Jim Inhofe

What is the capacity of the Kenyan judicial system to manage these cases?

Do you see a trend in using armed guards aboard high-value target ships like cruise ships?

The Coast Guard has done an outstanding job in providing law enforcement detachments.

Nigeria has always been a problem, all the way back to Sani Abacha and Obisanjo. I think it's more of a leadership problem than anything else.

What is your assessment of the recent U.N.-sponsored peace deal signed last year that allowed for Ethiopian troops to withdraw?

We will destroy any skiffs as long as they have a means to travel safely back to shore.

If the evidence is insufficient for prosecution, we release them. But before doing so, we will confiscate and destroy their weapons and other paraphernalia.

Constant communications and collaboration--among the interagency and among military forces--were essential to conduct this operation successfully.

The rescue of Captain Richard Phillips of the Maersk Alabama was a flawless special operations mission.

How would we gain consent of the Somalia Government to take action ashore?

Yes the rules of engagement provided were sufficient (and proved successful) for this mission.

The Commanding Officer was pivotal in the rescue of Captain Phillips.

I find it really interesting, particularly as Senator Webb was talking about North and South Korea and what's it going to take to bring people together, and maybe this is it.

Negotiations are in progress and due to crew safety owners are unable to disclose further.

I know that one of the problems is to set up something where you know what you can do with these guys.

With the problems in Africa that are demanding attention from African countries, such as Darfur, the problems that exist in the eastern Congo, and the problems down in Zimbabwe they don't really provide direct assistance.

But to me it appears that just by having that policy would have a deterring effect on the incidents that are out there.

The United States has not intervened in the conduct of hostage negotiations involving ships of foreign registry.

We do not believe there is any maximum time under the law, but we can assure you that we try to get them off the ship as soon as possible.

There were many key decisions made during the operation, from decisions by the President to the decisions of the outstanding Sailors aboard USS Bainbridge.

I think one of the first things that should be done is to visit these ports and have the private sector that is using these ports make sure that particular problem is resolved if they want to continue with ships out there.

We, the United States of America, should just have a zero tolerance policy for this type of behavior.

But now it becomes a capacity problem. Particularly, we now find out we're going to be reducing our number of ships to 300, and I think perhaps this might argue for a change in that policy.

I've never seen such a mess in my life. You have the U.N., African Union, AU, and the EU.

Today we hear from representatives of the Obama administration, while in their day, 200 years ago, pirate attacks off Africa were a problem for then the new Thomas Jefferson administration.