US EUCOM and the Arctic

I have been an absent contributor for a while.  Sadly, this post does not change that, although I am working on a few posts to be up in a few weeks.  In the meantime, this is a brief podcast from an interview of a few weeks back where I discuss US European Command's cooperative efforts in the Arctic.

The views expressed herein are those of the blogger and are not to be construed as official or reflecting the views of the Commandant or of the U.S. Coast Guard. Nor should they be construed as official or reflecting the views of the U.S. European Command, or the Department of Defense.

Piracy: Spain Sentences, Denmark Releases, The Netherlands Prosecutes

A Spanish judge has ruled in the case against 2 Somali pirates that were caught in 2009 after they held a tuna fishing boat and its 36 crew members for 47 days.

A Spanish court has sentenced two Somali pirates to 439 years in jail each for their role in the hijacking of a tuna fishing boat.

Maximum time to serve in Spain is 30 years.
The pirates have also been ordered to pay €100k to every crew member. Like that is going to happen.

This Sunday Denmark put 15 Somali men back on shore, after the Public Prosecuter found no grounds for prosecution.

The Dutch, on the other hand, have decided to prosecute 9 of the 16 men captured when they freed an Iranian fishing dhow. The 9 will be charged with piracy and the use of firearms.