that 4 loosely armed men in a life boat are stronger than our Navy.

That's pathetic. And shows that the US could easily be taken over by a group of people with 10th century weapons an any amount of resolve... because we have NONE. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />

We'd be the bully if we blasted them. The UN would impose sanction us for using our 'power' against a weaker, less organized foe. Not to mention all the human rights groups that would rally to the help of Somalia's government and the settlements we'd have to pay to the victims family after the sharp shooters were done...

<img src="/forums/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif" alt="" />

Yeah!

>>>*I might be accused of being a bit of a hard a**, but I think I would deliver a message.

Option A: Release the hostage, or die here.

Option B: Release the hostage, and motor away.

*Pick one, we are counting down from 10....*EB

<img src="/forums/images/graemlins/lol.gif" alt="" /> Thanks, I needed that this week...

Where's Tag with the BWAHAHAHA guy?

Well, am I wrong? If our Navy is castrated to the point that all they can do is drive around in big boats and watch, they really have no power. That we're not willing to go in an rescue an American Citizen saddens me. Jimmy Carter pt. 2, it seems.

And listening to Clinton break out in LAUGHTER while talking about this is simply embarrassing.

Nothing hard about that EB - that's the way it SHOULD be. We've been attacked in open waters. One could argue that's an act of war.

I'd give them the following options:

Option A: We kill you and free your hostage.
Option B: You release the hostage, get in your boat, then we kill you.

Our countries Navy is effectively being held hostage by four (??) men on a lifeboat...

I guess I'm not sure what you expect the Navy to do when the pirates have a gun to the captains head. The part that disturbs me is that the pirates were able to communicate with and get other pirates to help them out. Now the situation is far more complicated. Had just paid them off (even used fake money), once they let the captain go, they could have blown the dingy out of the water. That's what I would have done.

But now that other pirates are involved, that option is gone, because any action taken by the Navy will likely result in other hostage deaths. I don't understand why they couldn't have jammed their communication, but then maybe they just simply didn't have that capability.

Now that I've read a little further, I am seriously dissapointed that the Navy couldn't have just wiped out the pirates, the moment the captain jumped overboard. That would have been the moment to do it. But then they would have had to have gunman and snipers on board at the exact moment the captain made his apparently surprise decisions and it's not likely they even had anyone board with those skills or armed, much less ready to go at that moment to engage multiple pirates. Maybe they should have. I'm also guessing he jumped overboard at night, when they started to drift off to sleep, so that option would have been even less effective.

At least they aren't letting them take the captain away from the ship, like they want. That would mean almost certain death for the captain.

What a horrible situation. We can monday quarterback it all day long. This is essentially a no win situation for the navy and I don't see too many other options other than stalling them as long as possible and hoping that they surrender due to fatigue or can be out smarted in some way.

Did you hear about the how the ships were traveling at reduced speed to save money also? I tend to wonder if once they were under attack, which included several failed attempts to board, if the ship revved up the engines and attempted to escape at full speed or at least make boarding harder.

Another thing, there are non-leathal weapons available for these crews, such a focussed sound guns that are very, very effective at deterring attackers. They work much better than water cannons.

By the way, I'll bet this captain has one hellva story to tell. Probably allowed himself to be captured so the rest of his men could escape.

Nice, Brian. I like how you talk of us being castrated while you sit in the comfort of your easy chair typing about how we do nothing to earn our paycheck. Come on out on a float, brother, and you'll see how wrong you are.

Let me ask you this...if you were CNO, what exactly would you do? What would you propose to Mr. Obama that we do about the good Captain sitting in a small boat in the middle of a big ocean with ships that could put an end to 5 peoples' existence at a moment's notice around it?

Offer 2 options?

Release the Captain or die? What happens to the Captain? He dies, too? The rounds we fire from 5" guns don't discriminate...Send in the boarding team? The Captain's a gonner...have you ever been to sea? There's no cover on the big blue, there, guy...

No balls, huh? Famous last words of an idiot...

You have no idea what is going on out there right now.

Here is what I would do, Blow up the boat w/the hostage. Sure I know this will upset a lot of people, but the Capt. already sacrificed himself for his crew. He had to know going in it will likely not end well for him. Furthermore this would send a message that screwing w/a U.S. flagged ship means you die whether you have hostages or not. At some point we have to say enough is enough, at some point hostages become less important. A lot of prisons have a "No Negotiations for Civilian Hostages" programs, I think our military should have the same thing. If we did this, the UN wouldn't be able to do anything to us, hell they can't keep NK from trying to get nukes, or develop long range missiles, they certainly wouldn't be able to sanction us. Of course this would never happen, our duty now is to appease our enemies, we have to use kid gloves, I find it rather humorous that the Pirates took a U.S ship only a few months after Obama took Office.

Either way this plays out, I think commercial ships that have to travel in those waters need to be armed w/a few 50mm guns in place and be authorized to shoot/destroy any vessels that come w/in 30yrds of them in open waters. The Samali gov. wont/can't do anything about it, the UN wont do anything about it, and the coalition of ships patrolling the area aren't enough, so the only real option is allowing the commercial ships to defend themselves

I think they should get him a phone or radio or something, and set up a call with his wife so he can say goodbye. Right in front of his captors. He could explain to her that the Navy is about to resolve this situation and he won't be coming home. I think the pirates would change their minds pretty quickly when he finished with his wife and told the Navy that he's ready to go.

Option #2 is to shoot the hostage and leave. Sent a drone to follow the pirates home and deliver a Hellfire upon arrival. Just to make sure the point made is known to all.