Assessment of Maritime Piracy in East Africa: Application of Rational Choice - Routine Activities Theory and Dynamic Operational Design Planning and Assessment Approach

By Vincent C. Figliomeni

The rationale for writing this book is a desire to highlight the utility of combining the efforts of criminologists, security practitioners, and policy makers in confronting crime problems such as maritime piracy. The study examines maritime piracy incident trends over the past few years and presents an explanation for the significant reduction of incidents in East Africa and offers a new approach in constructing a crime-reducing framework applicable to piracy, as well as other crime problems. The intent is to add relevance to the pursuit of social science research crime data collection and analysis using criminological theories (frameworks) and planning techniques for developing crime interdiction strategies that are useful to security practitioners and policy makers.

Emphasis is on obtaining readily available data using recognized social science methods to analyze the maritime piracy crime phenomenon for planning and developing the strategies and actions that produce desired outcomes in support of crime reduction. This approach involves identifying appropriate tasks or actions to be taken to achieve the desired effects for each objective and subobjective. It includes an evaluation process of the most salient variables in order to produce assessments that will focus on measuring those actions that have the greatest impacts for generating the most favorable conditions in the environment (desired effects) that are conducive to achieving supporting subobjectives and overall objective (i.e., maritime piracy reduction). This approach creates a framework using selected crime theory elements for examining quantitative and qualitative data for planning counterpiracy actions through a dynamic planning and assessment process.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse UK
• Release date: Apr 26, 2017
• ISBN: 9781524680008

Vincent C. Figliomeni

Dr. VINCENT C. FIGLIOMENI, PhD Social Scientist (Security Professional – U. S. Army Officer & U.S. Federal Civilian - Retired) During his Security Professional career from 1977 to the present, he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from Siena College, a Master of Arts in Criminal Justice from the University of Iowa, a Master of Arts in Journalism from the University of South Carolina, and a PhD in Criminology from the International PhD program at the TRANSCRIME Center, University of Trento School of Law./Catholic University of Milan. His military career included service in the U.S.A., Korea, and Italy. He served as Military Police (MP) Commissioned Officer in various positions of responsibility including, MP Operations Officer, Company Commander, Criminal Investigations Division Field Office Commander, Commander of a Detention (Correctional) Facility as well as Public Affairs Officer before transitioning to a Military Intelligence Officer in NATO. His subsequent U.S. Federal Civilian service career positions included Political Affairs Adviser to U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Italy, and Director, Operational Assessments U.S. Naval Forces Europe/Africa USN 6th FLEET. Research studies include original empirical research in mass communications using community attachment theory, multiple original empirical research studies on public perception of immigrant involvement in crime in Italy, and secondary research in organized crime and maritime piracy. Currently, he is Director of “Francesco Figliomeni Social Science Research Center,” a non-profit independent social science research activity in southern Italy. His interest in immigrants and immigration endured and evolved throughout his adult life culminating with his PhD dissertation research on immigrants and crime in Italy initially developed in 2004. Since then, he conducted two additional studies focusing on public opinion of immigrant involvement in crime and immigrant policies in Italy. The overarching purpose of this examination of Italian public opinion of immigrant crime and policy related issues is to assess progress on social tolerance of immigrants, as this has an important impact on integration, socialization, and assimilation of immigrants. This process is fundamental to the successful passage of immigrants from outsider’s to being fully accepted member’s of the community. Dr. Figliomeni has a unique perspective as he has spent twenty-five consecutive years living and working in Italy serving the United States (U.S.) military and civilian services in support of NATO as well as facilitating positive U.S. and Italian relations. Ironically his current resident status as a U.S. citizen living in Italy affords him immigrant status.

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© 2017 Vincent C. Figliomeni, PhD. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 04/25/2017

ISBN: 978-1-5246-7999-6 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5246-8001-5 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-5246-8000-8 (e)

IMB Map used is from https://www.icc-ccs.org/index.php/piracy-reporting-centre/live-piracy-map/piracy-map-2015.

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

This book is dedicated to the memory of my loving parents

Frank Figliomeni

(1916-1986)

and

Mary A. (Passafiume) Figliomeni

(1922-2016)

Acknowledgements

This book would not have been possible if I was not given the opportunity to serve as the Department of Defense Civilian Deputy N-9, and later Director N-9 Operational Assessments, U.S. Naval Forces Europe, U.S. Naval Forces Africa, U.S. Sixth FLEET, Naples, Italy from 2008 to 2012. Being a retired U.S. Army Officer, I was fortunate to be surrounded by very competent and dedicated junior and senior naval officers, enlisted personnel and civilian employees. I am truly grateful to those Navy personnel as well as the United States Marine Corps Planners who were assigned to the U.S. Sixth FLEET. These brave men and women were, and still are, continuously immersed daily in a myriad of U.S. and NATO engagements, activities, training exercises and operations to improve and enhance global safety and security, which also includes countering maritime piracy. They carry out all missions upholding the highest standards of their Core Values of Honor, Courage, and Commitment.

I really appreciated the confidence the senior leadership of the Sixth FLEET had in me in offering me the opportunity to lead the N-9 Directorate. I am grateful to them for allowing me to demonstrate the utility of an Operational Design Planning and Assessment approach in evaluating multiple bi-lateral and multinational engagements, training exercises and real world operations during my assignment there. I am encouraged by the fact that the N-9 Directorate of Operational Assessments at Sixth FLEET still uses Operational Design and Assessment methods and I wish them well in its application into the future. My version presented here as the Dynamic Operational Design Planning and Assessment Approach is a variation of Operational Design and Assessments, which I have applied to criminology in the pursuit of designing and assessing crime reduction, specifically as it pertains to maritime piracy. It can be equally applied to other problem sets as well.

Additionally, my sincere appreciation goes to the international maritime community, particularly the International Maritime Bureau for compiling a continuous flow of shared maritime piracy information, statistical data and periodic analysis that allows us to better understand the maritime environment and make it much more secure.

Finally, this book would not have been completed without the continuous encouragement received from my family. To my wife Rosanna, daughter Elita, and son Vincenzo, I thank you for all that you do to support me in my pursuit to conduct meaningful and relevant studies at the Francesco Figliomeni Centro Studi di Ricerca di Scienze Sociali (FFCSRSS) F.F. Social Science Research Center, Siderno Marina (RC) Italy.

Authors Note

My military career started as a Commissioned Officer serving in the U.S. Army Military Police Corps and shifted to Public Affairs and later to Intelligence. Having entered active duty in 1979 fresh from graduate school completing my Master of Arts in Criminal Justice and Corrections from the University of Iowa, I routinely applied and enhanced my social science training, education, and experience reviewing and conducting social science research throughout all phases of my military career. My academic opportunities were enhanced by earning a Master of Arts in Journalism in 1991 with an emphasis on mass communications. After retiring from the U.S. Army and transitioning to Federal Civilian Service, I served Political Advisor to Commander, U.S. Army Southern European Task Force (USASETAF) in Vicenza Italy. I continued academic pursuits earning my PhD in Criminology in 2007 from the TRANSCRIME doctorate program at the University of Trento (TRANSCRIME is now at Catholic University of Milan).

Being no stranger to designing quantitative as well as qualitative research studies, including secondary as well as original empirical research, I accepted an opportunity to serve with the U.S. Navy initially as the Civilian Deputy N-9, and later, the Director N-9 Operational Assessments, U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa / U.S. Sixth FLEET. I was somewhat familiar with Sixth FLEET roles and missions, as it was USASETAF’s Naval Force counterpart when involved in Joint Task Force (JTF) military activities, training exercises, and operations in support of Europe and Africa. While my previous role involving political and military issues was a bit different than my new role conducting operational assessments, the assignment was equally challenging as well as rewarding.

When I arrived in Naples Italy in 2008, the situation regarding maritime piracy in East Africa was reaching its peak. Our senior U.S. Combatant Command responsible for Africa, Africa Command (AFRICOM), became more focused on the global security threat from maritime piracy, including the rising attacks in East Africa. Various planning initiatives of U.S. Naval Forces Africa, Sixth FLEET were being developed to combat maritime piracy including those that provided counter-piracy training and support for partners in the region. The method used to conduct assessments of activities, engagements, training exercises, and operations was based on Effects Based Operations (EBO). Soon after being appointed the N-9 Director of Operational Assessments in early 2010, we developed the concept of Operational Design Planning and Assessments. This approach was a derivative of EBO, activated and refined through its application in operational assessments conducted by the N-9 directorate with contributions from many among the Sixth FLEET leadership and staff. In March 2011, during ODESSY DAWN (U.S. and coalition intervention in Libya), the N-9 using Operational Design and Assessments Approach had the opportunity to provide daily assessments to the Maritime Component Commander (MCC) during this real world operation (over a two week period) until transitioning over to assessment counterparts of NATO’s follow-on operation, UNIFIED PROTECTOR. NATO Joint Forces Command Naples Assessments Branch used their version of Operational Design and Assessments, which they applied throughout the entire operation ending in October 2011.

In this book I present my latest version of Operational Design and Assessment methods, which I have called Dynamic Operational Design Planning and Assessment Approach (DODPAA). DODPAA is adapted to maritime piracy in a criminological study combining it with Routine Activities Theory Approach (RATA) to form a framework using the backdrop of the recent reduction of maritime piracy in East Africa.

DODPAA examines only a handful of the most salient variables that most likely have the greatest influence on a problem set determined by experts from the problem area discipline who help select primary and intermediate goals, objectives, and indicators of achievement using existing data sources and reporting procedures. The data collected are used for measurement, analysis and assessment collectively employing multivariate mix of qualitative and quantitative analysis methods. This technique retains the structure and processes of EBO with the more practical selection of key (salient) variables that are more manageable and reveal the most about detecting favorable conditions in the environment conducive to achievement of the objective(s).

It is my intent to show the utility of combining DODPAA and RATA for conducting criminological research that focuses on achieving crime prevention strategies and plans of action to reduce the incidence of specific crimes that are practical and useful to practitioners and policy makers concerned with crime.

Contents

Acknowledgements

Authors Note

Introduction

Chapter 1

Contemporary Crime Problem of Maritime Piracy in East Africa

Chapter 2

Maritime Piracy in Africa 2003 -2015: Summary of Maritime Piracy Trends

Chapter 3

Countering Maritime Piracy in East Africa: Maritime Patrols, Best Practices, Armed Security Guards on Board, Stabilizing Somalia Government(s) and Regional Engagements

Chapter 4

Perspectives on Deterrence, Rational Choice, Situational Crime Prevention, and Routine Activities Application to Maritime Piracy

Chapter 5

Routine Activities and Dynamic Operational Design Planning and Assessment Approaches Applied to Countering Maritime Piracy

Chapter 6

Conclusions and Implications

Bibliography

Endnotes

Introduction

The rationale for writing this book is a desire to highlight the utility of combining the efforts of criminologists, security practitioners, and policy makers in confronting crime problems such as maritime piracy. The study examines maritime piracy incident trends over the past few years and presents an explanation for the significant reduction of incidents in East Africa and offers a new approach in constructing a crime reducing framework applicable to piracy as well as other crime problems. The intent is to add relevance to the pursuit of social science research crime data collection and analysis using criminological theories (frameworks), and planning techniques for developing crime interdiction strategies that are useful to security practitioners and policy makers. Emphasis is on obtaining readily available data using recognized social science methods to analyze the maritime piracy crime phenomenon for planning and developing the strategies and actions that produce desired outcomes in support of crime reduction. This approach involves identifying appropriate tasks or actions to be taken to achieve the desired effects for each objective and sub-objective. It includes an evaluation process of the most salient variables in order to produce assessments that will focus on measuring those actions that have the greatest impacts for generating the most favorable conditions in the environment (desired effects) that are conducive to achieving supporting sub-objectives and overall objective i.e., maritime piracy reduction. This approach creates a framework using selected crime theory elements for examining quantitative and qualitative data for planning counter-piracy actions through a dynamic planning and assessment process.

Chapter 1 is a summary of the contemporary crime problem of maritime piracy in Africa with a focus on incidents off the coast of Somalia and East Africa. While incidents there increased dramatically representing more than half of all piracy in 2009, by 2015 incidents in East Africa were the lowest among all other pirate prone areas. Chapter 2 presents summarized statistics from the IMB data reported on maritime piracy by type of incident, frequency, and location of occurrence from 2003 to 2015. These statistics provide quantitative data that are discussed in subsequent chapters with selected qualitative data on counter-piracy activities for analysis in explaining maritime piracy reduction in East Africa. Chapter 3 is a discussion on maritime piracy and related actions taken, engagements, activities and outcomes experienced over the past few years by the international community involved in countering maritime piracy in East Africa. This review identifies some positive impacts in reducing piracy that may be attributed to some specific counter-piracy efforts. Chapter 4 explains a criminological view of maritime piracy with variations of Rational Choice Theory, which includes a discussion on the rational choice