Command And Control

The newly installed head of U.S. Africa Command, Gen. Carter F. Ham has made his first visit to Djibouti, meeting with key military leaders and the U.S. ambassador.

Ham, is looking to confront the ongoing turmoil in Somalia, and the pirates wreaking havoc across the Gulf of Aden. As U.S. military ships continue to police the waters, Ham said that merely intercepting pirates at sea was inadequate.

“There has to be a whole-government approach,” he said, “to deal with their finances and to deal with their activities on shore.” Ham plans to work with the State Department to increase the Transitional Federal Government’s law enforcement capabilities, as well as seek ways to disrupt the flow of ransom funds to the pirates. A stronger Somali economy would make piracy much less tempting in the long term, Ham said.