Lawmakers Demand Armed Security on U.S. Ships

House members, fed up with Defense Department unwillingness to put military personnel on U.S. merchant ships to protect them against Somali pirates, may put such a requirement into law before the end of June.

Members of the House Transportation Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation made it clear on Wednesday that Department of Defense and Coast Guard officials did not have unlimited time to come up with a plan to provide on-board security to prevent a repeat of incidents like the attacks on Maersk Alabama and Liberty Sun.

Chairman Elijah Cummings, D-Md., said that like the president, “we have adopted the urgency of now. If we fail to act, I am convinced that lives will be lost.” He addressed his remarks to a panel of Coast Guard and Defense witnesses at a hearing to evaluate the lessons learned from recent pirate attacks.

No committee member indicated that the presence of an international task force of military vessels patrolling the Indian Ocean was adequate security for U.S. ships, especially since Somali pirates vowed retaliation on American crews after three of their number were killed to end the Maersk Alabama incident.

Ed Frothingham, principal director of the Defense Department office on counter-narcotics and globals threats, said that only Military Sealift Command ships, and commercial vessels that were chartered for more than 180 days to carry defense cargo had military security teams. Ships on shorter charters were on their own to decide if they wanted private security guards.

Rep. Gene Taylor, D-Miss., said that the government had the choice of removing the legal obstacles that kept U.S. owners from hiring armed private security teams. Those included liability, arms-trafficking restrictions, and the unwillingness of foreign states – Kenya being one – that deny entry to civilian ships that have firearms on board.

“We’re trying to do security on the cheap,” Taylor said. “We have the right to defend our stuff. Why should I have an American-flagged ship? Because we defend our stuff.”

Taylor said that regular-duty sailors, soldiers or marines, reservists, or National Guard troops could board ships to provide security, that there would be no shortage of volunteers for the job. Fewer than 200 would be needed to protect an estimated five to seven U.S.-flag ships that are in high risk waters at any one time.