Working together to increase security at sea

The Royal Navy’s most senior serving officer talks about piracy, patrolling international waters, nuclear weapons and Afghanistan

By Nikos Chrysoloras - Kathimerini

Admiral Sir Mark Stanhope, the Royal Navy's professional head and chairman of the Navy Board, visited Athens last Monday and held talks with his Hellenic Defense Staff (GEETHA) counterparts on issues related to bilateral cooperation between the Greek and the British navies. In this interview with Kathimerini, Admiral Stanhope argues that piracy is not an issue which can be resolved solely by military means, even though the international community has committed substantial naval forces off the coast of Somalia. Moreover, he appears optimistic with regard to the prospects of the allied effort in Afghanistan.

Admiral, are you satisfied with the results of «Operation Atalanta» (the naval patrols off the coast of Somalia)? Is it really possible to secure safe passage for ships off the Somali coast, or is the area just too big to cover?

Yes, I am satisfied. All the navies involved in the operation, including the Greek navy, have demonstrated professionalism and efficiency. Statistics show that we have reduced piracy incidents over the past few months. But - and there is always a «but» - when it comes to the second part of your question - if it's possible to eradicate the problem - the answer is no. This is why we are dealing with the symptom of the problem and not its cause. And the cause of the problem is that Somalia is an ungoverned country. Why it is ungoverned is obviously a political issue. What's important is that pirates move freely along the shores of Somalia. Therefore, the problem is on the shore, not in the open seas.

Is piracy an operational challenge for the navies of NATO and the EU?

It is indeed. We are operating in a part of the world where there are not many convenient ports and we are patrolling an area eight times the size of the United Kingdom. So there is a logistics challenge in maintaining ships down there. There is also the challenge of working together. There is a European task group operating in the region, a NATO task group, as well as other nations (Koreans, Russians, even Iranians and Chinese). Therefore, efficient cooperation is also a challenge. I am satisfied with the work being done so far, but we can always do better. In any case, we will not solve the problem of piracy, we can only reduce it.

It seems that there is a legal loophole in Somalia which is causing difficulty in prosecuting the pirates that you arrest. Is it true that you often catch them and then just set them free?

We are doing better in this field as well. «Atalanta» has reached an agreement with Kenya to prosecute pirates there. We also have a similar agreement with Seychelles and we are working to strike agreements with other nations of the world. But the European Union has a set of very strict rules on those nations with which we are allowed to negotiate. We can only send pirates for prosecution to nations with a legal system that is acceptable to Europe.

Piracy is just one of the issues that calls into question traditional perceptions about naval warfare. The other is counterinsurgency operations in failed states. And of course there are political commitments to nuclear disarmament by Gordon Brown and Barack Obama. Have the navies of NATO and EU states adapted to these changes? Because they sometimes give the impression that they are trapped in Cold War strategic and operational dogma, for example, nuclear-armed submarines patrolling the Atlantic.

We continue our patrols in the oceans because the world is not a wonderful, benign and secure place. There are still nuclear weapons and we should remember that nuclear deterrence is all about deterrence. There are nuclear armed states that we don't fully trust, like North Korea. On the other hand, navies are moving forward in restructuring themselves, in order to adapt to the needs of today's and tomorrow's world. For example, the British navy has dispatched forces to the Indian Ocean in order to avert a possible crisis in the Gulf, in the Caribbean in order to counter drug smugglers, and in the Mediterranean in support of NATO's operation «Active Endeavor.» In other words, we are doing well in moving away from what you called «Cold War dogma.»

Journalists, defense analysts, and opposition politicians in Britain argue that British forces in Afghanistan are overstretched and underequipped. What's your comment on that?

Forces always want a bit more of everything. That's understandable. The truth is that we are increasing the availability of helicopters and, in terms of troop numbers, the government has just decided that we will increase and keep them at 9,500. Now, that's a commitment, an indication that the government provides what we, the military, are asking in order to do what's needed in Afghanistan, and in Helmand province in particular.

Public opinion in Europe and the US seriously doubts if the war in Afghanistan is winnable any longer. You are a member of the Chiefs of Staff Committee. What's your opinion?

We have to be optimistic.

Our policy is to train the Afghan army so that it can take care of the security of the country on its own. Then, we can start to withdraw.

Of course nothing is certain.

But we have a clear strategy and if I was not optimistic about it, I wouldn't agree to talk about this subject.