Rules of Engagement Change for Piracy

This Navy Times story about a helicopter from USS Bulkeley (DDG 84) engaging pirates attacking a crude carrier is excellent reporting.

The crew of a Navy helicopter launched from the destroyer Bulkeley fired upon and is believed to have killed four pirates who were in the process of attacking a crude oil carrier while it was transiting the Gulf of Oman on Monday, according to Combined Maritime Forces.

The interdiction took place at 10:35 a.m. local time. The Norfolk, Va.-based Bulkeley, assigned to Joint Task Force 150, had received a mayday call from the German-owned, Panamanian-flagged crude carrier Artemis Glory, which said it was being chased and attacked by pirates.

Bulkeley responded to the mayday call, first heard by a Royal Fleet Auxiliary ship and relayed to Combined Maritime Forces, by launching an SH-60B Seahawk helicopter assigned to Helicopter Squadron Light 48, Detachment 4, to investigate. When it arrived on station — a command spokesman could not provide the distance or transit time — the crew saw four individuals in a skiff firing at Artemis Glory, using small arms.

The helicopter crew opened fire on the skiff under what command spokesman Lt. Cmdr. Sam Hearn of the Royal Navy said was the principle of “extended unit self-defense” on behalf of the crude carrier. All four pirates are believed to have been killed, Hearn said. Hearn said he did not know which weapon system was employed but noted that the SH-60B is equipped with a single M-240 machine gun.

"Extended Unit Self-Defense?"

Give that a ponder, because that sounds to me like we are observing an evolution in the Rules of Engagement regarding piracy where a helicopter can now treat an attack on a merchant ship the same as if it is an attack against the helicopter. That is a big deal, because it means that helicopter pilots can engage any pirate target that is attacking a commercial ship.

This could be a game changer in the fight against piracy, because now it makes armed helicopters and armed UAVs more useful as an active deterrent when responding to mayday calls from merchants.