Somalia Highlights Vital Need For New Naval Allies
The recent standoff in the Indian Ocean demonstrates a disturbing trend regarding security of the world???s waterways ??? the lifeline of the global economy. Somalia is by no means unique. Pirates are busy on the other side of the Indian Ocean also. More specifically, they have been extremely active in the South China Sea. The problem for the international community is that these two areas book end the Indian Ocean, home to an enormous amount of the world???s shipping in oil and merchandise. The US Navy does an admirable job in patrolling these waters. But the US Navy cannot do this job alone. There are millions of square miles to cover, and only a limited number of ships. Allied navies from Europe have the same problem. The biggest new entrant to the Indian Ocean is the Chinese Navy, who pose a direct challenge to US supremacy in the Indian Ocean. The US therefore needs to reach out to friendly nations on the Indian Ocean itself ??? such as Australia and possibly Indonesia and Singapore. The country that will make the most difference in the Indian Ocean is India, which operates a large naval fleet. The US and India already enjoy some degree of naval cooperation. Last year, the navies of the US, India, Japan and Australia exercised together in the Bay of Bengal as a democratic show of strength. The United States needs to beef up this emerging naval security structure both for its own security, and for the world???s economic well being. If Somalia demonstrated anything, it demonstrated this.
http://dailyexception.com/2009/04/13/somalia-highlights-vital-need-for-new-naval-alliances/