The United States Navy has always considered combating piracy a mission and responsibility under international law and tradition. Recently, the importance of this mission has increased markedly. There are two reasons for this. First, the increase in pirate attacks has endangered the passage of shipping through major shipping lanes and choke points. Pirates have attacked several ships, placing the lives of U.S. citizens in danger. Second, because piracy has recently been highly profitable, many unsavory characters have accumulated large sums of money. These parties may, at least in part, be supplying funding to support terrorist groups. A nation must have a plan to expend limited resources in pursuit of a clear and achievable objective. Given the United States limited assets, is the current Strategic Plan to combat piracy effective? This thesis argues that the United States current strategy for combating piracy is ineffective because the social and economic factor that contribute to piracy in the Horn of Africa are not adequately addressed.

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