Why is Picard choosing a ragtag band of hired guns instead of close friends who are practically family and would blindly risk their own lives for him? Because he knows that the ragtag band would simply do competent, professional work and get him where he wants to go out of their own self-interest, and not invest themselves emotionally and put themselves in harm's way for his sake. Mercs like Rios and Raffi would not put their own lives at risk for Picard out of personal loyalty, but Geordi or Worf would do exactly that. And Picard doesn't want that. It's that simple. But this particular line of discussion seems to be at an impasse and to have run its course, so perhaps it's best to just leave it at that and move on to something more productive.
Perhaps Starfleet protested. But what can they really do about it? The salvage operation is within the borders of the "Romulan Free State," since that entity has to grant approval for anybody who wants to come in and work there. And the Romulans don't seem to be disclosing all the gory details to the rest of the galaxy, just presenting it as a tech reclamation/research project. In any case, it would be a diplomatic nightmare if Starfleet was to unilaterally send ships into sovereign Romulan territory and break it up.
Kor