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Pirate Alley: Commanding Task Force 151 Off Somalia
Rear Admiral Terry McKnight, USN (Ret.) served as Commander, Counter-Piracy Task Force-Gulf of Aden. He wrote the first draft of the Navy's handbook on fighting piracy while serving as the initial commander of Combined Task Force 151, an international effort to deploy naval vessels from several nations in a manner designed to prevent piracy in the Gulf of Aden and farther out into the Indian Ocean. McKnight personally commanded operations that disrupted several hijackings in progress, and resulted in the capture of sixteen Somali pirates. That's when he ran head-on into the bizarre U.S. policy of catch-and-release, and realized that there's a lot more to fighting piracy than just catching some skinny youngsters armed with AK-47s and RPGs.
After his tour in the waters off the Horn of Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, he retired from the Navy and began seriously researching the subject. As a result, he and his co-author, journalist Michael Hirsh, have put together a very readable book that serves as a comprehensive introductory course on the subject. Pirate Alley includes a behind-the-scenes look at the SEAL Team 6 takedown of the pirates who had kidnapped Captain Richard Phillips of the Maersk Alabama. It also reveals what a young Ph.D. candidate from Duke University found during three months on the ground in Somali pirate villages.
Pirate Alley explores every aspect of Somali piracy, from how the pirates operate to how the actions of a relative handful of youthful criminals and their bosses have impacted the world economy. The book examines various answers to the question "How do you solve a problem like Somalia?" It explores the debate over the recently adopted practice of putting armed guards aboard merchant ships, and focuses on the best management practices that are changing the ways that ships are outfitted for travel through what's known as the High Risk Area. Readers will learn that the consequence of protecting high quality targets such as container ships and crude oil carriers may be that pirates turn to crime on land, such as the kidnapping of foreigners.
Pirate Alley also focuses on the worldwide economic impact of piracy, noting that despite claims that piracy is costing as much as $13 billion a year, one of the largest commercial shipping companies argues that over-reaching national and international shipping regulations have a significantly greater negative effect on the world's economy than does piracy.
In the book's conclusion, McKnight contends that, in the interest of justice, nations need to beef up their ability to prosecute and imprison captured pirates. And that the United States has no choice but to continue to hew to a policy that was first stated in Article 1 of the U.S. Constitution: The Congress shall have Power to define and punish Piracies and Felonies committed on the high Seas, and Offences against the Law of Nations.
After his tour in the waters off the Horn of Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, he retired from the Navy and began seriously researching the subject. As a result, he and his co-author, journalist Michael Hirsh, have put together a very readable book that serves as a comprehensive introductory course on the subject. Pirate Alley includes a behind-the-scenes look at the SEAL Team 6 takedown of the pirates who had kidnapped Captain Richard Phillips of the Maersk Alabama. It also reveals what a young Ph.D. candidate from Duke University found during three months on the ground in Somali pirate villages.
Pirate Alley explores every aspect of Somali piracy, from how the pirates operate to how the actions of a relative handful of youthful criminals and their bosses have impacted the world economy. The book examines various answers to the question "How do you solve a problem like Somalia?" It explores the debate over the recently adopted practice of putting armed guards aboard merchant ships, and focuses on the best management practices that are changing the ways that ships are outfitted for travel through what's known as the High Risk Area. Readers will learn that the consequence of protecting high quality targets such as container ships and crude oil carriers may be that pirates turn to crime on land, such as the kidnapping of foreigners.
Pirate Alley also focuses on the worldwide economic impact of piracy, noting that despite claims that piracy is costing as much as $13 billion a year, one of the largest commercial shipping companies argues that over-reaching national and international shipping regulations have a significantly greater negative effect on the world's economy than does piracy.
In the book's conclusion, McKnight contends that, in the interest of justice, nations need to beef up their ability to prosecute and imprison captured pirates. And that the United States has no choice but to continue to hew to a policy that was first stated in Article 1 of the U.S. Constitution: The Congress shall have Power to define and punish Piracies and Felonies committed on the high Seas, and Offences against the Law of Nations.
272 pages, Hardcover
First published October 12, 2012
7 people are currently reading
63 people want to read
About the author
Terry McKnight
3 books1 followerA native of Norfolk, Virginia, Rear Admiral Terence E. McKnight, USN (RET) graduated from the Virginia Military Institute in May 1978 and completed his master's degree in International Relations at Salve Regina University in May 1998. Moreover, he graduated from the U.S. Army War College in 1994 and also attended the National Security Seminar at Syracuse University in 2001.
He commanded USS Whidbey Island (LSD 41) from January 1995 until November 1996 and USS Kearsarge (LHD 3) from July 2002 until December 2003.
McKnight also served as the 85th commandant of Naval District Washington, the oldest continuously operated Navy installation in the nation and the deputy commander, Joint Force Headquarters National Capital Region.
He assumed duties as Commander, Expeditionary Strike Group 2, in September 2007 and served as the first Commander of Task Force 151 for counter-piracy operations in January 2009.
Personal decorations include the Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Bronze Star, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Navy Commendation Medal, Navy Achievement Medal, as well as various other unit awards and decorations.
On his retirement from the Navy in 2009, he joined Cobham, a defense firm, and holds the position of Vice President, Government Relations. He also sits of the boards of the Navy League of the United States and the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs.
He resides in northern Virginia with his wife, Lisa. They have two children, T and Tyler.
He commanded USS Whidbey Island (LSD 41) from January 1995 until November 1996 and USS Kearsarge (LHD 3) from July 2002 until December 2003.
McKnight also served as the 85th commandant of Naval District Washington, the oldest continuously operated Navy installation in the nation and the deputy commander, Joint Force Headquarters National Capital Region.
He assumed duties as Commander, Expeditionary Strike Group 2, in September 2007 and served as the first Commander of Task Force 151 for counter-piracy operations in January 2009.
Personal decorations include the Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Bronze Star, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Navy Commendation Medal, Navy Achievement Medal, as well as various other unit awards and decorations.
On his retirement from the Navy in 2009, he joined Cobham, a defense firm, and holds the position of Vice President, Government Relations. He also sits of the boards of the Navy League of the United States and the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs.
He resides in northern Virginia with his wife, Lisa. They have two children, T and Tyler.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
April 19, 2013
What an interesting read. Here's a retired rear admiral from the Navy discussing his command of an internationally coordinated effort to stem piracy off of the coast of Somalia. Why is it interesting? Well, it's not often that I read the words of people involved in these kinds of operations. So it's educational to read from the mind of the dominator. That, and his writing was just plain fun.
When you have a whole crack team of experts, researchers, and writers behind you, it's got to make writing a book fun--and it shows. Terry (the retired rear admiral) comes off as a very accessible and fun writer. He just exudes this voice of calm friendliness.
However, when you step back from the story of protecting ships and crews from piracy and recognize that the whole thing turns on free trade, globalization, and the protection of the free flow of massive amounts of capital, it becomes horrifying and enraging. The solutions he offers are not new: close finance loopholes, follow the money from the pirates to the investors, make piracy terrorism, bomb/invade the beaches of Somalia killing pirates and destroying piratical property--all so we can get back to wringing our hands about what to do with Somalia--without the problem of piracy depriving multinationals and their shipping contractors capital and wealth as well as diverting US military resources.
Terry is really quite myopic. In the book he's fully focused on his tour as the commander of the task force and military solutions. The system of global capitalism is never questioned. There is no self-criticism. It is a feel-good read--especially if you see nothing wrong with the way the US operates. Sliding back into the calm friendliness that is Terry, one could almost imagine the easiness of being happily assimilated into a dominator culture--without shame--that demands global hegemony through hierarchy--rigid hierarchy--and a command structure that puts everyone in their place. Just turn on the auto-pilot, do what yer told, advance as you do what you're told, and reap the benefits. It all reminds me of Major General Smedley Butler USMC. Except, at some point, he had some consciousness and critical self reflection. I'm still waiting for Terry to wake up. The following is an excerpt from a speech Butler gave in 1933:
“War is just a racket. A racket is best described, I believe, as something that is not what it seems to the majority of people. Only a small inside group knows what it is about. It is conducted for the benefit of the very few at the expense of the masses.
"I believe in adequate defense at the coastline and nothing else. If a nation comes over here to fight, then we'll fight. The trouble with America is that when the dollar only earns 6 percent over here, then it gets restless and goes overseas to get 100 percent. Then the flag follows the dollar and the soldiers follow the flag.
"I wouldn't go to war again as I have done to protect some lousy investment of the bankers. There are only two things we should fight for. One is the defense of our homes and the other is the Bill of Rights. War for any other reason is simply a racket.
"There isn't a trick in the racketeering bag that the military gang is blind to. It has its "finger men" to point out enemies, its "muscle men" to destroy enemies, its "brain men" to plan war preparations, and a "Big Boss" Super-Nationalistic-Capitalism.
"It may seem odd for me, a military man to adopt such a comparison. Truthfulness compels me to. I spent thirty- three years and four months in active military service as a member of this country's most agile military force, the Marine Corps. I served in all commissioned ranks from Second Lieutenant to Major-General. And during that period, I spent most of my time being a high class muscle- man for Big Business, for Wall Street and for the Bankers. In short, I was a racketeer, a gangster for capitalism.
"I suspected I was just part of a racket at the time. Now I am sure of it. Like all the members of the military profession, I never had a thought of my own until I left the service. My mental faculties remained in suspended animation while I obeyed the orders of higher-ups. This is typical with everyone in the military service.
"I helped make Mexico, especially Tampico, safe for American oil interests in 1914. I helped make Haiti and Cuba a decent place for the National City Bank boys to collect revenues in. I helped in the raping of half a dozen Central American republics for the benefits of Wall Street. The record of racketeering is long. I helped purify Nicaragua for the international banking house of Brown Brothers in 1909-1912. I brought light to the Dominican Republic for American sugar interests in 1916. In China I helped to see to it that Standard Oil went its way unmolested.
"During those years, I had, as the boys in the back room would say, a swell racket. Looking back on it, I feel that I could have given Al Capone a few hints. The best he could do was to operate his racket in three districts. I operated on three continents.”
When you have a whole crack team of experts, researchers, and writers behind you, it's got to make writing a book fun--and it shows. Terry (the retired rear admiral) comes off as a very accessible and fun writer. He just exudes this voice of calm friendliness.
However, when you step back from the story of protecting ships and crews from piracy and recognize that the whole thing turns on free trade, globalization, and the protection of the free flow of massive amounts of capital, it becomes horrifying and enraging. The solutions he offers are not new: close finance loopholes, follow the money from the pirates to the investors, make piracy terrorism, bomb/invade the beaches of Somalia killing pirates and destroying piratical property--all so we can get back to wringing our hands about what to do with Somalia--without the problem of piracy depriving multinationals and their shipping contractors capital and wealth as well as diverting US military resources.
Terry is really quite myopic. In the book he's fully focused on his tour as the commander of the task force and military solutions. The system of global capitalism is never questioned. There is no self-criticism. It is a feel-good read--especially if you see nothing wrong with the way the US operates. Sliding back into the calm friendliness that is Terry, one could almost imagine the easiness of being happily assimilated into a dominator culture--without shame--that demands global hegemony through hierarchy--rigid hierarchy--and a command structure that puts everyone in their place. Just turn on the auto-pilot, do what yer told, advance as you do what you're told, and reap the benefits. It all reminds me of Major General Smedley Butler USMC. Except, at some point, he had some consciousness and critical self reflection. I'm still waiting for Terry to wake up. The following is an excerpt from a speech Butler gave in 1933:
“War is just a racket. A racket is best described, I believe, as something that is not what it seems to the majority of people. Only a small inside group knows what it is about. It is conducted for the benefit of the very few at the expense of the masses.
"I believe in adequate defense at the coastline and nothing else. If a nation comes over here to fight, then we'll fight. The trouble with America is that when the dollar only earns 6 percent over here, then it gets restless and goes overseas to get 100 percent. Then the flag follows the dollar and the soldiers follow the flag.
"I wouldn't go to war again as I have done to protect some lousy investment of the bankers. There are only two things we should fight for. One is the defense of our homes and the other is the Bill of Rights. War for any other reason is simply a racket.
"There isn't a trick in the racketeering bag that the military gang is blind to. It has its "finger men" to point out enemies, its "muscle men" to destroy enemies, its "brain men" to plan war preparations, and a "Big Boss" Super-Nationalistic-Capitalism.
"It may seem odd for me, a military man to adopt such a comparison. Truthfulness compels me to. I spent thirty- three years and four months in active military service as a member of this country's most agile military force, the Marine Corps. I served in all commissioned ranks from Second Lieutenant to Major-General. And during that period, I spent most of my time being a high class muscle- man for Big Business, for Wall Street and for the Bankers. In short, I was a racketeer, a gangster for capitalism.
"I suspected I was just part of a racket at the time. Now I am sure of it. Like all the members of the military profession, I never had a thought of my own until I left the service. My mental faculties remained in suspended animation while I obeyed the orders of higher-ups. This is typical with everyone in the military service.
"I helped make Mexico, especially Tampico, safe for American oil interests in 1914. I helped make Haiti and Cuba a decent place for the National City Bank boys to collect revenues in. I helped in the raping of half a dozen Central American republics for the benefits of Wall Street. The record of racketeering is long. I helped purify Nicaragua for the international banking house of Brown Brothers in 1909-1912. I brought light to the Dominican Republic for American sugar interests in 1916. In China I helped to see to it that Standard Oil went its way unmolested.
"During those years, I had, as the boys in the back room would say, a swell racket. Looking back on it, I feel that I could have given Al Capone a few hints. The best he could do was to operate his racket in three districts. I operated on three continents.”
March 9, 2020
After retiring from the Navy Rear Admiral Terry McKnight reflects on his experiences in the Gulf of Aden and the challenges facing the joint navies task force and commercial shipping. The current policies are usually little more than catch and release because of the serious lack of courtrooms and jails in Africa and the unwillingness of other nations to take the pirates and try them in their own systems.
Why I started this book: The thing about jet-lag and catching up is that there is plenty of time to listen to audiobooks while you do other things. I've listened to so many books this week. Books that were going to last me the whole month... finished in a week.
Why I finished: Pirates, but not sexy Captain Jack pirates, modern pirates living in a poor society pushed to more and more dangerous extremes and larger ransoms by criminal investors. I had no idea that Somalis don't eat fish, that everyone can invest in the pirate voyage, but I did know about the cot - drugged up pirates, jonesing for the next hit and a better life. Interesting to learn about the troubles in prosecuting the pirates once they are captured.
Why I started this book: The thing about jet-lag and catching up is that there is plenty of time to listen to audiobooks while you do other things. I've listened to so many books this week. Books that were going to last me the whole month... finished in a week.
Why I finished: Pirates, but not sexy Captain Jack pirates, modern pirates living in a poor society pushed to more and more dangerous extremes and larger ransoms by criminal investors. I had no idea that Somalis don't eat fish, that everyone can invest in the pirate voyage, but I did know about the cot - drugged up pirates, jonesing for the next hit and a better life. Interesting to learn about the troubles in prosecuting the pirates once they are captured.
November 19, 2021
Very Informative, but drawn out
There was plenty of good information on this book but I feel it was very repetitive. I think there was too much filler in the book and not written well enough to catch and keep the attention of the reader.
There was plenty of good information on this book but I feel it was very repetitive. I think there was too much filler in the book and not written well enough to catch and keep the attention of the reader.
August 16, 2012
The Aden Effect – A Connor Stark Novel, by Claude Berube (Naval Institute Press – Oct 2012 publication). “Murder, politics, seapower, Middle East instability, and intrigue in the White House…” While that may describe the front page of the Washington Post these days, it is also the lead-in descriptor for the author’s first foray into fiction, set in the troubled waters off the Horn of Africa. A Navy Reserve Officer who has deployed to the region, Berube draws deeply on his expertise in intelligence, history and surface warfare to set the stage and populate his work with a wide variety of characters – and I do emphasize characters. The narrative flows well for a first fictional work and there are enough plot twists and sudden turns to keep you engaged and pressing deeper into the book. I won’t delve into details the plot as the book is slated for release in October, but an overview is available at the pre-order site on the Naval Institute Press’ website. I will point out that in order for the plot to work, the reader need not suspend all reality and disbelief as is the downfall of many works of fiction based on the real world. Likewise, you won’t need a copy of Jane’s or the DICNAVAB at your side to follow the action. The “stuff” of naval warfare – ships, aircraft, tactics and procedures, are nicely woven into the story, avoiding becoming the story themselves and allowing you to focus on the characters. With reference to the characters – it would have been nice to see a little more development of the ancillary actors but that is understandable in the first take at fiction.
Is it a buy? Certainly – coming out in October it is the perfect companion as you head up to the cabin for the weekend or off to the family reunion at Thanksgiving. Overall I’d rate it at 4 on a scale of 1-5 stars and am looking forward to the next installment in the series.
Is it a buy? Certainly – coming out in October it is the perfect companion as you head up to the cabin for the weekend or off to the family reunion at Thanksgiving. Overall I’d rate it at 4 on a scale of 1-5 stars and am looking forward to the next installment in the series.
March 23, 2013
This book was a great intro to the subject of modern-day piracy. McKnight makes his case well, first explaining how piracy really does matter to global and local economies, then starts making his opinions known. And boy, does he have a lot of opinions. It was refreshing to hear what an experienced Admiral really thought, and his opinions on a variety of topics were not just readable, but often humorous. (Some of his ranting about the forced "catch-and-release" policies for pirates really takes the cake, but just about anyone would get upset about their hard work going for nothing. His views on private defense and international cooperation are similarly interesting and edifying- who knew the Chinese kept their warships so immaculate! We get a lot of time talking to experts and really getting into the heads of the pirates themselves, so you can understand where they are coming from, and why they choose this life. Turns out, there are some great perks, and not too many drawbacks- McKnight says that that is the ultimate thing we need to fix, and he offers lots of great ways to do it. All in all, this book offered an experiential look at combating Somalian piracy, and was rich in expert opinion to boot. It's readable and edifying, and doesn't spend much time too bogged down in the present.
April 5, 2013
The prose is lousy, but it's a more vivid and detailed look at how the law of war is broken than anything I've seen before. It explains very clearly -- and indignantly -- why we're so bad at punishing captured pirates.
it's also the only memoir I've seen about currently naval combat operations from a senior officer.
it's also the only memoir I've seen about currently naval combat operations from a senior officer.
November 25, 2013
If you watched "Captain Philips", or read his book, "A Captain's Duty", then your next step should be to read this book for all the background and history on how the US, UK and other countries have been fighting Somali piracy all along.
Or, start with this book, and then go see the movie!
Very detailed and fascinating.
Or, start with this book, and then go see the movie!
Very detailed and fascinating.
March 22, 2013
A must read for anyone interested the complicated and fascinating world of the global threat of Maritime piracy told through the experience of a man who knows the situation first-hand.
Read
November 3, 2013Can get from the library - link plus
December 31, 2013
Fascinating look at modern day pirate hunters.
August 12, 2014
Interesting and a relatively easy read.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews