Pirate Action Group (PAG)

The tactical unit used by Somali pirates: a team of armed men operating one or more fast skiffs, often launched and supported by a larger mothership that extends their range deep into the Indian Ocean. A PAG approaches a target at speed, fires to intimidate the bridge, and attempts to board with ladders or grappling hooks. Naval forces, BMP guidance, and the IMB track PAG sightings and activity to warn shipping; disrupting PAGs, often by detaining the mothership, is a core aim of CTF-151 and EUNAVFOR Atalanta.