In the late 2000s, piracy presented a grave threat around the Horn of Africa. In his book Private Anti-Piracy Navies: How Warships for Hire are Changing Maritime Security, author John-Clark Levin analyzes the rise of private warships from 2008 to 2013 and their role in the decline of attacks in recent years. Private maritime security forces played a key role in the significant reduction of attacks off the coast of Somalia over the past three years, yet the security threat has shifted to the other side of the continent and has grown in other regions of the world.
The increased use of private warships to deter and counter attacks presents a series of questions. How should international law be adapted to regulate the use of lethal force by civilians on the high seas? How might private security contractors be prosecuted if they commit unlawful killings? On a practical level, how should the private maritime security industry develop appropriate standards of professionalism?
On December 10, Hudson Institute will host John-Clark Levin for a conversation on the ongoing maritime security threat, the booming industry of private warships, and how this sector has adapted to Nigerian and Malaccan piracy. Levin will offer an assessment of the key legal, economic, and operational challenges posed by the development of private warships and evaluate future prospects for the use of private warships. Hudson Senior Fellow and Director for the Center on American Seapower Seth Cropsey will moderate the discussion.
Murray will join Hudson Senior Fellow Dr. Rebeccah L. Heinrichs for a discussion on his conversations in the Middle East, the aftermath of the October 7 massacre, and the historical and moral dimensions of the ongoing conflict between Israel and the terrorists who seek to destroy it.
At Sea Air Space 2025, Senior Fellows Bryan Clark, Dan Patt, and Timothy A. Walton will discuss their findings with a panel of government and industry experts tasked with implementing these ideas.
The Hudson Institute Political Studies Policy Certificate Program gathers talented early career professionals for advanced study of American foreign and domestic policy and national security, led by policy experts and experienced government officials.
In this episode, experts discuss what regional powers such as the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Türkiye, and Qatar are doing in the Horn, their strategies and motivations, and the impact they might have on the region.
