Anyone try THIS?
That’s one of the weirdest things I’ve read. I had to look twice to make sure it wasn’t an article from The Onion. How is a MMORPG going to help with Somali piracy? Are they going to outsource control of long-duration maritime patrol drones to users in the network?
FWIW, isn’t the solution to the problem just deploying lots and lots of maritime patrol aircraft with a goal towards plotting the locations of all surface contacts X miles (100 or so) from the coast outwards? Inform all legitimate merchant traffic that they need to further than X from the coast if they want protection.
With all surface locations plotted and tracked, visually ID and preferably contact each one with radio. Those that can’t or don’t want to talk, keep an eye on. If you see an RPG or PK on the boat, sink the vessel. Add refinements to plan as necessary. Set aside blood money and press releases for when you sink a Somali fishing boat by mistake.
Does anyone think that this would be technically unfeasible? It might be more expensive than just paying danegeld, but I don’t see the technical difficulties with the goal. I definitely don’t see how a WoW type game space is going to help things though.
If it was that simple they’d already be doing it. ‘Gaming’ conflicts to look for optimal strategies is a useful tool, The Prussians started doing it back in 1812.
What else would you expect The Office of Naval Research to do with its time?
I have nothing against wargaming. IMHO, much more of the success of the U.S. armed forces the last 25 years is due to institutions like NTC, Green Flag, etc… than any technological superiority in equipment. OTOH, the site you linked read like someone convinced their superior to let them play WoW for 12 hours a day and get paid for it. There are growing pains with any new technology however, and perhaps a setup like the linked article describes will show some emergent properties that simplify analysis of problems like Somali piracy, mine interdiction, or large scale semi-autonomous air superiority drones. If the MMOWGLI (Really, we’re quoting Kipling now for a program to help keep 3rd-Worlders in line?) program is inexpensive, but has a chance of yielding some practical, counter-intuitive data, then why not, I guess. I suppose the ONR needs a break from trying to put together scenarios that justify the costs for the Littoral Combat Ship program… As much Harpoon as I played when I was younger, I wouldn’t mind participating in MMOWGLI, FWIW. Not that I have a hope in hell of being invited.
As for the Somali pirate solution, I cynically think it’s just cheaper to pay the ransoms and not take on the public relations headache of killing suspected pirates and sinking their ships. Even more so if it’s different parties paying ransom than the ones that would underwrite the costs of any large maritime patrol. (It’s not a headache to actually kill pirates in the act of hostage-taking—see Navy SEAL shootings during the rescue of Captain Phillips. It will be a headache when suspected pirates start getting sunk, or when the inevitable mistakes are made.) The needed solutions there are political, not technical.
You don’t believe counter measures can be put in place by civilians to limit pirate activity? Oil tankers are routinely captured by a couple of guys with a grenade launcher and motorboat.
Paying the ransom is cheaper in the short run for that particular company, but only exacerbates the problem which that company will inevitably have to face again.
Heh, Kipling 