July 2, 2012 Indonesian navy personnel traded fire with three pirates in the Strait of Malacca, injuring two pirates and killing one. The Strait of Malacca is a dangerous area of piracy in the first place, and the time period right before the Idul Fitri holiday often sees a spike in piracy. The incident occurred after the Navy […]
Asia-Pacific Spending Spree
The Asia-pacific region will comprise a quarter of global naval security spending in the next couple of decades, spending nearly $200 billion USD as tension drives nations to upgrade their maritime defense capabilities. Increased aggression from China and other border-disputes drives the production of 255 patrol craft, 235 fast attack craft, 128 amphibious ships, 116 […]
Terror Attack
According to reports from Manila, terrorists from the armed wing of the Communist Party in the Philippines, the New People’s Army, have attacked two mining companies in Claver town in the province of Surigao del Norte. The terrorists took several hostages and destroyed several tugs and landing craft owned and operated by the companies. While piracy is common in […]
Shifting Scene
Some in the maritime security community are expressing concerns that the new, aggressive approach to combatting pirates in the Indian Ocean may have negative consequences for the overall counter-piracy effort. The Indian Navy has been using a heavy-handed approach to dealing with pirates, and many question if this is a really a deterrent. While amateur, low-level […]