Captain Phillips (Review)

 

The Review

Captain Phillips is a movie about a fight that comes from Captain Phillip when he is being a hostage of the Somalia pirates. It is started when he is tasked to shipping the containers with the Maersk Alabama vessel from Salalah, Oman Port to Mombasa, Kenya. Captain Phillip aware that he will sail across the horn of Africa, so he has Shane, his partner in the control room to strengthen the security in order to avoid if the things get ugly, just in case the pirates will attack the ship.

The Somalia pirates were actually fishermen that very disappointed with the live and they try to go out from the pain of the economic problems. The poverty becomes their base of paradigm to become their sea coast guard or roughly we call them the Somalia pirates.

At the first time, there are two skiffs approaching the Maersk Alabama vessel. The Captain tries to fool the pirates with initiating to call the alliance ship to assistance. The captain asks for the air support, and one skiff buy it, but the other still move and it is still after the ship. The vessel should pull the pedal to the metal, and still the only one pirate skiff approaches until the engine of the skiff broken, and the pirates cannot continue approach the ship, they have to go another time which is the next day. The spare time they use to build the ladder and fix the broken engine.

The next day, the pirate skiff approaches the Alabama Ship, and right now those pirates really coming in hot. They are really fast, and it makes the captain and all crews panic and they have to be prepared for this situation. “This is not the drill, this is the real situation” says the captain. Captain Phillip calls the US Maritime Emergency Line, and tells them about the situation there. The ship goes really fast, it won’t stop, but the pirates keep approaching the ship until they come on board.

The horn of Africa is really unsecure sea. Even it is international sea, but the Somalia pirate would not let the ship go through their sea easily. They must be come and hijack the ship. After the pirates come on board, they talk to the captain Phillips and they demand money, no other stuff. The leader of the pirates named Muse. They are pointing the AK 47 to the captain crew in the command room.

So many things happen on board. The pirates want to see all the crew and put them in one room, meanwhile they laughing and waiting for the money that they ask for. Very typical of pirates and moreover when they know that they are hijacking the American Ship. They thing America Ship is very rich and will also give what they demand. But they are wrong, the pirates don’t know who they dealing with, they suppose to be think twice maybe more to hijacking the American Ship, because soon the nightmare for them will come.

After the pirates get the money that Captain Phillip offers, they kidnap him in the lifeboat. They aim to ask bigger ransom, so they kidnap the captain of the ship, and go back to the Somalia. It is really a tricky way that very common from pirates or terrorist.

At the night, the lifeboat is finally founded by the US Navy. Luckily there is USS Bainbridge just 820 nautical miles from the hijacking place; the USA Government by Admiral Howard asks them to assist the US flag ship Maersk Alabama to release Captain Phillip. There are four men in the lifeboat and the Captain Phillip as the hostage. USS Bainbridge is a warship that assigned for counter piracy. The commander in the USS Bainbridge is Capt. Frank Castellano.

This is the best part of the rescuing part. The US Navy is very responsive in handling the piracy problem. Washington really concern about this, so they react is very fast, and moreover it is just lifeboat and one guy being kidnap, but the Navy comes with big ships USS Bainbridge, Boxer and Halyburton also come, and of course the Navy SEAL is the greatest assets that USA has. With the assistance of Navy SEAL, Capt Phillip can be rescued.

The US Navy SEAL try to pursue the leader to negotiate and solve this thing peacefully. But I believe the USA never tolerate and negotiate with pirates. It is the trick how to deal with pirates or any terrorist. They ask to negotiate first and want to end it peacefully. The SEAL team arrives to the USS Bainbridge. SEAL leader asks to negotiate with the pirate captain Muse, and tell him that the elders would also come to negotiate the money that they asked for.

Finally Muse accepts what SEAL leader proposed, and go to the USS Bainbridge. Meanwhile SEAL pick Muse up; the lifeboat is being towed by the USS Bainbridge. The SEAL team gets ready for their action. The SEAL team is waiting until the targets all green. SEAL team wants to shoot the pirates which inside the lifeboat. There are three pirates left in the lifeboat and secure Captain Phillip.

In that condition, the tension is getting hotter, and Captain Phillip surrenders and he tries to fight back the pirates, and it is one dangerous condition that he faces. SEAL’s Commander is still waiting until the targets all green, and ready to execute. And Finally, SEAL’s Commander orders to stop the tow, and execute the three pirates in the lifeboat. When all the targets are in green position, SEAL is clear to take a shot.

Finally Captain Phillip is safe, and he is moved to the USS Bainbridge to get medical treatment. This is the unforgettable, dangerous experience that Captain Phillip ever faced. He is really shock, he cannot say a word when a women from medical treatment asking him a couple questions. It is psychological effect that he gets, but after all, he safes, and he could go back home and meet his family.

 

The Writer’s Comments

United States of America has very powerful military power. From the land power, air power and sea power. In this time the writer will talk about the sea power of United States of America. The greatest creation came out from Alfred Thayer Mahan a United States Navy Flag Officer and a geostrategic. He is the one who responsible for any development of USA Navy until now.

There is a say from Sir Walter Raleigh about the sea power theory; he said “Whose command the sea, command the trade. whose commands the trade of the worlds commands the riches of the worlds, and consequently the world itself.” This is very true that if a state can control the sea, then she will conquer whole world.

In this movie, we can see the United States of America sea power. How’s the reaction in handling the piracy problem in Somalia Sea. We have to see the USA’s Blue Water Navy. The Blue Water Navy is the symbol that those countries want to play more in the sea area. USA’s Blue Water Navy has three main points such as:

1.      US Navy as Commerce

2.      US Navy as Defense Instrument

3.      US Navy as Guardian of Ideology and Propaganda

The point number two is related to this circumstance. The Captain Phillip Movie is about the US Navy in securing the hostage from the piracy. In the Barack Obama administrative United States of America will protect the citizen wherever he/she is. This is the prove of Obama’s statement. Captain Phillip is a captain of Maersk Alabama Ship, and the ship also comes from USA. US Navy here is to protect the citizen and also the trade.

With the advance technology, and also good man power, US Navy is very serious to take care of the citizen. US Navy only want to secure one hostage and three big ships come in order to secure the hostage, the USS Bainbridge, USS Boxer and USS Halybur. US Navy never tolerates every piracy and terrorism acts.

The Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) of United States of America is defined as all areas and things of, on, under, relating to, adjacent to, or bordering on a sea, ocean, or other navigable waterway, including all maritime-related activities, infrastructure, people, cargo, and vessels and other conveyances. This is also the base of their act in the movie.

If the writer would like to compare the US Navy and Indonesia Navy are very far miles away. At least Indonesian Navy could imitate how well USA Navy. The other aspect that made the development of Indonesia Sea power very slow is there is still a condition where Indonesian military paradigm is still in army centric. If we can see the budget of army and the Ministry of Defense (M.O.D) in Indonesia are the biggest rather than the budget for the Navy and Air force. But the fact is 76% Indonesia is sea, not the land. The strategic shifting from the Army to the Naval and Air forces is what we need. Moreover when we get in the war situation, Navy and Air Forces are the offensive strategic. The use of Army is for the ultra defensive strategy if the enemy successes get into the land and to protect the strategic place such as the Presidential Palace, House of Representative and others.

At least Indonesian government initiates the shifting strategic from the Army centric to the Naval and Air power without decreasing the role of Army I think it is just fine. We have to start it as soon as possible. Because the shifting from the Brown/ Green Water Navy to the Blue Water Navy will take time maybe 20 until 30 years. It is very long time isn’t it? Well the government can start it from the giving more budget for the Navy and Air to strengthen their weapon and every infrastructure they need. And of course the development of the home strategic industrials that Indonesia has, is supposed to be given more attention.

The strategic defense industrials will also assist Indonesia to raise the economic condition and save our budget, because it would be better to buy from domestic markets rather than we purchase it from other. The changing of the technology will also improve the ability of Indonesian defense industrial to create the well high tech weapons, vehicle, ships, plane, satellite, or else.

 

Conclusion

Well we arrive in the last part of this paper. The Captain Phillip movie is showing us the USA seriousness in protecting their citizen. With the power, ideology and the man power they can counter the piracy act. That is indeed not as simple as turning our hand, it took days, but we can see, the 3 navy ships surround the small lifeboat which within the lifeboat is Captain Phillip and 4 crews of Somalia pirate.

And the lesson that we can learn is how to strengthen our naval power, and also to strengthen the Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA). Indonesia has to have the Blue Water Navy; the shifting strategic of the government the changing paradigm is needed, because 76% area of Indonesia is sea, not the land.

Indonesia can be the greatest maritime state because the history said so. From the Sriwijaya Kingdom and Majapahit Kingdom which the name of Admiral was Mpu Nala, we did that thing. We are strong in the sea. The changing paradigm is very needed. Think for our future, because the navy could also strengthen our diplomacy. Our bargaining position will be strong. From the explanation there, we can see the importance of the Naval power. I believe Indonesia will become stronger in the Naval power in line with the development of defense industrials.