Will there be a military response against the pirates?

[red_zr24x4]

4 American hostages killed by pirates, US says - Yahoo! News

Will we respond with force or will the great one send them more aid?

 

[mrjarrell]

We won't do anything. Why should we? The US Navy has captured the murderers and will send them somewhere for trial, (likely the US this time, given the nature of the crimes). What would you have us do? Invade Somalia? That didn't work out so well last time.

 

[Booya]

I think there should be, a large one, I think we should just go on a pirate hunting spree. There are over 660 current pirate hostages, why are we letting this just happen?

I would also disagree with the above statement, I wouldn't call what happened in Somalia last time an "invasion", I'm fairly certain that if we decided to INVADE Somalia things would go quite different.

 

[Booya]

*edit* We won't do anything though, these things are so rampant right now because everyone knows we won't do anything...

 

[red_zr24x4]

I guess I should have been clearer, will we go hunting for pirates now or continue to turn a blind eye?

 

[Colt556]

Somalia is one of the most lawless countries in the world. They have no real government and are ruled by various warlords. They blame everyone else for their problems and just want the easiest way out of their problems, except they are not willing to work for it. Mob mentality rules there. Kill all the skinnies on sight and we will all be better off.

 

[singlestacksig]

we should declare war. we don't need to invade.. just have the legal grounds to do a naval blockade and inspect every ship coming from their coast.. if a boat does not allow inspection, sink it.
because they are making $ taking ships is the #1 job .. we need to remove that factor..

 

[60Driver]

Gonna depend on political will and "actionable intel". Off the top of my head a SOF direct action mission or precision strike, or both against the leadership and infrastructure at Hobyo Somalia and other locations.

Potentially much less restrictive ROE against pirate vessels.

Bottom line if you endanger, harm, let alone kill american citizens the result should be simple and unquestioned.....we will run you down to the ends of the earth.

May God give peace and comfort to the families who lost their loved ones, and grant those who hopefully will go in harms way seeking justice steady hands and good hunting!

 

[SSGSAD]

I want to start, a company, Yacht protection .....
If you are, going somewhere, in your yacht, just give me a call, and we will discuss the price, and level, of protection, more money, more protection .....

 

[mrjarrell]

I guess I should have been clearer, will we go hunting for pirates now or continue to turn a blind eye?

The international task force is already hunting them. Unfortunately, they have to cover many thousands of square miles of ocean and it's a big job and the pirate vessels are quite small. It's like trying to hunt down a single squirrel in a forest. If governments were serious about anti-pirate security, they would remove restrictions on arming of crews and ships, but that's not going to happen. Rather than spend a few thousand dollars on arms and training, they'd rather run the risk of seeing companies pay out millions of dollars. And the companies are no better. There just aren't enough military ships to blanket the area (it stretches from Somalia almost to India and much farther south, down to the Seychelles). For now, the people involved in anti-pirate activity are doing all they can, and it's an international effort. There's only so much that can be done.

 

[Pocketman]

we should declare war. we don't need to invade.. just have the legal grounds to do a naval blockade and inspect every ship coming from their coast.. if a boat does not allow inspection, sink it.
because they are making $ taking ships is the #1 job .. we need to remove that factor..

I sort of like this idea, but it would be expensive. Article I of the Constitution gives Congress authority to declare war. Since Congress and the U.S. Navy don't have anything else to do, we could declare war on Somalia and see if the Commander in Chief will prosecute said war.

It would probably be cheaper and more productive to have C-130's drop food and cash daily.

 

[60Driver]

The international task force is already hunting them. Unfortunately, they have to cover many thousands of square miles of ocean and it's a big job and the pirate vessels are quite small. It's like trying to hunt down a single squirrel in a forest. If governments were serious about anti-pirate security, they would remove restrictions on arming of crews and ships, but that's not going to happen. Rather than spend a few thousand dollars on arms and training, they'd rather run the risk of seeing companies pay out millions of dollars. And the companies are no better. There just aren't enough military ships to blanket the area (it stretches from Somalia almost to India and much farther south, down to the Seychelles). For now, the people involved in anti-pirate activity are doing all they can, and it's an international effort. There's only so much that can be done.

Well put, and I believe that in many cases it is the shipping companies that will not arm their vessels based on insurance, cost vs. risk analysis etc.

Another option would be to employ a "Q-Ship" type of option, similar to that utilized against U-boats. "Merchant" vessels with hidden heavy armament. The proverbial wolf in sheep's clothing.

 

[Kirk Freeman]

I know many here probably do not read the UK news, but there was a response. It did not turn out so well.

Four Americans 'killed by Somali pirates' | World news | guardian.co.uk

 

[60Driver]

I know many here probably do not read the UK news, but there was a response. It did not turn out so well.

Four Americans 'killed by Somali pirates' | World news | guardian.co.uk

I had read that Kirk, sounds like negotiations broke down and the situation was escalated by the pirates. Obviously with that many pirates and 4 exposed friendlies, it is probably a no-win for any type of CQB action, particularly in a reactionary mode. I am certain that limited additional details will come out, too early for any serious "armchair" tactical analysis.

 

[singlestacksig]

I sort of like this idea, but it would be expensive. Article I of the Constitution gives Congress authority to declare war. Since Congress and the U.S. Navy don't have anything else to do, we could declare war on Somalia and see if the Commander in Chief will prosecute said war.

It would probably be cheaper and more productive to have C-130's drop food and cash daily.

it would not cost much more than we are already spending.. we have ships out there.. but they are running back and forth doing little and only responding to calls for help..
The UN task force is having ships wait and travel in packs.. thus we have given over large parts of the ocean to pirates..
we need to reverse that.. if we say this is a war zone, and if you come more than x miles off the coast with out checking with us first we are going to assume you are hostile..

People like to say that we solved the pirate problem there before by paying bribes .. but first we made it very expensive for them to be pirates.. we need to do that again.. let them know that it is not going to be easy money anymore..

 

[Kirk Freeman]

Obviously with that many pirates and 4 exposed friendlies, it is probably a no-win for any type of CQB action, particularly in a reactionary mode

No argument there. I was just updating INGO.

Since I've never been there and done it, I have no comment other than to update the rest of us and mourn the dead.

 

[60Driver]

Kirk, sorry my post may have sounded accusatory given my background, obviously it was not meant so and the update was good for those who were not up to speed. In a past life I have been there done that with the Royal Navy almost as much as my own, and trusted them like my own.

Only way to fix this problem long term is to remove the pirate's motivation or make the cost of doing "business" too high. Hense my suggestion to target the folks making the real money, not the qot chewing dumb @#%#$% who are doing the physical dirty work. The world's navies can put 100's of pirate skiffs on the bottom and sadly life is so cheap in Somalia that 100's more will step up. Like any organized crime group, you have to put pressure on the leadership.

 

[Marc]

obama might send the pirates money to help them out of their hardship so they wont have to be killing and taking over ships...

 

[E5RANGER375]

oh, please, please, please, lets go back to somalia! paybacks coming!

oh, never mind, we wont do that. Obama probly has some cousins there.

 

[Leadeye]

Well put, and I believe that in many cases it is the shipping companies that will not arm their vessels based on insurance, cost vs. risk analysis etc.

Another option would be to employ a "Q-Ship" type of option, similar to that utilized against U-boats. "Merchant" vessels with hidden heavy armament. The proverbial wolf in sheep's clothing.

I like the Q ship idea, pirates go out to work and simply disappear.