The Danes Hear the Distant Cyber Drums

I have never been all that aligned with calling cyber another domain of war, but for the sake of discussion I'm willing to entertain it from others who have a good argument to make.

Why? Today's economy is as reliant on the free flow of digital information as it is the free flow of oil and other raw materials.

When it comes to the 5G networks and China - a challenge almost lost before COVID-19 clarified how China is positioning herself for advantage - the Critical Vulnerability is clear.

Though - mostly for monetary reasons - there was some pushback against American warnings about China's Communist Party controlled communications companies getting a back door in to the West's IT infrastructure, with time and I am sure a few briefings at the highest levels, the drive to keep the CCP out is firming up.

A good example is the latest from Denmark. For a nation of only 5-million+ souls, Denmark is a serious player in national security. She doesn't just talk the talk, from AFG to cyber, she is leading. (NB: she only spends 1.35% GDP, but we get a lot of bang for that wee buck)

Denmark wants to be able to exclude 5G technology suppliers from providing critical infrastructure in Denmark if they are not from countries considered security allies, online technology news outlet ITWatch reported on Monday.

“In order to protect Denmark and the Danes, we want to collaborate with someone with whom we already have alliances,” Minister of Defence Trine Bramsen told ITWatch.

Good.

It also will send money to our allies' and friends' economies. Of course, I'd love for them to be American, but every day and Sunday I'll happily send money to Germany, the United Kingdom, Finland, France, etc than to China.

More of this.

Baltic Security with Dr. Sebastian Bruns - on Midrats

From Finland to Denmark, Sweden to Poland - from small Latvia to the Continental power of Germany - the return of Russia has brought a renewed focus the last half decade to the Baltic.

Not just a SLOC, there are important economic and cultural ties that predate written history that continue to be important today.

Our guest for the full hour in a wide ranging discussion will be Dr. Sebastian Bruns.

Sebastian heads the Center for Maritime Strategy & Security (CMSS) at the Institute for Security Policy, University of Kiel (ISPK). He is the author/editor of six books, including "Routledge Handbook of Naval Strategy and Security" (edited with Joachim Krause, London 2016), and his latest, "US Naval Strategy and National Security. The Evolution of American Maritime Power" (London, 2018).

You can listen to the show at this link or below, but remember, if you don't already, subscribe to the podcast at Spreaker or any of the other podcast aggregators.

If you use iTunes, you can add Midrats to your podcast list simply by clicking the iTunes button at the main showpage - or you can just click here.

A Frigate for your CSG

What a great opportunity for both our good friends in the Danish and the US Navy. As reported by Janes last NOV;

The Royal Danish Navy's (RDN's) new Iver Huitfeldt-class frigate HDMS Peter Willemoes (F 362) is to join a US carrier strike group for operations next year, and Danish officials expect to gain significant experience from the deployment.

Peter Willemoes is to begin integration exercises with the George H W Bush Carrier Strike Group (CSG-2) during the week commencing 28 November, Commander Senior Grade Kristian Haumann, Peter Willemoes ' commanding officer, told IHS Jane's during an 18 November port visit in Baltimore, Maryland.

The frigate is to then return briefly to Denmark and depart from Copenhagen in January to join CSG-2 for operations around the Mediterranean Sea from February through May, Cdr Haumann said.

It would be nice if we could have at least one EUROFRIGATE per CSG. Perhaps a Norwegian NANSEN next? Give our leaders an opportunity to see what these ships can do, as our practical institutional knowledge about what a sub-DDG-51 ship can bring to the toolbox is limited.

Some interesting notes about the IVER HUITFELDT Class. From a displacement point of view, they are right between LCS and DDG-51 and only 37' longer than the INDEPENDENCE Class LCS. The program has some smart details.

First of all, they are exceptionally affordable. A very modern design, Hull-1 was commissioned only in 2011 with a "list price" of $325 million per hull. Much of the savings were brought about through leveraging the successful ABSALON Class hull design and a creative construction plan that included building sections in cost-effective but high quality Estonian and Lithuanian yards.

Though defined as an AAW frigate, she is a true multimission platform with a modular capability along the lines of her ABSALON family members. Baseline capability covers AAW, ASUW and ASW capabilities. I also like the interesting dual 76-mm mounts forward.

Their MK-56 VLS can, I believe, be configured to carry a mix of RIM-162 ESSM and/or Harpoon as a natural byproduct of the plug-n-play STANFLEX system.

Armament:
- 4 × Mk 41 VLS with up to 32 SM-2 IIIA surface-to-air missiles (Prepared for, but not purchased.)[7]
- 2 × Mk 56 VLS with up to 24 RIM-162 ESSM
- 8–16 × Harpoon Block II SSM
- 1 × Oerlikon Millennium 35 mm Naval Revolver Gun System CIWS
- 2 × OTO Melara 76 mm
- 2 × dual MU90 Impact ASW torpedo launchers
Aircraft carried:
- 1 × Westland Lynx Mk90B or MH-60R

This is the kind of ship we should have, and something approaching this platform, but no larger, should be the basis for the follow-on to LCS that hopefully we will be laying down in the next five to eight years.

A little side note about what can happen when, like the Danes, you only have 1.17% of GDP invested in your military capability, and compromises have to be made. In this case, the compromises manifest as empty MK-41 VLS cells. With the right funding, this ship could carry SM-2, TLAM, etc, but can't.

The Danes Cut a Blood Eagle on LCS

We've mentioned the superior performance of the Danes and Dutch, among others, in executing significant parts of the idea behind LCS that the USA made such a dog's breakfast of. Well, James Hasik over at TheNationalInterest has pulled much of that argument together in an article I wish I wrote.

They did it well. They did it right. They did it the way I wish we had. We are a huge nation with huge resources and yet a nation of less than six million - 2% our size - just takes us to school. Read the whole thing for the full smackdown, but here is the long quote that matters;

...it’s possible to get modularity right, because the Royal Danish Navy has been getting it right since the early 1990s. Way back in 1985, Danyard laid down the Flyvefisken (Flying Fish), the first of a class of 14 patrol vessels. The ships were intended to fight the Warsaw Pact on the Baltic—a sea littoral throughout, with an average depth of 180 feet, and a width nowhere greater than 120 miles. Any navy on its waters might find itself fighting surface ships, diesel submarines, rapidly ingressing aircraft, and sea mines in close order. On the budget of a country of fewer than six million people, the Danes figured that they should maximize the utility of any given ship. That meant standardizing a system of modules for flexible mission assignment. The result was the Stanflex modular payload system.

At 450 tons full load, a Flyvefisken is much smaller than a Freedom (3900 tons) or an Independence (3100 tons). Her complement is much smaller too: 19 to 29, depending on the role. At not more than 15 tons, the Stanflex modules are also smaller than the particular system designed anew for the LCSs. But a Flyvefisken came with four such slots (one forward, three aft), and a range of modules surprisingly broad:

- a twin launcher for 8 Boeing RGM-84 Harpoon missiles, for killing surface ships
- a vertical launcher for 36 RIM-162 Evolved Sea Sparrow Missiles, for destroying aircraft and inbound missiles
- an Otobreda 76 mm gun, for close-quarters battle with ships, aircraft, or missiles
- a Thales TSM 2640 Salmon variable-depth active/passive sonar, for finding submarines
- a launcher for MU90 Impact torpedoes, for killing them
- a command-and-control system for underwater drones, for destroying mines
- an hydraulic crane for launching and recovering boats, or deploying mines

Swapping modules pier-side requires a few hours and a 15-ton crane. Truing the gun module takes some hours longer. Retraining the crew is another matter, but modular specialists can be swapped too. The concept has had some staying power. The Flyvefiskens served Denmark as recently as 2010. In a commercial vote of confidence, the Lithuanian Navy bought three secondhand, and the Portuguese Navy four (as well as a fifth for spare parts). Over time, the Royal Danish Navy has provided Stanflex slots and modules to all its subsequent ships: the former Niels Juel-class corvettes, the Thetis-class frigates, the Knud Rasmussen-class patrol ships, the well-regarded Absalon-class command-and-support ships, and the new Ivar Huitfeldt-class frigates.

In short, 25 years ago the Danes figured out how a single ship could hunt and kill mines, submarines and surface ships. A small ship can't do all those things well at once, but that’s a choice in fleet architecture. Whatever we think of the LCS program, we shouldn’t draw the wrong lessons from it. Why is this important? Modularity is economical, as the Danes have long known. Critically, modularity also lends flexibility in recovering from wartime surprise, in that platforms can be readily provided new payloads without starting from scratch. Because on December the 8th, when you need a face-punched plan, you’d rather be building new boxes than new whole new ships.

It isn't the actual ship and modules that matter - it is the process, leadership, and culture that made the difference. That is where we need to improve.

Audio from the front lines

Make no mistake, what happened in Copenhagen over the weekend was a battle - just one battle in a war that will last longer then the life of anyone reading this today.

Almost right out of central casting, we have the audio from the BBC - the audio timed to perfectly outline what this war is, in many respects all about. When it comes to the essential freedoms of man, there can be no, "but" with the following clause defined by its enemies.

Listen to every word.



Nothing says that The Enlightenment lasts forever. In some places, such as the United Kingdom, it is already in retreat or under pressure.

“Ytringsfrihed er ytringsfrihed er ytringsfrihed. Der er intet men.”

While we still try to figure out what to do inside our lifelines, what little light there is in the Muslim world is fading, and shadow turns to black.

The Islamic State is expanding beyond its base in Syria and Iraq to establish militant affiliates in Afghanistan, Algeria, Egypt and Libya, American intelligence officials assert, raising the prospect of a new global war on terror.

Intelligence officials estimate that the group’s fighters number 20,000 to 31,500 in Syria and Iraq. There are less formal pledges of support from “probably at least a couple hundred extremists” in countries such as Jordan, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia and Yemen, according to an American counterterrorism official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss confidential information about the group.
...
Western officials, especially in southern Europe, fear that the three Libyan “provinces” could evolve into bases for Islamic State fighters traveling across the Mediterranean, into Egypt or elsewhere in North Africa. Eastern Libya has already become a training ground for jihadists going to Syria or Iraq and a haven for Egyptian fighters staging attacks in the neighboring desert.

Little Nations Show how it is Done, Again

How do you do small-ish ships right?

Well ... I am green with envy, because our friend Chris Cavas has spent some time on a class of ship we should have instead of the Little Crappy Ship.

I give you the ABSALON derived IVER HUITFELDT-class frigate, Nils Juel NILES JUEL.

At 6,000 tons, she is right between the LCS and DDG-51. It really should be a DD, but I won't quibble - she is unquestionably built right;

The Danes claim Nils Juel and its sister ships were built for US $325 million apiece — an impressive accomplishment for a ship displacing more than 6,600 tons, fitted with a sophisticated combat and communications suite, armed with Standard, Evolved Sea Sparrow and Harpoon missiles, 76mm and 35mm guns, torpedoes and a helicopter, able to cut the waters at 30 knots and travel more than 9,000 nautical miles without refueling.

The price tag is often compared with the $440 million per-unit cost of the smaller US Navy littoral combat ship, which rises to well over $600 million apiece when the average cost of the LCS mission modules is factored in.

Of note, one of those 76-mm mounts is designed to take a 127mm (5-in) gun giving her a diverse, redundant, and effective multi-mission gun system.

Oh,

most of the ship’s lower decks were designed by Maersk, one of the world’s largest shipping companies, with a focus on efficient, robust designs that are easy to maintain.

“The basic design is a Maersk design, with a hull similar to a container ship,” said Cmdr. Christian Horsted, the ship’s executive officer. “Things are very orderly, very well-arranged. It looks like the people who designed the ships have designed a lot of ships.”

Horsted pointed to the bridge and machinery room arrangements, which leave room to add improvements. “Things are really set up right,” he said, looking up at half-filled overhead wire ways. “The cabling runs leave lots of room for extra wiring for more sensors whenever they’re added.”

Did I say multi-mission? In addition to the guns;

- 4 x VLS with up to 32 SM-2 IIIA surface-to-air missiles (Mk 41 VLS)
- 2 × VLS with up to 24 RIM-162 ESSM (Mk 56 VLS)
- 8-16 × Harpoon Block II SSM
- 2 × dual MU90 Impact ASW torpedo launchers

And she can take a full sized helo.

Check out both the linked articles by Chris - he has more photos than just the two I stole to post here.

Reminder, Denmark is a nation of only a bit more than 5-million. Why aren't we building something like this - a nation of over 300-million more souls? If you didn't catch yesterday's Midrats with Bryan Clark - we talked about it a bit - but I think you already know the answer.

T.X. Hammes Goes Salamander on LCS

Hey ... via the latest issue of Proceedings, this should ring a bell on the Front Porch;

The Littoral Combat Ship is overpriced and underperforming, yet the Navy continues to support it. It’s time to abandon the LCS and replace it with a comparable vessel that costs the same, but is far more capable. There are several great candidates in other navies, but one we might consider is the Danish-built Iver Huitfeldt –class frigate.

Welcome aboard for Plan Salamander since ~ 2005, though we have often offered up from the Swedish VISBY, Norwegian NANSEN, Dutch SEVEN PROVINCES, or the other Danish ship ABSALON - anything but the Little Crappy Ship ... but IVER HUITFELT is new for 2012 ... and it sounds like a player.

... a Huitfeldt carries 16 Harpoon missiles, with a range of 124 kilometers, and a warhead of 227 kilograms. It also has two 76-mm guns that reach 16 kilometers. One of the 76-mm guns can be replaced with the U.S. 127-mm gun, which has a range of 24 kilometers. For close-in defense, each ship also has a 35-mm Oerlikon Close-In Weapons System and four 12.7-mm machine guns or two 20-mm cannon.

For air defense, each Huitfeldt has 32 standard SM-2 missiles with a range of 167 kilometers in a Mark 41 VLS launcher. This system is backed up by 24 Evolved Sea Sparrow RIM 162B anti aircraft missiles with a range of 16 kilometers and four Stinger missiles.

For ASW, each Huitfeldt carries two twin-torpedo tubes for the Eurotorp MU 90 active-passive homing torpedoes with a range of 15 kilometers. Like the LCS, the Huitfeldt has a hangar that can house two light helicopters or a mix of helos and drones.

The Huitfeldt can sail 9,000 nautical miles at 15 knots, compared to the LCS’s 3,500 nautical miles at 14 knots. Crew sizes are similar.

In short, today’s Huitfeldt outclasses all three versions of the 2017 LCS in every category. The Danish ships provide vastly superior antiaircraft, long-range strike, and ASUW capability, while also providing equivalent ASW capability and the flexibility inherent in 65 additional billeting spaces.

You should read his summary takedown of LCS's failures, simply exceptional. Nothing we haven't done here, but good to hear from some like Hammes, and to see it done so cleanly.

It’s time to cancel the LCS program and build ships of comparable cost and capability to those of our European allies. If Denmark can figure it out, the U.S. Navy can, too.

Can we have an amen? Oh, one wee snark - Denmark has a population of 5.5 million and they can do this (a little more than Minnesota).  Ponder that.

Oh, and if you didn't catch Hammes when he was a guest on Midrats last December - give it a listen.

How They See Us

Smart power ... indeed.



Hat tip rdb @ ace.

Only thing left is a good yardarm ...

And a few meters (it is an European boat) of good hemp line ...

The HDMS Absalon — the Danish flagship of the three-vessel NATO flotilla in the region — disrupted a pirate operation by "scuttling" one of the large boats used by Somali gangs to transport attack teams to piracy hunting areas far off the coast.

The mothership was fired on and sunk after its crew members were transferred to a smaller boat in tow, which was allowed to return to the mainland, she said.

"NATO is not in the business of firing at skiffs with pirates in them," Lowe said in an interview from NATO's naval headquarters in Northwood, near London.

Not yet.

Ok, no dead pirates, but one thing at a time. A small "Decision Point" on PLAN SALAMANDER; I'll take it.

One note here: we are talking about the Danes. They don't have horns on their bridge wings, but as they prove every day in AFG and other areas in the war on terror, for a nation of a bit more than 5 million souls - Denmark pound for pound is one of our best allies. Few caveats - little problem going "kinetic."

They play varsity football in this war, and deserve praise at every turn.

....and yes - I would be remiss if I didn't remind you that they are using one of my dreamboats: HDMS ABSALON. We've talked about her many times here. Once again - I would trade 15 LCS for 10 ABSALONs any day. You talk about a ship perfect for "soft-power," "presence," and so on .... she is it - and she is a true multi-mission ship on top of it all.

Danes adopt SUPLAN 1 to PLAN SALAMANDER

Yes, and give them helmets with horns.

Danish shippers are taking more extreme measures to provide safety for the fleets sailing in pirate waters

Danish shipper A.P. Moller Maersk has hired out soldiers and a warship from Tanzania to protect its fleet in pirate-ridden waters off the coast of Africa, and now other shippers are expected to follow suit.

Maersk hired the warship through former special forces soldiers working for firm Guardian GBS security in December 2008. The ship was charged with protecting the Brigit Maersk tanker from pirates. It is unknown how much the shipping company paid for the service.

‘The waters east of Africa are a grey zone because developing countries don’t have resources to fight pirates. It’s a temporary solution that a shipper has hired a warship from another country, but there’s no alternative,’ said Jan Fritz Hansen, vice-president of the Danish Shipowners’ Association.

Steffen Jacobsen, technical director at Maersk Tankers, said the company checked first to make sure the move was legal.

‘That’s why we chose it as an alternative solution to a very critical situation,’ he said.

...and yes - the politicians and civilian leaders of their nation's military should hang their head in shame.

BZ to Maersk - its a good tradition.

Hat tip EagleOne.

Taliban: the Limeys have your jock

I love a great con.

No weapon is more effective in war than the lie. No one has deployed military deception, over the years, more effectively than the British. And there are few better examples of the successful British War Lie than Operation Kajaki, the transportation of a giant turbine through 100 miles of hostile Afghan territory carried out by British troops this week.

That operation relied in part on a very simple, very old and very effective ruse: we pointed one way, and then went the other.

For weeks, military engineers have been seen working on Highway 611, the most obvious route from Kandahar to Kijaki, preparing the road and clearing explosive devices. In the end, the convoy took a completely different path across the desert, mapped out by a secret reconnaissance team and codenamed Harriet. While the Taleban waited on Route 611, the main convoy trundled safely along Harriet while a decoy column of Danish troops took the main road.

Vikings waiting to play. Sucks to be you.



Hey! ninme likes it too!

French abandon Danes to pirates

UPDATE and BUMP: Hold the presses and belay my last! Don't blame France (sorry buds), but this is a all USA show. Despite the multiple source reporting earlier - word now is that it was a US warship, USS Carter Hall (LSD-50) (not the CARTER HILL as reported here and there.

U.S. military officials said Wednesday that a Navy ship recently fired on pirates who overtook a Danish vessel off Somalia's coast.

The USS Carter Hill, part of a U.S. task force that helps maintain security off Somalia and nearby countries, engaged the pirates after they hijacked a Danish cargo ship, the Danica White, in international waters, said Lt. Denise Garcia, a public affairs officer at U.S. Naval Forces Central Command in Bahrain.

The U.S. ship fired several warning shots across the Danica White's bow and also destroyed three small boats the pirates had used in their assault and were towing behind the Danish vessel, according to Garcia, who said the incident occurred Saturday.

The U.S. ship called off its pursuit after the pirates navigated the Danica White into Somalia's territorial waters, where the U.S. does not have jurisdiction, Garcia said.

OK, let's look at the latest. First of all, since when did (moment of respectful silence) a Gator Freighter Amphib become a prime anti-piracy interceptor (actually not bad if you don't need to get anywhere all that fast)? Look her over here and here. Oh, that's right - almost all our Frigates are gone and I guess the "1,000 Ship Navy" was off doing something else.

Anyway, that speaks for itself. The core argument is the same - and for those with access to SIPR you can get a more rounded overview on what is going on. This "all American" development does point out something critical just from open sources.

We are enabling pirates. The nation that fought the Barbary Wars has a 10 SEP 01 attitude towards pirates. Because the do not "regularly kill" their hostages (often you will hear "do not kill" - which is true of Western Hostages) we will allow them to have a fair run at any ship they can reach? What? Is that really it? Is that were the US Navy and the International Community stands? The Somalia gov'munt cannot police their waters - I will say that again - cannot. We will not. Therefore you have de-facto pirate territory that they are using as a safe base to hold hostages for ransom. What happens when you do that? ECON101 tells you the value of all ships to pirates is greater - and the risk premium is minimal.

We are appeasing the pirates. Yes, I know the "we can do non-compliant boardings - someone might be killed" argument. OK then, never deploy a SWAT team against kidnappers until they kill someone. Next time someone takes a hostage, give them a helicopter and let them escape to Mexico. Just make sure they get their money as well.

Whatever we do, never ever use the military against anyone unless they kill someone first. No, never. Actually, that isn't a bad idea in most cases - but piracy is in a category all its own.

No safe havens and no tolerance. None. By appeasing pirates you only beget more pirates and lawlessness at sea. Call it the "Broken Portholes" theory of the high seas.

One few more bags of rotten fish at my service - if in the likely event the CO of the CARTER HALL did not have the crews, equipment or training to do non-compliant boardings - then someone (not the CO) needs to be fired and reassigned. If you cannot do non-compliant boardings, then you cannot do anti-piracy patrols. They are pirates after all. You are setting your ship up for failure. If you have them and don't use them in a situation like this, then you are bluffing. And yes, with the MK-38 25MM cannon (largest gun on the CARTER HALL) you could disable a ship the size of the DANICA WHITE - if you try hard enough; but then you have to do something about it.

In the end, if no one had thought this scenario out prior to this - someone else needs to be fired in the CTF-150 Chain of Command. And while I am at it - someone is the PIO shop at C5F gets the "Bucket of FOD" award for letting the French take the blame for this for almost a day before they put the word out that it was the CARTER HALL. I do a fine job of making an a55 of myself on my own, I don't need your help.

---

The Danish merchant "DANICA WHITE" was seized by pirates off of Somalia.

A small Danish-owned and, we understand, Danish-crewed general cargo vessel, has been captured by pirates in the latest series of ships and fishing vessels being boarded and taken over, with their crews held to ransom, off the Somalia coast.

The vessel, (erroneously called DONICA WHITE in many reports, she is in fact DANICA WHITE) owned and operated by H. Folmer & Co. Copenhagen, Denmark, was on a voyage from Dubai to Mombassa in Kenya with a cargo of building materials.

About 240 miles off the Somali coast she was intercepted and captured by what are presumed to be Somali pirates. ... It is understood she is now anchored in Hobyo, 700 km from Mogadishu.

Those crewmembers now hostage are Danes. Unlike many western flag merchants, it was not manned by South or Southeast Asians - but no kidding Danes. That makes them very valuable to the pirate. Pirates who use their hostage money to buy weapons. What caught my eye was the following.

A French warship reportedly looked on as the event unfolded, and refused to enter Somali waters as the mv DANICA WHITE was taken into the region.

Eagle1 adds the correct angle on the law WRT to what the French did - but here is where I have a problem.

1. Somalia is a lawless state. Actually, it has broken effectively into three states, Somalia, Puntland, and Somaliland. It has no way to control or police its territorial waters.

2. Denmark is a NATO ally, has observer status at the Western European Union, and a member of the European Union - the French are members of all. Danish nationals and an Danish asset was under attack by non-state actors.

3. Pirates often kill hostages and therefore lives were in danger.

Given the reality of the waters off Somalia and 2 & 3 above: - CTF-150, NATO and or Nations need to make some sort of a declaration that until Somalia can police its own territorial waters, Nations reserve the right to intervene to protect life and property.

- I would start with NATO - where we declare an act of piracy against on nation's assets will be considered and act of piracy against all - and be treated as such.

- If the above fail, then we push with a Coalition of the Willing to state much of the above. International law is failing in this situation. We have non-state actors operating in a lawless area of the seas off a failed State.

No safe havens for pirates.

The French Navy should hang its head in shame. Saving a ship of Allied Seamen from the hands of pirates is worth a personal Command Pin or a national tut-tut from, well, from whom? Honestly, would anyone in the world have complained if the French went 2NM inside so-called Somali territorial waters and took out the pirates? Anyone? Would they have done nothing if the ship was French?

If, as Eagle1 says the law is an ass, well then sometimes you must break the law if it is unjust. It is unjust to let fellow Sailors be abused because you are such a slave to bureaucratic diktat by men who are safe in their leather chairs that you treat the ungoverned waters off Somalia like you are off the coast of New Jersey. Now, however, the pirates know where their safe haven is. Seamen are being being held hostage and Lord knows what is being done to them. We have gone to war over less.

What will Denmark do? What can we help them do? Enough is enough. The first clause of Ecclesiastes 3:3 applies. This is the 21st Century. This should not be taking place.

Although piracy is rampant off Somalia's lawless coast, killing crew members is relatively rare, Mwangura said. He said pirates have killed four crew members in the past 10 years.

"Normally they don't kill crew members if they cooperate," he said.

Since February, pirates have hijacked 10 ships — five have been released and five are still being held, according to the Seafarers Assistance Program.

"Normally, rapists don't kill those they rape." Is not comforting. If the International Community wants to let the seas become the 18th Century - then let's have the merchant ships and other private ships do the same. Arm them. Arm them all. The smart ones make sure they are.

The Nordic Surge

Denmark on Friday decided to increase its military presence in Afghanistan by about a third, and to replace its army contingent in southern Iraq with a small air force staff and four helicopters.

In a 99-12 vote, lawmakers backed the government's decision to add some 200 troops in Afghanistan to Denmark's current force of 440 soldiers to join the reconstruction effort. Sixty-eight lawmakers were absent.

The bulk of the new troops in Afghanistan will be in charge of security around reconstruction efforts in the volatile Helmand province in the south. A group of 45 Danish soldiers will be assigned to a NATO facility at Kandahar airport.

The Danes have been great allies. They are fighting side by side with the Americans, British, Canadians, Dutch and Estonians in RC-S (with others like the Romanians and Poles in RC-E) while the rest of Europe let others die for them. This July, it is estimated that Denmark will have a population of 5,468,120. 200 to them is like 10,942 to the USA - as as a % of the population, their deployable forces are much smaller. Bravo Zulu and thanks.

The Danes get it

They have a great Queen, their newspapers show that they have a pair - and you know what, they are pushing back. Brussels Journal has the scoop. Here is what started it all.

Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen is shockedmisrepresenting at the way in which some Muslims are Denmark in the Islamic world. “I am speechless that those people, whom we have given the right to live in Denmark and where they freely have chosen to stay, are now touring Arab countries and inciting antipathy towards Denmark and the Danish people,” Rasmussen told journalists yesterday.

Rasmussen was responding to the recent visits by certain imams, Muslim intellectuals and representatives of Danish Muslim organizations who toured a number of Muslim countries to “explain” the Danish cartoon affair to local political and religious leaders and media. The affair started last September when the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten published 12 cartoons of Muhammad.

First the politicians must lead; then the society and opinion leaders must follow.

Carsten Juste, the editor of Jyllands-Posten repeated late last week that the daily will not apologise for publishing the cartoons: “We will not apologise, because we live in Denmark under Danish law, and we have freedom of speech in this country. If we apologised, we would betray the generations who have fought for this right, and the moderate Muslims who are democratically minded.”

How do we get these guys to the NYT and WaPo?

“We cannot tolerate this in a democratic society,” said Selbekk. Asked if he was himself afraid of reprisals he said: “We have gone astray if we begin to concede on this issue out of fear. Many have already done much to prevent this problem from being hushed up. We hope that by publishing the cartoons we can do our bit.”

BTW, want to send a Bravo Zulu to the Danes? In GeopoliticalReview's Swansong, he give the points of contact.