ZERO AND CAPT PHILLIPS MAERSK

 Subject: Zero and Capt. Phillips MAERSK

Apparently the President "managed" the details of the rescue of Captain Phillips. In doing so he earned the hostility of the Seals entrusted with the mission. Here's an account by a career Naval officer who had a distinguished career, Herb Schwartz, in which he refers to the President as "Zero". (Which gives you an indication that he feels the President was more of an obstructionist than what the WH would later characterize as "daring and decisive", once success had been achieved.

If you see the movie, keep these things in mind !

The real story of the rescue of Captain Phillips

Herb Schwartz is a Navy Blue and Gold Officer for the Naval Academy and father of the highest ranked graduate at the USNA in 2000.  He flew missions over the former Soviet Union with Francis Gary Powers, taught at the Judge Advocates college and briefed President Kennedy as an intelligence officer.  The best is that he is my friend and a man I trust. Did I forget that he is an author and a retired Military Judge.
Jim O'Neal

Begin forwarded message:
From: Herb Schwartz, Subject:
The real story of Captain Phillips written shortly after the event by someone who was there.

All of us want to raise our glass this week to the Navy SEALs who popped those three Somali pirates. And I'm sure you want to hear the real story of what happened. Especially because there is a revoltingly opportunistic and cowardly side to it.     Guess which side Zero (aka: our president) is on?

Why, for example, did it take SEAL Team Six (aka DEVGRU, Navy Special Warfare Development Group, the Navy's equivalent of Delta Force) over 36 hours to get to the scene?

Because Zero refused to authorize the SEAL deployment for those 36 hours, during which the OSC - the on scene commander, Cmdr. Frank Castellano of the USS Bainbridge - repeatedly requested them.

Once the SEALs arrived - parachuting from a C-17 into the ocean near the ship - Zero then imposed Rules of Engagement (ROE) specifying the SEALs could not do anything unless the life of the hostage, Captain Richard Phillips, was in "imminent" danger.

Thus, when Capt. Phillips attempted to escape by jumping off the lifeboat into the ocean, the SEAL snipers had all four pirates (one later surrendered) sighted in and could have taken them out then and there - but they could not fire due to Zero's ROE restrictions.
When the SEALs approached the lifeboat in a RIB (rigid-hull inflatable boat) carrying supplies for Capt. Phillips and the pirates, the pirates fired upon them. Not only was no fire returned due to the ROE, but as the pirates were shooting at the RIB, SEAL snipers on the Bainbridge had them all dialed in. No triggers were pulled due to the ROE.

Two specific rescue plans were developed by Cmdr. Castellano and the SEAL teams. Zero personally refused to authorize them.

After the second refusal and days of dithering, Cmdr. Castellano decided he had the Operational Area and OSC authority to "solely determine risk to hostage" and did not require any further approval of the president.

Four hours later, the White House is informed that three pirates are dead and Capt. Phillips has been rescued unharmed. A WH press release is immediately issued, giving credit to the president for his "daring and decisive" behavior that resulted in such success.

Zero has absolutely no military knowledge or experience whatsoever.  He demanded decisional control over the entire hostage drama to the last detail. All actions required his personal approval. He dithered like a coward while the world laughed at our warships flummoxed by four illiterate teenagers with AKs in a lifeboat.

Only when the Navy Commander decided to ignore his Pantywaist-in Chief and take action and responsibility himself, were the incredible skills of the SEALs put into play.

That Zero could cynically and opportunistically claim that his "bold" "calm" "tough" leadership was responsible should remind everyone that not a single action, not a single word of this man can be trusted. He is bereft of honesty and moral character. That's why he's Zero.

We raise a glass full of pride and gratitude to Navy Commander Frank Castellano, the Navy SEALs for their incredible competence, and our military as we also recognize Zero for what he is, or more appropriately, for what he is not.
Zero and Capt. Phillips