’s close range weapons and Royal Marine marksmen. They then fled back to the Somali coast in a smaller skiff, leaving the dhow and her crew unharmed.

It is believed that the dhow had been used to mount an unsuccessful attack against at least one merchant ship over the proceeding days, before she was intercepted by HMS Chatham. In response to the night time attack on 6 Apr, the NATO warship diverted to the scene and launched her Lynx helicopter which quickly located the suspect dhow. HMS Chatham closed their position and this initial action was sufficient to ensure that the pirates could not continue with their mission.

As HMS Chatham approached, it became clear that the personnel on board were carrying a variety of weapons including Rocket Propelled Grenades and AK47 rifles. The action taken by the warship, her helicopter and fast boats with Royal Marines embarked, over the three days, left the pirates no option but to comply with NATO’s demands and peacefully abandon the dhow.

The Master and fourteen other crew members of the VISHVAKALYAN were extremely relieved to be released and grateful to HMS Chatham, who provided them with medical assistance, water and fuel to allow them to proceed towards their next port.

Commander Simon Huntington, HMS Chatham’s Commanding Officer, said

“We have actively disrupted a group of pirates who had hijacked this dhow, taking the crew hostage, and they were obviously intent on seizing a larger merchant vessel and its crew, for criminal means. I am extremely pleased that due to the actions of my Ship’s Company, HMS Chatham quickly found and intercepted them, forcing them to abort their mission; but what is most rewarding for all of us involved in this operation, is that we have secured the release of this dhow and her crew unharmed and without the need for an escalation in violence.”

Somali Pirates: US Navy Disrupts Piracy Attempt

Reported here and here:

U.S. destroyer hunted down a group of pirates who attacked a vessel in the Gulf of Aden with rocket-propelled grenades early Friday and chased them with a helicopter, officials said.

The helicopter from the USS Farragut watched the pirates throw items — possibly weapons — overboard. A boarding team confiscated pirate paraphernalia and the skiff was instructed to return to the Somali coast, the Combined Maritime Forces said in a statement.

The military said the pirates attacked the Thailand-flagged MV Thor Traveler with RPGs and rifles at 3 a.m. on a moonless morning.

That the pirates were set free underscores one of the problems the international community has not yet solved over the piracy issue: which country should take possession of the suspects and prosecute them.

The encounter was at least the fourth skirmish with pirates that U.S. warships have had in the last several weeks.

Photo caption:

GULF OF ADEN (April 15, 2010) Master-at-Arms 1st Class Daniel Fuentes, a member of the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Farragut (DDG 99) visit, board, search and seizure team investigates a suspicious dhow during anti-piracy operations in the area. Farragut is part of Combined Task Force 151, a multinational task force established to conduct anti-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Cassandra Thompson/Released)

Fearless Navy Bloggers Take to the Air: Episode 17 Homeland Security 4/18/2010 - Midrats on Blog Talk Radio

Episode 17 Homeland Security 4/18/2010 - Midrats on Blog Talk Radio at 5pm/1700 U.S.Eastern:

Join EagleOne of the blog "EagleSpeak" and Sal of "CDR Salamander" as they discuss homeland security and the role the maritime services have to play in it.

Our guests will be Jim Dolbow and Mark Stanovich.

Jim Dolbow is a writer, blogger for both USNI blog and CGBlog.org, Coast Guard Reserve Officer, and former defense staffer on Capitol Hill. He has served as Legislative Director/Military Legislative Assistant for Congressman John Hostettler (IN-08), Legislative Director for the Conservative Action Team (CATs), and legislative assistant for Rep. Jim Ryun (KS-02). In his USCGR responsibilities, he ha served as a SAR Controller training, recalled to active duty in support of OPERATION NOBLE EAGLE, served as a watch stander for the Joint Operations Command Center in Washington, D.C., harbor patrol team leader, post-Hurricane Katrina operations, and served as a legislative affairs analyst on the staff of the Principal Federal Official, Admiral Thad W. Allen, USCG. He holds a BS in Political Science from Marymount University, an MA in National Security & Strategic Studies from the Naval War College, and an M.A. in Statecraft and World Politics from the Institute of World Politics in Washington, D.C. His works on national defense and homeland security issues have appeared in Proceedings, The Washington Post, Washington Times, Sea Power, National Defense, Navy Times, Armed Forces Journal International, to name a few.

Mark Stanovich is a is a Lt. Col. in the United States Marine Corps Reserve, an Artillery officer with 22 years of service. He has served in all four Marine Divisions, and is a combat veteran of OIFII. In his civilian occupation, he is an emergency planner in New England, and is a qualified exercise developer who has participated in the planning and conduct of myriad federal and state exercises with scenarios ranging from natural disaster to terrorism to cyber attack. His current USMCR unit supports Title X war games for all services.

Somali Pirates: Another Pirate "Mother Boat" Sunk

EU MSC(HOA) report here:

Yesterday, 15 April, EU NAVFOR Spanish warship ESPS VICTORIA tracked, boarded and destroyed a Pirate mother ship.

This event, just off the coast of Somalia, shows that EU NAVFORs new, more robust strategy is working. On Thursday morning, an EU NAVFOR helicopter, from the Spanish ship Victoria, detected a Whaler with three suspected pirates onboard, just off the Somali coast. Victoria called upon the Whaler to stop but got no response. After warning shots were fired, a boarding was carried out.

On inspection of the whaler large amounts of fuel and ammunition were found. Although the individuals said they were fishermen, no fishing equipment was found. The decision was taken to dispose of the whaler and the three men on board were transported ashore. The whaler was subsequently destroyed.

The Power of One State: Arizona's New Immigration Bill

I guarantee this will be a really interesting legal battle over the right of a single member state of the United States of American to control undocumented aliens as Arizona Clears Strict Immigration Bill.

It is almost certain that the federal government, under its current leadership, will oppose one or more states bordering on Mexico from asserting their own rights in controlling access by illegal aliens who cross over that border.

The usual federal response to states asserting sovereign rights has been to threaten to cut off federal funding for various projects like highways, education and the like - buying the state into compliance using the argument that the Commerce Clause* covers such matters because the Supreme Court has given that clause very broad scope.


Here, however, the southern border states have legitimate concerns over border security and the federal government has not been able or willing to enforce federal laws against illegal access to this country across the borders with Mexico.


Naturally, "rights groups" are all upset, as reported here and here:  

"Dozens of people rallying Wednesday at the State Capitol urged Gov. Jan Brewer to veto a bill that would require local law enforcement to assist in enforcing federal immigration law"

Really? Dozens? Probably outnumbered by the Arizona legislature.

See a "fact sheet" on the bill here. And the bill itself here. You might note that the underlying law to be enforced is federal law.

Almost certainly the 10th Amendment will come into play:

Amendment X

The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people

UPDATE: Is immigration mentioned in the Constitution? Not directly, but Art I, Section 8 provides Congress has the power "To establish an uniform Rule of Naturalization" which the Supreme Court has ruled covers immigration (here)...

UPDATE2: Here is an opinion piece.

UPDATE3: A roundup of views - all of which point out why this will be some Constitutional fun down the road:


My view is that Geraldo is simply incorrect (once again)in his Constitutional knee jerk reaction. There's no trampling on federal "supremacy" if you are simply enforcing existing federal law that the feds are not enforcing. In fact, I want to see that argument fleshed out. Take your best shot in the comments.

To me it looks like Arizona is actually complying with federal law and some assistant attorney general is going to have to get creative in arguing that is somehow unconstitutional.

I suppose you could argue that the law will have a disparate impact on people appear to be, well, Mexican in that undoubtedly fewer Nordic type blonds will be asked to show some sort of identity proof.

This all could have been avoided with tighter border controls. As it is, it seems unfair to be able to ask a foreign person who has legally entered the country for his/her passport as they travel and not be able to ask the same of a person who sneaked across the border. Especially if you find the latter on some rancher's land out in the middle of nowhere (but near the border)or involved in a crime or in an accident.

*Article I, Section 8. The Congress shall have power ... To regulate commerce with foreign nations, and among the several states...