Gulf states hunt pirates, build up navies

Eleven Arab states in the Gulf and the Red Sea are to establish a joint naval task force to go after Somali pirates plaguing the Gulf of Aden and now extending their operations to the mouth of the Strait of Hormuz, gateway to the Gulf.

The proposed force marks a major step toward military cooperation between the Gulf states and their neighbors, which in the past have rarely collaborated in a meaningful way with each other.

It also coincides with a region-wide drive to bolster naval forces. This upsurge in naval procurement has more to do with countering the perceived threat from Iran than fighting pirates.

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