Americans Fight Back

You have to admire the bravery and determination of the American crew of the freighter Alabama that fought off the pirates that attacked their ship, and the attempt by their kidnapped captain to escape.

If only their nation, and the international community, took the matter of piracy as seriously as their efforts to defend themselves. The United States has already done far more than any other nation to deal with the pirate threat, but it hasn't been enough.

The number of ships in the Navy continues to decline, as we degrade our naval capabilities. We have about 280 ships in the fleet, down by over half from the Reagan-era peak. Fewer ships means we cover less of the surface area of the globe with our naval forces.

But just as importantly, we need to pursue a strategy that takes the battle to the pirates' base in Somali. Just like terrorists in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan who find it hard to plan attacks on America while fighting our troops in their region, so we should make the pirates defend themselves in their bases and homes, to deflect their energies from attacking ships at sea and defeat them.