I just ran across this excellent blog, Eaglespeak, maintained by a retired naval reserve captain. The blog covers lots of issues relating to contemporary naval security issues, and several recent entries have provided insights into the nature of Somali pirate activity.

Among the interesting recent posts is one on pirate intelligence gathering and tactics. The use of modern radio technology allows pirates to adopt sophisticated attack techniques and change them quickly. So, they can create ghost mother ships from captured fishing boats to mislead targets and escorts. Technology also allows these pirate bands to use a mother ship as a legitimate HQ, dispatching raiding skiffs as opportunities present themselves or as circumstances change, sometimes hundreds of miles from their targets and out of harm's way.

 

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