How did the guy not get beheaded? It's a good thing these pirates weren't men of faith. They're just poor. Do pirates believe in honor? What'd they do, say "dammit, they called our bluff!" and run circles around the ship flailing their sabres like a shooting gallery?
Do you think they're scared of America? Last time we dealt with them they sent us packing with our tails between our legs. If anything they're just going to get more violent.
Are you saying we should not have made these pirates mad? Pathetic reasoning. You must go around with tails between your legs your whole life because someone slapped you once when you were in high school?! I never advocate wars and violence. I didn't like going into Iraq but these pirates are clearly outlaws. If they get more violent, we just have to step it up. Send 1 ship, 2 ships, 1 company or 1 division, whatever it takes to bring them down.
Why not start putting small companies of men on ships and when they are out of danger, helicopter them to the next ship.... And when a pirate approaches, sink their ship and kill everyone on board..... DD
Did these idiots not know of the military presence of America in the Middle East... now that they have learnt their lesson, I' assume all vessels at sea will bear the U.S flag
Please pardon them for having a measly sense of pride in their country. I know it's not fashionable, but there are some things worth being proud of. Cowardice isn't the US. Many of our tax dollars fund the military, so I'd say I had a buck or two involved.
I never said that, I was just replying to the person who thought we taught these guys a lesson. These guys aren't scared of America and killing 3 of them in a stranded lifeboat isn't going to change that. In the grand scheme of things this rescue mission or the failure to take an American flagged ship won't change a thing. They will continue to take whatever ships they can because its a highly profitable business to them and they face few repercussions. I doubt any proactive military action will ever be taken against these pirates. Nobody wants to get involved with the ****hole that is Somalia nor do any nations want the image of bombing poor Africans.
Thats going to be a lot harder then it sounds. I think there's around a 100 ships anytime going through the Gulf of Aden at any time. How exactly are you going to sink a ship with small arms, its pretty difficult when those little pirate boats are traveling at 30-40 knots while performing evasive maneuvers. Its going to take a lot of ammo to try to even hit the boat. Then throw into account that these pirates often operate in groups of 40 with multiple boats, good luck defending a ship with a small group of men. This isn't a simple issue with a simple solution. Its not as simple as lets kill a bunch of them so they think twice about piracy because they won't. Life is cheap it that part of the world and it becomes a lot cheaper when the pirates are making millions off ransoms.
I'm wondering why the international anti-piracy force doesn't organize commercial ships into convoys and provide military escorts like what is done during wartime and was done in the Persian Gulf in the '80's.
I'n sure George Bush, would have either let them take the guy as a hostage and watched them cut off his head , or just blew the hold boat up with the captain on it.This was small, but it was very important because it shows a change in strategy and diplomacy from the bush administration.I can only imagine if it had went the other way, the Republican spin machine would have been at work vehemently. Obama signed off on taking out pirates President Barack Obama issued a standing order to use force against pirates holding an American captain hostage – including giving a Navy commander the authority to act if he believed the captain’s life was in danger, two senior defense officials said Sunday night. Navy snipers aboard the USS Bainbridge on Sunday shot and killed three of the pirates after the Bainbridge’s commander gave the order, when a pirate was spotted aboard the lifeboat pointing an AK-47 rifle at Capt. Richard Phillips, one defense official said. “The clear belief by the captain of the ship was that he was in imminent danger,” this official said. The exact details of the shooting remain murky. The snipers fired after all three pirates became visible on the enclosed lifeboat where they were holding Phillips, a Navy official in Bahrain told reporters — giving the snipers the chance to kill all three at once, so that none would be left behind to harm Phillips. Obama's involvement in the decision to authorize lethal force was legally required, officials said, because it was a hostage situation, not combat, and unrelated to the already authorized U.S. effort against al-Qaida and other terror groups, officials said. “It’s not a combat operation so the lawyers wanted to ensure this was done right," said a second defense official. Phillips’ rescue brought to an end a tense five-day standoff that proved an early test for Obama, who said little about the case in public but behind the scenes received more than a dozen briefings on it, White House aides said. A timeline provided by the White House showed he issued the orders to use force at 8 p.m. Friday, and again at 9:20 a.m. Saturday, after new Navy forces moved on to the scene. In both cases, he was first briefed by the National Security Council for an update on the situation. The timeline suggests that planning for the rescue mission intensified Saturday evening, as the National Security Council updated Obama on “planning for hostage contingencies” at 6:30 p.m. At 12:30 p.m. Sunday, Obama received an update on “action leading to the rescue of Captain Phillips.” He called Phillips about 4 p.m. Sunday. In a statement, Obama said, “We remain resolved to halt the rise of piracy in this region. To achieve that goal, we must continue to work with our partners to prevent future attacks, be prepared to interdict acts of piracy and ensure that those who commit acts of piracy are held accountable for their crimes," Obama said in a statement. The defense officials also provided new details behind the rescue, noting that Bainbridge had been in contact with the pirates at one point. One of the pirates, a 16-year-old boy, had come onto the Bainbridge for medical attention and was speaking to the crew about the conditions under which Phillips might be released. The seas had started getting rough and the lifeboat where the pirates were holding Phillips was dead in the water. So the pirates agreed to be towed out further from shore to calmer waters. During that time, the towline was shortened so that the life raft was only 25 to 30 yards from the Bainbridge. At some point on Sunday, all three remaining pirates were spotted on the boat, including one holding the AK-47, and the authorization was given for the snipers to shoot. All three were killed and a smaller boat was dispatched from Bainbridge to pick up Phillips. One defense official said it was very likely the surviving pirate would be prosecuted for piracy by the United States. Other pirates have been turned over to the Kenyans but "I don't think that will be the case here," this official said, adding that the specific decision to prosecute would be up to the Justice Department. After calling on other countries to prosecute pirates the U.S. might feel it has to make an example of the youth in custody, this official said, though his age would have to be taken into account. At a briefing in Bahrain, Vice Adm. William E. Gortney warned that the Navy’s use of force to Phillips could "escalate violence in this part of the world." Pirates ply the waters off the Somali coast but it was a rare instance that they took an American flagged vessel with an American crew. Jonathan Martin contributed to this report. http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0409/21156.html
You are an idiot. Pirates are not in the business of chopping heads, they want money, a dead hostage is not the best way to get paid. This is a good execution on the part of US navy, it has nothing to do with any "strategy change". Outcome would have been the same under Bush or Obama since they are the exact same sailors doing the job.
So much for the idea in some quarters that a Democratic President is shy about using force. Great job by the United States Navy.
