The Story of a Successful Rescue (and the Obama Adminstration’s Attempt to Claim Credit)
Five days was too long. The pirates should have been taken out at the beginning, rather than being allowed to call for back-up (why weren’t their transmissions jammed?), bringing other pirate ships, with their hostages, into the area, possibly precipitating a military incident. Yes, the Navy blockaded those ships, but it could have turned out badly—and why even take the risk?
There was also a good chance that the pirates could have made it to land, escaped with the captain, hidden themselves, doubled the ransom, and made it nearly impossible for us to rescue him.
They should have been stopped at the very beginning. There never should have been a stand off. Merchant ships must be armed, and retaliatory attacks against the Somali towns that give the pirates safe haven should be considered.
