So, you wanna be a pirate eh?

Probably not a good choice for a long term job.

Videos and Photos of Army Special Ops, Navy SEALs, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard in Action - Shock and Awe - Military.com

That should do the trick. I am surprised that this wasn't done sooner.

It would've been earlier - but our fearless leaders were scared they might offend someone. It ain't enough that the US is sending millions of dollars to aid these 3rd world countries now these countries want to put the lives of our merchant seamen at risk also.
I'd have to go with ISREALS outlook on on dealing with problems like this; blow the little boats out of the water and the hell with world opinion. Bet ya the message would get out "DON'T MESS WITH AMERICAN SHIPS" it could be dangerous to you health.

This looks like a pretty good solution to the pirate problem.....for now. Of course, the bad guys may get bigger weapons like torpedoes or artillery to sink the ships from a distance. There will always be someone out there to supply them with what they need for a price. So there will always be a market to refine the defense of these ships. Good work for somebody. Whatever they do, it should be fatal to the pirates.

There is a need to be a little bit careful here. Royal Navy submarines fly the Jolly Roger when they return to port after active service. It might be a big mistake for a "security consultant" on a merchant vessel to fire on one of those, although I guess Tomahawk or Trident are not exactly short range weapons.