Extreme use of music to subdue or torture the enemy is nothing new: Metallica and Deicide are favorites by the United States military at Guantánamo Bay and detention centers in the Middle East; government officials blasted hours of music at the Branch-Davidian compound during the Waco siege of 1993; and we’re pretty sure there was some urban legend of Twisted Sister’s songs utilized by armed forces in the ’80s.
But now Britney Spears has been enlisted in the British Merchant Navy’s ongoing fight against Somali pirates on the east coast of Africa.
According to the UK’s Metro, Spears’ early-career pop jams have been played at high volumes to keep the pirates at a safe distance. The two biggest hits in deflecting being hit? “Oops I Did It Again” and “Baby One More Time.”
From a report yesterday in the Metro:
Britney Spears is being used as a secret weapon… to scare off Somali pirates.
Her hits are blasted out to deter kidnap attacks, merchant navy officer Rachel Owens revealed.
Spears’s chart-toppers Oops! I Did It Again and Baby One More Time have proved to be the most effective at keeping the bandits at bay.
Second Officer Owens, who works on supertankers off the east coast of Africa, said: ‘Her songs were chosen by the security team because they thought the pirates would hate them most.
‘These guys can’t stand Western culture or music, making Britney’s hits perfect.’
Ships in the region are in constant danger from gun-toting pirates boarding and kidnapping crews for multi-million-pound ransoms.
‘It’s so effective the ship’s security rarely needs to resort to firing guns,’ said the 34-year-old, from Gartmore, near Aberfoyle, Stirling.‘As soon as the pirates get a blast of Britney, they move on as quickly as they can.’
Steven Jones, of the Security Association for the Maritime Industry, said: ‘Pirates will go to any lengths to avoid or try to overcome the music.’ He added: I’d imagine using Justin Bieber would be against the Geneva Convention.’
Awww, Brit. In other news, Spears’ latest single “Work Bitch” has been used to fend off the music-buying public.