U.S. Rappahannock Does the Right Thing

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It is entirely possible that this Persian Gulf incident was a test of U.S. resolve and a probe of security measures. If so, the Navy and the nation passed the test. No American lives were lost and the Rappahannock suffered no damage. But Navy brass, and political leaders, should consider ways to improve the security policies. In addition to their security teams, perhaps refueling ships should have a destroyer escort such as the USS Cole, which has not been forgotten.

As Lawrence Wright noted in The Looming Tower, after the attack injured petty officer Kathy Lopez, swathed in bandages, managed to whisper a message for U.S. officials. “Get them,” she said. It took a while, but they got at least one.

In May a CIA drone took out Fahd Mohammed Ahmed al-Quso, the Al Qaeda chief who masterminded the Cole attack and was plotting to bring down airliners with an improved underwear bomb. That kind of precision targeting in effect continues a Reagan policy, “you can run but you can’t hide.” Reagan said that in 1985 after ordering U.S. Navy F-14 fighters to force the landing of an Egyptian airliner carrying four Palestinian terrorists who had murdered Leon Klinghoffer, 69 years old and in a wheelchair, aboard the Achille Lauro cruise ship.

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  • PhillipGaley

    Well of course, we are—even now—in a kind of war. That small boat's forward movement appears to have been a testing of our resolve and sense of defensive posture: "What kind of vulnerability can we expect: will the US take a Jimmy Carter / Obama styled approach—or not?", . . .

  • Dr. Kochava Malchiel

    Shoot first and ask questions later

  • Schlomotion

    Fortunately, in the face of the despicable and cowardly acts of Yemeni terrorists, the Americans have shown admirable bravery by subjecting those men to torture and killing their cohorts with remote controlled airplanes until they got the right guy. Now America bravely fires on fishing boats and admirably kills anybody who gets too close to an American ship. Kudos to those brave men who use their weapons kill and destroy those men who might possibly maybe have weapons.

    • pagegl

      Considering the twits on the fishing boat disregarded multiple warnings by a Navy vessel I figure they were fairly stupid and the Navy did a service to the world by removing their genetic material from the gene pool.

  • Ronald Johnston

    The US Rappahannock did not do the right thing!!! They should have eliminated the boat and all it's occupants!!!! The Iranians do not respect anything but superior force!!!!

    • mlcblog

      Still, I am happy with any standing up to the enemy, no matter what the size.

  • Supreme_Galooty

    Once a decision to open fire has been made, no survivors should be allowed. Period. That should be Standing Procedure with no exceptions….

  • Ghostwriter

    To the idiots like Schlockmotion who seem to have forgotten the "U.S.S. Cole" incident,what would YOU have had "The Rappahannock" do? Nothing,until they were blown up? They were repeatedly warned not to go near the ship. I ask again,what did you expect them to do? Nothing?

  • Tanstaafl jw

    This was a test run to see what a US Navy ship would do. Hope the jihadists learned a lesson.

  • Amused

    Schlomotion , why do you persist in trying to prove yourself an IMBECILE ? You already proved that chump .

  • Ray Waits

    I think people that think like Schlomotion who admit they think that way should be drafted immediately so they could learn about reality. Israeli citizens serve two years and their understanding of reality is eons ahead of ours.