The Military Option:
The Washington Note webpage had an interesting post yesterday that caught the attention of the
Confused Eagle.
Quoting an Unnamed Source the site stated that between Election Day and the Inauguration that the Transition
team was talking to Military Planners and Intelligence Operatives about the Potential of taking Military Action against the
Somali Pirates.
Currently there is a Multinational Task Force in the Gulf of Aden that is attempting to rein in the Pirates.
And the Pirates still hold the Ukranian Registered MV Faina and its cargo of 33 T-72 Tanks that were being shipped
to the Government of Southern Sudan.
At this time the plan of action will call for an assault by US Special Forces against the Pirates.
The Task could be handed to Task Force 88. This is a Unit that has reportedly seen service in the Country
in December 2006 to support the Ethiopian Incursion to prop up that Country's Government.
There is a risk to this potential strategy. First this could open up a third front in the region where hundreds
of thousands of US Troops are currently engaged.
Also President Obama who is seen by some critics as being an Appeaser may have to take action to prove that
he is in fact a strong leader. President Kennedy made a similar error during the Bay of Pigs fiasco.
The story also had one key point of interest. There may be a harbringer of a Potential US strike. The Deployment
of Japanese Naval Elements to the Gulf of Aden region is very interesting.
In Crisis Situations Japan will not generally get involved unless it Feels that the US will be taking action
soon.
The Iraq Conflict is proof of this.
