9781422277157

In this exercise, special forces approach a target ship. They will board and inves- tigate to search for pirates.

Pirates of the Present Modern-day pirates, such as those hunting off the coast of Africa, are not like the pirates of yore. They don’t fly black flags with a skull and bones. They don’t wear peg legs, nor do they force their captives to walk the plank. Instead, the pirates of the 21st century use computers and satellite tech- nology to track their prey. When they find an unsuspecting ship, they bound over the waves in high-speed boats and then sneak alongside. They some- times come armed with machine guns, rocket launchers, and grenades. Of- ten, they’ll tie the crew up or lock them in a cabin. They’ll then hijack the vessel, repaint it, and sell it for hundreds of thousands of dollars. Sometimes they’ll hold the ship, its cargo, and its occupants for ransom.

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