Mercenaries, Sonic Blasters No Match for Pirates

question for deltaalphanovember

Mercenaries???
three UNARMED security guards are "Mercenaries"



If they are unarmed they are not mercenaries. period.
This is not a ARMED CONFLICT this is a bunch of criminals playing pirates no government is running this.
Even if the security guard were armed they would not be Mercenaries under international law.

Even Blackwater in Iraq is not Mercenaries because they are citizens of one party in the conflict. IE US Citizens

if i went to work for a shipping company as a armed guard on a ship and shot up a group of pirates i would not be a Mercenary.
(one) it would not be a WAR. because there are no governments claiming the pirates as troops.
(two) it happens in international waters out side the control of any one country.
(three) these are criminals.

(four) no actions of theses pirates comes under the Geneva Convention of August 1949
www.icrc.org...
in fact these pirates are in violation of the Geneva Convention of August 1949. and are not protected by it.


NOW explain why you use the term Mercenary in this tread.

All these UNARMED security guards are is stupid for trying to take on heavy armed pirates without weapons. mercenary they are not.

I know a few real mercenaries.
The funny part they were from your country of South Africa.



[edit on 4-12-2008 by ANNED]

reply to post by ANNED

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Anned, thanks for your question so we can clear it up quickly: I used the exact headline from the article that I quoted from as per the terms of ATS.
Therefore, the use of the word "mercenary" was not from me - any further issues, please take it up with the author of the original article.

Now, I agree with you regarding the strict definition of the word "mercenary". Basically they are guns for hire, and Africa has numerous tragic wars where mercenaries were used by various groups to further their aspirations.
Off-topic:
South Africa has been a prime supplier of mercenaries who were sourced from the old South African Defence Force when a large number of highly trained professional soldiers suddenly found themselves unemployed when the apartheid government was replaced with a democratically elected majority government.
Do a Google search for "south african mercenaries" and you will see just how South African soldiers have entrenched themselves throughout the various hot spots of the world as extremely valued soldiers. I am not sure whether this is something to be proud of, but since I have had a life where war/violence has been a constant companion (from a child growing up in a remote part of Rhodesia aka Zimbabwe where I endured terrorist attacks) I feel a guilty sense of pride that some of my compatriots are regarded as amoral efficient killers for hire.

Please note that I am anti-war and a relatively moral person - hence my "guilty" sense of pride. I would like to think that mercenaries have a place in the world and always will have - if used correctly they can go places and do things quickly - the UN usually debates things for years and one of the Superpowers seems to always veto any actual useful action.

reply to post by dooper

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An interesting post, thank you. You mentioned the use of booby-trapping munitions - may I ask what theatre of war this was?

I actually think it's a darn good idea - the only one punished by such an action is the person pulling the trigger. An eye for an eye.

The navy seals booby trapped ammo in Vietnam.

I believe the US is doing it in iraq.
shock.military.com...
www.youtube.com...
www.youtube.com...

Ether that or the insurgents are dropping the bore ride pin before dropping the round down the tube.
www.socnet.com...

I remember listening to NPR news interview with the owner of the AntiPiracy Security Solutions in the morning a couple of days ago going to work. He says there would be 3 guards with no arms and just a sonic blaster to scare them off and that it will gurantee to work, guess this proves it. He also says that if the guards had carried weapons, they would be considered pirates as well, so they don't want to be on the same level as barbarians as the pirates. Way to go.

reply to post by deltaalphanovember

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Amen. Former Rhodesian and South African forces were some of the best fighters in the world. They could do things it seemed no one else could.

About this definition crap. Why split hairs so definitively? It really serves no purpose. It would seem a more practical definition of a merc is one who has gun and will travel. For money.

Many like the lifestyle. Not that many really care for the money, it's the lifestyle they care for, and they don't differentiate too much as to whether a real, declared WAR is going on or not. They just like the fight.

And if somehow they are able to knock off some really bad guys in the process, that's a bonus. Adds a bit of moral legitimacy to the task.

These pirates can be taken down. But it's going to take some professionals who don't have a commander-in-chief, or national rules of engagement hanging over their heads. Like Mad Mike Hoare.

Just some serious men determined to end this activity. In any way they see fit, using any means at hand, without anyone looking over their shoulder.

Mercs. Armed security. In practice, the term really gets obscured.

After all, it's the result that count.

reply to post by deltaalphanovember

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Delta, we were doing this in Vietnam. I spent many an hour "fixing" things to be 'found.' God, how I hate surprises!

I wrote a book which I sold a lot of in Washington, DC, and stressed this and other activities. The Army revised its FM to incorporate some of these concepts for the first time last year, and the Marines recently began a "Hunter" mindset training course that I stressed in my book as well. Apparently, it's a great success.

We BETTER be doing these things in Iraq and Afghanistan! It get really hard to hold a good target sight picture without flinching if you aren't real sure of whether the damned thing will go off in your face or not.

This pirate activity could be quickly reduced to insignificance in less than 6 months with three-score dedicated men. Bait. Use the right bait and you'll always get your prey.

There should be no prisoners. No survivors.