Gaza Flotilla - Round II and Navy IW

The US Department of State has condemned Hamas and friends’ upcoming attempt to provoke the Israelis into a confrontation. If the flotilla happens, and I see no reason why it won’t, look for evolved tactics, both operational and informational, on both sides. The Israelis will not let their naval commandos be surprised or overwhelmed this time.

State versus non-state clashes at sea have become more prevalent in recent years. In addition to the Flotilla, Greenpeacers have tussled with the Danish Navy, the pirate saga in the Indian Ocean continues, and the USN routinely faces numerous interactions with various sorts of refugees and detainees. Although not as glamorous as preparing for war at sea, irregular population-centric encounters should be a routine part of unit and advanced level training for USN surface and air forces. The Navy should consider utilizing culturally appropriate role players in these scenarios, much as the Army and NECC have done in their training. The first time Sailors deal with some of the human dynamics in these situations should not be in an environment where the wrong move could create an international incident. There are a lot of unemployed Somalis in the US diaspora - let's put some of these young men who are vulnerable to radicalization to work for Team America, provide some stellar role models for them, and give the Navy's front line forces some realistic training.


The opinions and views expressed in this post are those of the author alone and are presented in his personal capacity. They do not necessarily represent the views of U.S. Department of Defense, the US Navy, or any other agency.