Of pirates, sailors and seals

"With piracy on the rise and fast becoming a serious global security issue, Admiral Terry McKnight

took command of a new multi-national task force in 2009 to combat piracy in the Gulf of Aden.

As task force commander, he directed operations that disrupted several hijackings and resulted in the

 capture of sixteen Somali pirates. After running head-on into a U.S. policy of catch-and-release,

he realized that there was more to fighting piracy than just catching youngsters armed with

AK-47s and RPGs."

That's from notes about a new book written by Rear Admiral Terry McKnight, USN (Ret.) and Michael Hirsh. I liked the "catch-and-release" phrase.

Admiral McKnight was the man in charge (April 2009) when the famous US Navy SEAL Team Six took out 3 pirates with 3 shots. Since his retirement he's been researching the problem of pirates off the coast of Africa, security of ships sailing in those waters and solutions. He offers insight into the men, weapons and tactics employed.

Considering the primitive nature of the pirates and their resources, I doubt he's providing them with anything that will help in their thuggery. Hopefully, if they were to even read the book, it would serve as a deterrent to future activity. Doubtful, but a nice thought. I thought.