Collective Counter-Piracy Efforts in Southeast Asia are Key to Success

A recent story in the Malaysia Insider highlights the results of collective efforts in countering the threat of piracy in Southeast Asia.

Piracy is an international problem that requires an international solution and the cooperative multinational efforts of Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and now Thailand have resulted in a dramatic downward trend in the number of piracy incidents in Southeast Asia. Through cooperation on an operational basis and by training extensively with each other, not just with the U.S., those countries have experienced success in decreasing incidents of piracy across Southeast Asia.

U.S. Pacific Command (PACOM) supports its friends and allies in this critical area by promoting information sharing, collective action, and capacity building through frequent maritime security exercises and funding technology initiatives.

The power of increased cooperation and collaboration between countries with standing governments, who have rigid adherence to the rule of law, eliminates safe havens and makes it much more difficult for the pirates to operate.

Secure waterways are vital to the peace and prosperity of the entire Asia-Pacific region and contributing to the enhancement of maritime security capabilities through regional partnerships continues to be a PACOM priority.