Issue 653 Private Hostage Rescue August 11, 2015

So, can hostage rescue be privatized?  That is the question.  Let us discuss.

Private Hero’s:  There are many former special ops, and even police who want to do good in the world.  As such, many typically either retire quietly or find new jobs or attempt to get back into the action via the intelligence services, support roles for returning military, or joining a mercenary outfit.  But their skills are wasted and sometimes police move too slowly.  So can these men and women who are no longer in uniform be allowed to use their training to rescue people in hostage situations?  Should we be able to pay them to rescue a family member, or a child from a sex slave trafficker?  Well, so long as they are licensed it is feasible.  I mean, they allow for mercenaries, and these people are professionals who are still able to serve and protect.  As far as I know, they would need to be tested to see their capabilities, get a background check, and test for psychological issues to determine if they are fit to serve as a hostage rescue member.  As such, once tested a team can be put together to save hostages.  I don't just mean in the United States either, but globally.  In Africa, Pirates have a number hostages, but countries cannot move in on short notice, or there are issues just crossing a boarder.  These former soldiers can move in silently, or move with plausible deniability to get those hostages back.  I think it is a concept that could work if governments would allow for it to happen.

Conclusion:  As I said, they would need to be tested first to see if they are even capable of performing hostage rescue in the first place.  The standards will have to be very strict, and they would need to demonstrate that they are capable of extracting the hostage safely with said training and equipment.  So they would need access to military and police training facilities or one of their own that the military or police would wish to train in themselves for them to prove themselves and show their skills.  This would mean mercenary outfits who perform body guard and escort duty would be allowed an additional role (though only personnel who qualify).  Obviously this is not for the faint of heart, and the inherent risks are high, but I would rather more people capable of rescuing people in dire straits than less.