National Strategy for Maritime Security (2024)

National Strategy for Maritime Security (USA)

Overview

The safety and economic security of the United States depends upon the secure use of the world’s oceans. Since the attacks of September 11, 2001, the Federal government has reviewed and strengthened all of its strategies to combat the evolving threat in the War onTerrorism. Various departments have each carried out maritime security strategies whichhave provided an effective layer of security since 2001.

In December 2004, the Presidentdirected the Secretaries of the Department of Defense and Homeland Security to lead theFederal effort to develop a comprehensive National Strategy for Maritime Security, tobetter integrate and synchronize the existing Department-level strategies and ensure theireffective and efficient implementation.

Maritime security is best achieved by blending public and private maritime securityactivities on a global scale into an integrated effort that addresses all maritime threats.The new National Strategy for Maritime Security aligns all Federal government maritimesecurity programs and initiatives into a comprehensive and cohesive national effortinvolving appropriate Federal, State, local, and private sector entities.

In addition to this Strategy, the Departments have developed eight supporting plans toaddress the specific threats and challenges of the maritime environment. While the plansaddress different aspects of maritime security, they are mutually linked and reinforceeach other. The supporting plans include:

• National Plan to Achieve Domain Awareness.

• Global Maritime Intelligence Integration Plan.

• Interim Maritime Operational Threat Response Plan.

• International Outreach and Coordination Strategy.

• Maritime Infrastructure Recovery Plan.

• Maritime Transportation System Security Plan.

• Maritime Commerce Security Plan.

• Domestic Outreach Plan.

Development of these plans was guided by the security principles outlined in thisNational Strategy for Maritime Security. These plans will be updated on a periodic basisin response to changes in the maritime threat, the world environment, and nationalsecurity policies.

Together, the National Strategy for Maritime Security and its eight supporting planspresent a comprehensive national effort to promote global economic stability and protectlegitimate activities while preventing hostile or illegal acts within the maritime domain.

Section I: Introduction – Maritime Security

The safety and economic security of the United States depend in substantial part upon thesecure use of the world’s oceans. The United States has a vital national interest inmaritime security. We must be prepared to stop terrorists and rogue states before theycan threaten or use weapons of mass destruction or engage in other attacks against theUnited States and our allies and friends.

Toward that end, the United States must takefull advantage of strengthened alliances and other international cooperative arrangements,innovations in the use of law enforcement personnel and military forces, advances intechnology, and strengthened intelligence collection, analysis, and dissemination.Salt water covers more than two-thirds of the Earth’s surface. These waters are a single,great ocean, an immense maritime domain1 that affects life everywhere. Although itsfour principal geographical divisions – Atlantic, Arctic, Indian, and Pacific – havedifferent names, this continuous body of water is the Earth’s greatest defining geographicfeature.

The oceans, much of which are global commons under no State's jurisdiction, offer allnations, even landlocked States, a network of sea-lanes or highways that is of enormousimportance to their security and prosperity. They are likewise a source of food, mineralresources, and recreation, and they support commerce among nations. They also act asboth a barrier to and a conduit for threats to the security of people everywhere. Like allother countries, the United States is highly dependent on the oceans for its security andthe welfare of its people and economy.

In today’s economy, the oceans have increased importance, allowing all countries toparticipate in the global marketplace. More than 80 percent of the world’s trade travelsby water and forges a global maritime link. About half the world’s trade by value, and 90 percent of the general cargo, are transported in containers. Shipping is the heart of theglobal economy, but it is vulnerable to attack in two key areas. Spread across Asia,North America, and Europe are 30 megaports/cities that constitute the world’s primary,interdependent trading web.

Through a handful of international straits and canals pass75 percent of the world’s maritime trade and half its daily oil consumption. Internationalcommerce is at risk in the major trading hubs as well as at a handful of strategic chokepoints.The infrastructure and systems that span the maritime domain, owned largely by the privatesector, have increasingly become both targets of and potential conveyances for dangerousand illicit activities. Moreover, much of what occurs in the maritime domain with respectto vessel movements, activities, cargoes, intentions, or ownership is often difficult todiscern. The oceans are increasingly threatened by illegal exploitation of living marineresources and increased competition over nonliving marine resources.

Although the globaleconomy continues to increase the value of the oceans’ role as highways for commerce andproviders of resources, technology and the forces of globalization have lessened their roleas barriers. Thus, this continuous domain serves as a vast, ready, and largely unsecuredmedium for an array of threats by nations, terrorists, and criminals.Defeating this array of threats to maritime security – including the threat or use ofweapons of mass destruction (WMD) – requires a common understanding and a jointeffort for action on a global scale.

Because the economic well-being of people in theUnited States and across the globe depends heavily upon the trade and commerce thattraverses the oceans, maritime security must be a top priority. Maritime security isrequired to ensure freedom of the seas; facilitate freedom of navigation and commerce;advance prosperity and freedom; and protect the resources of the ocean.

Nations have acommon interest in achieving two complementary objectives: to facilitate the vibrantmaritime commerce that underpins economic security, and to protect againstocean-related terrorist, hostile, criminal, and dangerous acts. Since all nations benefitfrom this collective security, all nations must share in the responsibility for maintainingmaritime security by countering the threats in this domain.

Section II: Threats to Maritime Security

Complexity and ambiguity are hallmarks of today’s security environment, especially inthe maritime domain. In addition to the potential for major combat operations at sea,terrorism has significantly increased the nature of the nonmilitary, transnational, andasymmetric threats in the maritime domain that the United States and its allies andstrategic partners must be prepared to counter.

Unlike traditional military scenarios inwhich adversaries and theaters of action are clearly defined, these nonmilitary,transnational threats often demand more than purely military undertakings to be defeated.Unprecedented advances in telecommunications and dramatic improvements ininternational commercial logistics have combined to increase both the range and effectsof terrorist activities, providing the physical means to transcend even the most secureborders and to move rapidly across great distances. Adversaries that take advantage ofsuch transnational capabilities have the potential to cause serious damage to global,political, and economic security.

The maritime domain in particular presents not only amedium by which these threats can move, but offers a broad array of potential targets thatfit the terrorists’ operational objectives of achieving mass casualties and inflictingcatastrophic economic harm. While the variety of actors threatening the maritimedomain continues to grow in number and capability, they can be broadly grouped asnation-states, terrorists, and transnational criminals and pirates. Defeating the threat ofthe widely dispersed terrorist networks that present an immediate danger to U.S. nationalsecurity interests at home and abroad remains our foremost objective.

Nation-State Threats

The prospect of major regional conflicts erupting, escalating, and drawing in majorpowers should not be discounted. Nonetheless, in the absence of inter-state conflict,individual state actions represent a more significant challenge to global security. Somestates provide safe havens for criminals and terrorists, who use these countries as bases ofoperations to export illicit activities into the maritime domain and into other areas of theglobe. The probability of a hostile state using a WMD is expected to increase during thenext decade.

An alternative danger is that a foreign state will provide critical advanced conventional weaponry, WMD components, delivery systems and related materials,technologies, and weapons expertise to another rogue state or a terrorist organization thatis willing to conduct WMD attacks. WMD issues are of the greatest concern since themaritime domain is the likely venue by which WMD will be brought into the UnitedStates.

Terrorist Threats

Non-state terrorist groups that exploit open borders challenge the sovereignty of nationsand have an increasingly damaging effect on international affairs. With advancedtelecommunications, they can coordinate their actions among dispersed cells whileremaining in the shadows. Successful attacks in the maritime domain provideopportunities to cause significant disruption to regional and global economies. Today’sterrorists are increasing their effectiveness and reach by establishing links with otherlike-minded organizations around the globe. Some terrorist groups have used shipping asa means of conveyance for positioning their agents, logistical support, and generatingrevenue. Terrorists have also taken advantage of criminal smuggling networks tocircumvent border security measures.

Terrorists have indicated a strong desire to use WMD. This prospect creates a morecomplex and perilous security situation, further aggravated by countries that are unable toaccount for or adequately secure their stockpiles of such weapons and associatedmaterials. This circ*mstance, coupled with increased access to the technology needed tobuild and employ those weapons, increases the possibility that a terrorist attack involvingWMD could occur. Similarly, bioterrorism appears particularly suited to use by smallerbut sophisticated groups because this tactic is exceedingly difficult to detect incomparison to other mass-effects weapons.

Terrorists can also develop effective attack capabilities relatively quickly using a varietyof platforms, including explosives-laden suicide boats5 and light aircraft; merchant andcruise ships as kinetic weapons to ram another vessel, warship, port facility, or offshoreplatform; commercial vessels as launch platforms for missile attacks; underwaterswimmers to infiltrate ports; and unmanned underwater explosive delivery vehicles.Mines are also an effective weapon because they are low-cost, readily available, easilydeployed, difficult to counter, and require minimal training. Terrorists can also takeadvantage of a vessel’s legitimate cargo, such as chemicals, petroleum, or liquefiednatural gas, as the explosive component of an attack. Vessels can be used to transportpowerful conventional explosives or WMD for detonation in a port or alongside anoffshore facility.

The U.S. economy and national security are fully dependent upon information technologyand the information infrastructure. Terrorists might attempt cyber attacks to disruptcritical information networks, or attempt to cause physical damage to informationsystems that are integral to the operation of marine transportation and commerce systems.Tools and methodologies for attacking information systems are becoming widely available,and the technical abilities and sophistication of terrorists groups bent on causing havoc ordisruption is increasing.

Transnational Criminal and Piracy Threats

The continued growth in legitimate international commerce in the maritime domain hasbeen accompanied by growth in the use of the maritime domain for criminal purposes.The smuggling of people, drugs, weapons, and other contraband, as well as piracy andarmed robbery against vessels, pose a threat to maritime security.

Piracy and incidents ofmaritime crime tend to be concentrated in areas of heavy commercial maritime activity,especially where there is significant political and economic instability, or in regions withlittle or no maritime law enforcement capacity. Today’s pirates and criminals are usuallywell organized and well equipped with advanced communications, weapons, and highspeed craft. The capabilities to board and commandeer large underway vessels –demonstrated in numerous piracy incidents – could also be employed to facilitate terroristacts.

Just as the world’s oceans are avenues for a nation’s overseas commerce, they are alsothe highways for the import or export of illegal commodities. Maritime drug trafficking 7generates vast amounts of money for international organized crime syndicates andterrorist organizations. Laundered through the international financial system, this moneyprovides a huge source of virtually untraceable funds.

These monetary assets can then beused to bribe government officials, bypass established financial controls, and fundadditional illegal activities, including arms trafficking, migrant smuggling, and terroristoperations. Further, these activities can ensure a steady supply of weapons and cash forterrorist operatives, as well as the means for their clandestine movement.

Environmental Destruction

Intentional acts that result in environmental disasters can have far-reaching, negativeeffects on the economic viability and political stability of a region. Additionally, inrecent years, competition for declining marine resources has resulted in a number ofviolent confrontations as some of the world’s fishers resort to unlawful activity. Theseincidents underscore the high stakes for the entire world as diminishing resources, such asfish stocks, put increasing pressure on maritime nations to undertake more aggressiveactions. These actions continue to have the potential to cause conflict and regionalinstability.

Similarly, massive pollution of the oceans, whether caused by terrorists orindividuals who undertake intentional acts in wanton disregard for the consequences,could result in significant damage to ecosystems and undermine the national andeconomic security of the nations that depend on them.

Illegal Seaborne Immigration

International migration is a long-standing issue that will remain a major challenge toregional stability, and it will be one of the most important factors affecting maritimesecurity through the next 10 years. Transnational migration, spurred by a decline ofsocial well-being or internal political unrest, has become common over the past decades.It will continue to drive the movement of many people, with the potential to upsetregional stability because of the strain migrants and refugees place on fragile economiesand political systems.

In some countries the collapse of political and social orderprompts maritime mass migrations, such as the ones the United States has experiencedfrom Cuba and Haiti. The humanitarian and enforcement efforts entailed by themanagement of such migrations require a significant commitment of security resources.The potential for terrorists to take advantage of human smuggling networks in attempts tocircumvent border security measures cannot be ignored. As security in our ports of entry,at land-border crossings, and at airports continues to tighten, criminals and terrorists willlikely consider our relatively undefended coastlines to be less risky alternatives forunlawful entry into the United States.

Section III: Strategic Objectives

Today’s transnational threats have the potential to inflict great harm on many nations.Thus, the security of the maritime domain requires comprehensive and cohesive effortsamong the United States and many cooperating nations to protect the common interest inglobal maritime security. This Strategy describes how the United States Government willpromote an international maritime security effort that will effectively and efficientlyenhance the security of the maritime domain while preserving the freedom of the domainfor legitimate pursuits.

This approach does not negate the United States’ inherent right to self-defense or its rightto act to protect its essential national security interests. Defending against enemies isthe first and most fundamental commitment of the United States Government.Preeminent among our national security priorities is to take all necessary steps toprevent WMD from entering the country and to avert an attack on the homeland.This course of action must be undertaken while respecting the constitutional principlesupon which the United States was founded.

Three broad principles provide overarching guidance to this Strategy. First, preservingthe freedom of the seas is a top national priority. The right of vessels to travel freely ininternational waters, engage in innocent and transit passage, and have access to ports isan essential element of national security. The free, continuing, unthreatened intercourseof nations is an essential global freedom and helps ensure the smooth operation of theworld’s economy.

Second, the United States Government must facilitate and defend commerce to ensurethis uninterrupted flow of shipping. The United States is a major trading nation, and itseconomy, environment, and social fabric are inextricably linked with the oceans and their resources. The adoption of a just-in-time delivery approach to shipping by mostindustries, rather than stockpiling or maintaining operating reserves of energy, rawmaterials, and key components, means that a disruption or slowing of the flow of almostany item can have widespread implications for the overall market, as well as upon thenational economy.

Third, the United States Government must facilitate the movement of desirable goods andpeople across our borders, while screening out dangerous people and material. Thereneed not be an inherent conflict between the demand for security and the need forfacilitating the travel and trade essential to continued economic growth. This Strategyredefines our fundamental task as one of good border management rather than one thatpits security against economic well-being. Accomplishing that goal is more manageableto the extent that screening can occur before goods and people arrive at our physicalborders.

In keeping with these guiding principles, the deep-seated values enshrined in the U.S.Constitution, and applicable domestic and international law, the following objectives willguide the Nation’s maritime security activities:

• Prevent Terrorist Attacks and Criminal or Hostile Acts

• Protect Maritime-Related Population Centers and Critical Infrastructures

• Minimize Damage and Expedite Recovery

• Safeguard the Ocean and Its Resources

This Strategy does not alter existing authorities or responsibilities of the department andagency heads, including their authorities to carry out operational activities or to provideor receive information. It does not impair or otherwise affect the authority of theSecretary of Defense over the Department of Defense, including the chain of commandfor military forces from the President and Commander-in-Chief, to the Secretary ofDefense, to the commander of military forces, or military command and controlprocedures.

Prevent Terrorist Attacks and Criminal or Hostile Acts

Detect, deter, interdict, and defeat terrorist attacks, criminal acts, or hostile acts inthe maritime domain, and prevent its unlawful exploitation for those purposes.

The United States will prevent potential adversaries from attacking the maritime domainor committing unlawful acts there by monitoring and patrolling its maritime borders,maritime approaches, and exclusive economic zones, as well as high seas areas ofnational interest, and by stopping such activities at any stage of development ordeployment.

The United States will work to detect adversaries before they strike; to denythem safe haven in which to operate unobstructed; to block their freedom of movementbetween locations; to stop them from entering the United States; to identify, disrupt, anddismantle their financial infrastructure; and to take decisive action to eliminate the threatthey pose. As part of this undertaking, the National Strategy to Combat Weapons of Mass Destruction and related presidential directives address the most serious of thesethreats, and outline plans and policies to execute timely, effective interdiction effortsagainst the proliferation of WMD, their delivery systems, and related materials,technologies, and expertise.

The basis for effective prevention measures – operations and security programs – isawareness and threat knowledge, along with credible deterrent and interdictioncapabilities. Without effective awareness of activities within the maritime domain,crucial opportunities for prevention or an early response can be lost.

Awareness grantstime and distance to detect, deter, interdict, and defeat adversaries – whether they areplanning an operation, or are en route to attack or commit an unlawful act.Forces must be trained, equipped, and prepared to detect, deter, interdict, and defeatterrorists throughout the maritime domain. Some terrorist groups, however, committerrorist acts without regard to their own personal risk. They will never be easilydeterred. No amount of credible deterrent capability can guarantee that attacks by suchgroups will be prevented. If terrorists cannot be deterred by the layered maritimesecurity, then they must be interdicted and defeated, preferably overseas.

Protect Maritime-Related Population Centers and Critical Infrastructure

Protect maritime-related population centers, critical infrastructure, key resources,transportation systems, borders, harbors, ports, and coastal approaches in themaritime domain.

The United States depends on networks of critical infrastructure10 – both physicalnetworks such as the marine transportation system, and cyber networks such asinterlinked computer operations systems. The ports, waterways, and shores of themaritime domain are lined with military facilities, nuclear power plants, locks, oilrefineries, levees, passenger terminals, fuel tanks, pipelines, chemical plants, tunnels,cargo terminals, and bridges.

Ports in particular have inherent security vulnerabilities:they are sprawling, easily accessible by water and land, close to crowded metropolitanareas, and interwoven with complex transportation networks. Port facilities, along withthe ships and barges that transit port waterways, are especially vulnerable to tampering,theft, and unauthorized persons gaining entry to collect information and commit unlawfulor hostile acts.

The critical infrastructure and key resources of the maritime domain constitute a vital partof the complex systems necessary for public well-being, as well as economic and nationalsecurity. They are essential for the free movement of passengers and goods throughoutthe world. Some physical and cyber assets, as well as associated infrastructure, alsofunction as defense critical infrastructure, the availability of which must be constantlyassured for national security operations worldwide. Beyond the immediate casualties, theconsequences of an attack on one node of a critical infrastructure may include disruptionof entire systems, significant damage to the economy, or the inability to project militaryforces. Protection of infrastructure networks must address individual elements,interconnecting systems, and their interdependencies.

Protection of critical infrastructure and key resources is a shared responsibility of thepublic and private sectors. The Department of Homeland Security is the lead agency forthe overall national effort to enhance the protection of critical infrastructure and keyresources. Since it is impossible to protect all infrastructure and resources constantly, alllevels of government and the private sector must collectively improve their defenses byconducting prudent risk management assessments to identify facilities that requirephysical or procedural security upgrades or those that are not likely targets.

The Federal Government has three primary responsibilities in regard to this nationaleffort:

(1) to produce and distribute timely and accurate threat advisory and alertinformation and appropriate protective measures to State, local, and tribal governmentsand the private sector via a dedicated homeland security information network;

(2) provideguidance and standards for reducing vulnerabilities; and

(3) provide active, layered, andscalable security presence to protect from and deter attacks.Since private industry owns and operates the vast majority of the nation’s criticalinfrastructure and key resources, owners and operators remain the first line of defense fortheir own facilities. They are responsible for increasing physical security and reducingthe vulnerabilities of their property by conducting routine risk management planning, aswell as investing in protective measures – e.g., staff authentication and credentialing,access control, and physical security of their fixed sites and cargoes – as a necessarybusiness function.

As security measures at ports of entry, land-border crossings, and airports become morerobust, criminals and terrorists will increasingly consider the lengthy U.S. coastline withits miles of uninhabited areas as a less risky alternative for unlawful entry into theUnited States. The United States must therefore patrol, monitor, and exert unambiguouscontrol over its maritime borders and maritime approaches. At-sea presence reassuresU.S. citizens, deters adversaries and lawbreakers, provides better mobile surveillancecoverage, adds to warning time, allows seizing the initiative to influence events at adistance, and facilitates the capability to surprise and engage adversaries well before theycan cause harm to the United States.

Minimize Damage and Expedite Recovery

Minimize damage and expedite recovery from attacks within the maritime domain.

The United States must be prepared to minimize damage and expedite recovery11 from aterrorist attack or other Incident of National Significance that may occur in the maritimedomain. Our experience dealing with the catastrophic effects of Hurricane Katrinareinforces this key point. The response to such incidents is implemented through thecomprehensive National Incident Management System, governed by the NationalResponse Plan, which coordinates public and private sector efforts and brings to bear allrequired assets, including defense support of civil authorities.

The public and private sectors must be ready to detect and rapidly identify WMD agents;react without endangering first responders; treat the injured; contain and minimizedamage; rapidly reconstitute operations; and mitigate long-term hazards through effectivedecontamination measures. These actions will preserve life, property, the environment,and social, economic, and political structures, as well as restore order and essentialservices for those who live and work within the maritime domain.

A terrorist attack or similarly disruptive Incident of National Significance involving themarine transportation system can cause a severe ripple effect on other modes oftransportation, as well as have adverse economic or national security effects. From theonset of a maritime incident, Federal, State, local, and tribal authorities require thecapability to assess the human and economic consequences in affected areas rapidly, andto calculate the effects that may radiate outward to affect other regional, national, orglobal interests.

These entities must also develop and implement contingency proceduresto ensure continuity of operations, essential public services, and the resumption orredirection of maritime commercial activities, including the prioritized movement ofcargoes to mitigate the larger economic, social, and possibly national security effects ofthe incident. Recovery of critical infrastructure, resumption of the marine transportationsystem, and restoration of communities within the affected area must all occursimultaneously and expeditiously.

Safeguard the Ocean and Its Resources

Safeguard the ocean and its resources from unlawful exploitation and intentionalcritical damage.

The unlawful or hostile exploitation of the maritime domain also requires attention. Thevulnerability is not just within U.S. territorial seas and internal waters. In the future, theUnited States can anticipate increased foreign fishing vessel incursions into its exclusiveeconomic zones, which may have serious economic consequences for the United States.

Protecting our living marine resources from unlawful or hostile damage has become amatter of national concern. Potential consequences of such damage include conflict andregional instability among nations over the control of marine resources to the detrimentof all. The United States and other nations have a substantial economic and securityinterest in preserving the health and productive capacity of the oceans. We will continueto project a U.S. presence by monitoring and patrolling the United States’ exclusiveeconomic zones and certain high seas areas of national interest.

Assisting regional partners to maintain the maritime sovereignty of their territorial seasand internal waters is a longstanding objective of the United States and contributesdirectly to the partners’ economic development as well as their ability to combat unlawfulor hostile exploitation by a variety of threats.

For example, as a result of our activediscussions with African partners, the United States is now appropriating funding for theimplementation of border and coastal security initiatives along the lines of the formerAfrica Coastal Security (ACS) Program.

Preventing unlawful or hostile exploitation ofthe maritime domain requires that nations collectively improve their capability to monitoractivity throughout the domain, establish responsive decision-making architectures,enhance maritime interdiction capacity, develop effective policing protocols, and buildintergovernmental cooperation. The United States, in cooperation with its allies, willlead an international effort to improve monitoring and enforcement capabilities throughenhanced cooperation at the bilateral, regional, and global level.

Section IV: Strategic Actions

The United States recognizes that, because of the extensive global connectivity amongbusinesses and governments, its maritime security policies affect other nations, and thatsignificant local and regional incidents will have global effects. Success in securing themaritime domain will not come from the United States acting alone, but through apowerful coalition of nations maintaining a strong, united, international front. The needfor a strong and effective coalition is reinforced by the fact that most of the maritimedomain is under no single nation’s sovereignty or jurisdiction.

Additionally, increasedeconomic interdependency and globalization, largely made possible by maritimeshipping, underscores the need for a coordinated international approach. Less than3 percent of the international waterborne trade of the United States is carried on vesselsowned, operated, and crewed by U.S. citizens. The United States also recognizes that thevast majority of actors and activities within the maritime domain are legitimate. Securityof the maritime domain can be accomplished only by seamlessly employing allinstruments of national power in a fully coordinated manner in concert with other nationstates consistent with international law.

Maritime security is best achieved by blending public and private maritime securityactivities on a global scale into a comprehensive, integrated effort that addresses allmaritime threats. Maritime security crosses disciplines, builds upon current and futureefforts, and depends on scalable layers of security to prevent a single point of failure.Full and complete national and international coordination, cooperation, and intelligenceand information sharing among public and private entities are required to protect andsecure the maritime domain. Collectively, these five strategic actions achieve theobjectives of this Strategy:

• Enhance International Cooperation

• Maximize Domain Awareness

• Embed Security into Commercial Practices

• Deploy Layered Security

• Assure Continuity of the Marine Transportation System

These five strategic actions are not stand-alone activities. Domain awareness is a criticalenabler for all strategic actions. Deploying layered security addresses not only layers ofprevention (interdiction and preemption) and protection (deterrence and defense)activities, but also the integration of domestic and international layers of securityprovided by the first three strategic actions.

Enhance International Cooperation

Enhance international cooperation to ensure lawful and timely enforcement actionsagainst maritime threats.

As the world’s individual national economies become ever more closely integrated, it iscritical that nations coordinate and, where appropriate, collectively integrate their securityactivities to secure the maritime domain. Accordingly, the United States supports closecooperation among nations and international organizations that share common interestsregarding the security of the maritime domain.

This strategic action is designed toinvolve all nations that have an interest in maritime security, as well as the ability andwillingness to take steps to defeat terrorism and maritime crime. Fundamental to thiscooperation must be a shared understanding of threat priorities to unify actions and plans.New initiatives are needed to ensure that all nations fulfill their responsibilities to preventand respond to terrorist or criminal actions with timely and effective enforcement. Morerobust international mechanisms will ensure improved transparency in the registration ofvessels and identification of ownership, cargoes, and crew of the world’s multinational,multi-flag merchant marine.

Weak regulations and enforcement by some nations hindertransparency. Terrorists and criminals are currently exploiting this vulnerability byre-registering vessels under fictitious corporate names, and renaming and repaintingvessels. New initiatives will be pursued diplomatically through internationalorganizations such as the International Maritime Organization, the World CustomsOrganization, and International Standards Organization that already involve strongparticipation by industry.

Where appropriate, these initiatives will build upon existingefforts, such as the Container Security Initiative, the Proliferation Security Initiative, theCustoms-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism, the nonproliferation amendments to theConvention for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts against the Safety of MaritimeNavigation and the International Code for the Security of Ships and Port Facilities (ISPSCode), and the 2002 amendments to the International Convention for the Safety of Life atSea, 1974. Initiatives will be coordinated by the Department of State and will includeprovisions such as:

• Implementing standardized international security and World Customs Organizationframeworks for customs practices and standards to ensure that goods and peopleentering a country do not pose a threat;

• Expanding the use of modernized and automated systems, processes, and trade-datainformation to make vessel registration, ownership, and operation, as well as crewand cargo identification, more transparent and readily available in a timely manner;

• Developing, funding, and implementing effective measures for interdicting suspectedterrorists or criminals;

• Developing and expanding means for rapid exchanges among governments ofrelevant intelligence and law enforcement information concerning suspected terroristor criminal activity in the maritime domain;

• Adopting streamlined procedures to verify nationality and take appropriate andverifiable enforcement action against vessels in a timely manner consistent with thewell-established doctrine of exclusive flag State jurisdiction;

• Expanding the United States Government’s capabilities to prescreen internationalcargo prior to lading;

• Adopting procedures for enforcement action against vessels entering or leaving anation’s ports, internal waters, or territorial seas when they are reasonably suspectedof carrying terrorists or criminals or supporting a terrorist or criminal endeavor; and

• Adopting streamlined procedures for inspecting vessels reasonably suspected ofcarrying suspicious cargo and seizing such cargo when it is identified as subject toconfiscation.

The smooth operation of the global economy depends on the free flow of shippingthrough straits used for international navigation. About one third of the world’s trade andhalf its oil traverse the Straits of Malacca and Singapore. Many of these key internationalwaterways are relatively narrow and could be closed to shipping, at least temporarily, byan accident or terrorist attack.

The United States will use the agencies and components ofthe Federal Government in innovative ways to improve the security of sea-lanes that passthrough international straits. We will work with our regional and international partners toexpand maritime security efforts. Regional maritime security regimes are a majorinternational component of this Strategy and are essential for ensuring the effectivesecurity of regional seas.

The United States will continue to promote development of cooperative mechanisms forcoordinating regional measures against maritime threats that span national boundariesand jurisdictions. By reducing the potential for regional conflict, maritime security isenhanced worldwide. The United States will also work closely with other governmentsand international and regional organizations to enhance the maritime security capabilitiesof other key nations by:

• Offering maritime and port security assistance, training, and consultation;

• Coordinating and prioritizing maritime security assistance and liaison within regions;

• Allocating economic assistance to developing nations for maritime security toenhance security and prosperity;

• Promoting implementation of the Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Actsagainst the Safety of Maritime Navigation and its amendments and other internationalagreements; and

• Expanding the International Port Security and Maritime Liaison Officer Programs,and the number of agency attachés.

Maximize Domain Awareness

Maximize domain awareness to support effective decision-making.

A key national security requirement is the effective understanding of all activities, events,and trends within any relevant domain – air, land, sea, space, and cyberspace – that couldthreaten the safety, security, economy, or environment of the United States and itspeople. Awareness and threat knowledge are critical for securing the maritime domainand the key to preventing adverse events. Knowledge of an adversary’s capabilities,intentions, methods, objectives, goals, ideology, and organizational structure, plus factorsthat influence his behavior, are used to assess adversary strengths, vulnerabilities, andcenters of gravity.

Such knowledge is essential to supporting decision-making forplanning, identifying requirements, prioritizing resource allocation, and implementingmaritime security operations. Domain awareness enables the early identification ofpotential threats and enhances appropriate responses, including interdiction at an optimaldistance with capable prevention forces.

Achieving awareness of the maritime domain is challenging. The vastness of the oceans,the great length of shorelines, and the size of port areas provide both concealment andnumerous access points to the land. Many maritime threats are conveyed in ways thatthwart early detection and interdiction.

The lack of complete transparency into theregistration and ownership of vessels and cargoes, as well as the fluid nature of thecrewing and operational activities of most vessels, offer additional opportunities forconcealment and challenges for those attempting to maintain maritime security. Domainawareness requires integrating all-source intelligence, law enforcement information, andopen-source data from the public and private sectors.

It is heavily dependent oninformation sharing and requires unprecedented cooperation among the various elementsof the public and private sectors, both nationally and internationally.

To maximize domain awareness, the United States will leverage its global maritimeintelligence capability and the diverse expertise of the intelligence and law enforcementcommunities. The efforts of the existing maritime collection and analysis means willcontribute to an intelligence enterprise equipped to collect, fuse, integrate, anddisseminate timely intelligence and information.

This intelligence enterprise will supportUnited States Government agencies and international partners in securing the maritimedomain, as well as their other statutorily assigned missions. Additionally, theDepartments of Homeland Security, Defense, and Justice will oversee the implementationof a shared situational awareness capability that integrates intelligence, surveillance,reconnaissance, navigation systems, and other operational information inputs, combinedwith access at multiple levels throughout the United States Government.

Authorizedelements in the public and private sectors will have access to this integrated sharedsituational awareness capability, as well as relevant information within their specific areaof responsibility. The establishment of this intelligence enterprise underscores the needfor an integrated and robust maritime command and control system to defeat all maritimethreats.

The United States will continue to enhance the capabilities of current systems anddevelop new capabilities and procedures to locate and track maritime threats and illicitactivities. Initiatives to maximize domain awareness include expansion and enhancementof the following:

• Both short- and long-range vessel detection and monitoring capabilities;

• Regulatory and private sector initiatives and agreements to enhance advance noticesof arrival, vessel movement information, supply-chain security practices, andmanifest and entry information for cargo;

• International arrangements that promote enhanced visibility into the maritime supplychain and the movement of cargo, crews, and passengers;

• Sensor technology, human intelligence collection, and information processing tools topersistently monitor the maritime domain;

• International coalitions to share maritime situational awareness on a timely basis;

• Global maritime intelligence and integration enterprise for intelligence analysis,coordination, and integration that supports all other national efforts;

• Shared situational awareness to disseminate information to users at all levels;

• Automated tools to improve data fusion, analysis, and management in order tosystematically track large quantities of data, and to detect, fuse, and analyze aberrantpatterns of activity – consistent with the information privacy and other legal rights ofAmericans; and

• In order to advance to the next level of threat detection, transformational research anddevelopment programs in information fusion and analysis – these programs willdevelop the next qualitative level of capability for detection threats.

Embed Security into Commercial Practices

Embed security into commercial practices to reduce vulnerabilities and facilitatecommerce.

Potential adversaries are opportunistic and will attempt to exploit existing vulnerabilities,choosing the time and place to act according to the weaknesses they observe. Privateowners and operators of infrastructure, facilities, and resources are the first line ofdefense for their own property, and they should undertake basic facility securityimprovements.

They can improve their defenses against terrorist attacks and criminalacts by embedding into their business practices scalable security measures that reducesystemic or physical vulnerabilities. The elimination of security weaknesses dependsupon incorporating best practices and establishing centers of excellence, includingfeedback loops for lessons learned, as well as a periodic review of each country’s securitystandards for mutual compatibility.

A close partnership between government and the private sector is essential to ensuringcritical infrastructure and key resource vulnerabilities are identified and correctedquickly. Since 2001, the United States Government has developed and implemented acargo container security strategy to identify, target, and inspect cargo containers beforethey reach U.S. ports. Under this strategy, the United States Government uses intelligenceto review information on 100 percent of all cargo entering U.S. ports, and all cargo thatpresents a risk to our country is inspected using large x-ray and radiation detectionequipment.

Additionally, the United States Government requires that advance information about allcontainers be given to U.S. Customs and Border Protection well before they arrive. Infact, the information is required 24 hours before cargo is loaded onto vessels at foreignseaports (24-Hour Rule). Containers posing a potential terrorist threat are identified andtargeted before they arrive at U.S. seaports by the National Targeting Center (NTC). TheNTC was established as the centralized coordination point for all of Customs and BorderProtection’s anti-terrorism efforts.

NTC uses intelligence and terrorist indicators toreview advance information for all cargo, passengers, and imported food shipmentsbefore arrival into the United States. NTC coordinates with other Federal agencies suchas the U.S. Coast Guard, Federal Air Marshals, FBI, Transportation SecurityAdministration, and the Departments of Energy and Agriculture, as well as theintelligence community.

Both the government and the private sector will continue to conduct vulnerabilityassessments to identify defenses that require improvement. A consistent riskmanagement approach, which requires a comprehensive assessment of threat, likelihood,vulnerability, and criticality, will allow the private sector to invest in protective measuresas a supporting business function.

Further reduction in security vulnerabilities will also occur by encouraging the privatesector, by means of outcome-based security standards, incentives, and market mechanisms, to conduct comprehensive self-assessments of their supply chain securitypractices; adhere voluntarily to baseline security criteria; and implement other regulatorysecurity measures as deemed necessary by the Department of Homeland Security.

Enhanced reporting, verification, and compliance procedures by the private sector, aswell as the use of technology to allow greater visibility into the supply chain, will enablethe government to develop more accurate processes for separating high-risk cargo fromthat which can be afforded expedited clearance. In exchange, the shipments of firms thatcomply will be eligible for expedited clearance and have a reduced likelihood ofinspections at departure, transshipment, and arrival ports.

The complexity of the process for handling containerized shipments makes it moredifficult to embed security practices and reduce vulnerabilities than for other types ofcargo. Container ships carry cargo for thousands of companies, and the containers areloaded individually away from the port. Each transfer of a container from one party tothe next is a point of vulnerability in the supply chain. The security of each transferfacility and the trustworthiness of each company are therefore critical to the overallsecurity of the shipment.

Cargo must be loaded in containers at secure facilities and theintegrity of the container maintained to its final destination. Supply chain personnel willemploy various methods to prevent the misuse of containers and conveyances fortransporting illegal commodities, as well as to detect tampering. They will report theoccurrence of each incident to the Department of Homeland Security and, whenappropriate, resolve such incidents prior to the arrival of the identified containers in theUnited States.

Embedding security practices and vulnerability reduction efforts into commercialpractices rests upon the implementation of key legislation, such as the MaritimeTransportation Security Act of 2002 and the Trade Act of 2002, as well as InternationalMaritime Organization requirements such as the International Ship and Port FacilitySecurity Code, and public-private partnerships such as the Customs-Trade PartnershipAgainst Terrorism. The United States will build upon these statutes, internationalinstruments, and identified best practices to develop a program of formal maritimesecurity governance.

Commercial businesses must put in place effective means to control access to theirfacilities. In cooperation with the private sector, the United States will establish asystem-wide common credential for use across all transportation modes by individualsrequiring unescorted physical access to secure, restricted, and critical areas of themaritime domain. The identification card for access will use biometrics to link theperson to the credential definitively.

To receive this credential, individuals will undergoappropriate background checks. Credential services will also be available on a voluntarybasis for frequent travelers under various registered traveler programs.Overly restrictive, unnecessarily costly, or reactionary security measures to reducevulnerabilities can result in long-term harm both to the United States and globaleconomies, undermine positive countermeasures, and unintentionally foster anenvironment conducive to terrorism. Security measures must accommodate commercial and trade requirements, facilitate faster movement of more cargo and more people, andrespect the information privacy and other legal rights of Americans. To support theaccelerating growth of global commerce and security concerns, security measures must:

(1) be aligned and embedded with supply chain information flows and businessprocesses;

(2) keep pace with supply chain developments;

(3) optimize the use of existingdatabases; and

(4) be implemented with the minimum essential impact on commercialand trade-flow costs and operations. This will require new and enhanced partnerships, aswell as cost- and burden-sharing between the private and public sectors.

Deploy Layered Security

Deploy layered security to unify public and private security measures.

The ability to achieve maritime security is contingent upon a layered security system thatintegrates the capabilities of governments and commercial interests throughout the world.The public and private sectors acting in concert can prevent terrorist attacks and criminalacts only by using diverse and complementary measures, rather than relying upon a singlepoint solution.

Specifically, a layered approach to maritime security means applyingsome measure of security to each of the following points of vulnerability: transportation,staff, passengers, conveyances, access control, cargo and baggage, ports, and securityen route. This layered security is not static, but deters attack by continually evolvingthrough calculated improvements that introduce uncertainty into the adversary’sdeliberate planning process and efforts to conduct surveillance or reconnaissance.

Indeciding whether to implement a new security layer, the United States must take intoaccount its effectiveness and cost in reducing risks Americans face, both in absoluteterms and relative to other possible measures, and must ensure consistency with theinformation privacy and other legal rights of Americans.

• The Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Defense, and theDepartment of Justice, as well as the Department of State when diplomatic activitiesare required, will lead the United States’ efforts to integrate and align all UnitedStates Government maritime security programs and initiatives into a comprehensive,cohesive national effort of scalable, layered security. This includes full alignmentand coordination with appropriate State and local agencies, the private sector, andother nations.

• To intercept and defeat transnational threats, the Department of Homeland Securityand the Department of Defense will develop a mutually agreed process for ensuringrapid, effective support to each other. Terrorist threats will be addressed as nationalsecurity incidents employing as appropriate all instruments of national power todefeat the threat. All other maritime threats will be addressed through nationalauthorities, consistent with national and international law, for missionaccomplishment and self-defense, employing use-of-force protocols where necessary.

Physical protection is a fundamental layer of security. Primary protection measures bygovernment agencies include maritime security or enforcement zones, vessel movementcontrol, and the inspection of targeted cargo. Security zones are established and enforcedaround designated fixed facilities, certain vessels in transit, and sensitive geographicareas to provide an exclusion zone for controlled access and use only by the government.Around these zones, the private sector employs other layers of physical security, such asaccess barriers, fencing, lighting, surveillance cameras, and guards, along with oversightprocedures, to ensure system integrity for the critical infrastructure and key resources thatthey own and operate. Security standards and procedures employed in the United Statesare developed in conjunction with other nations and industry, and are shared with State,local, and tribal governments.

• The rapid and accurate identification of individuals for access to secure, restricted,and critical areas is a paramount protection measure that must be implemented by theprivate sector, in cooperation with the Federal Government. Persons seeking to enterthe United States will undergo identity checks and biometric screening at the borderand in the coastal approaches to verify their lawful admission.

• Protection layers also include the positive control of high-interest vessels. Mandatoryadherence to a national vessel-movement reporting system is required for all vesselsentering and departing U.S. ports. Security forces assigned to provide physicalsecurity for critical infrastructure and key resources must be trained and equipped todetect, identify, interdict, and defeat vessels that pose a threat.

• Not all maritime assets, facilities, systems, or ports require equal protection. TheFederal Government will collaborate with State, local, and tribal governments and theprivate sector to assess and prioritize critical facilities, resources, infrastructure, andvenues that are at greatest risk from hostile or unlawful acts.

Physical cargo inspection adds another layer of security. With as many as 30,000containers entering the United States every day, physical inspection of all cargo wouldeffectively shut down the entire U.S. economy, with ripple effects far beyond theseaports.

Inspections on this scale are prohibitively expensive and often ineffective.Using mandatory reporting information provided by the private sector, the United Stateswill screen all inbound cargo and inspect all cargo designated as high-risk and ideallyprescreen it before loading. In addition, all inbound cargo will be screened for WMD ortheir components. Establishment of the Domestic Nuclear Defense Office will contributeto improving the detection of a nuclear device or fissile or radiological material enteringthe United States through the maritime domain.

Interdiction of personnel and materials that pose a threat to the United States or themaritime domain is an essential layer of security. Interdiction, whether against terroristpersonnel, terrorist materiel support, WMD, or other contraband, will be carefullycoordinated to ensure prioritization of intelligence, proper allocation of resources, and,when necessary, swift, decisive action.

The United States, along with its internationalpartners, will monitor those vessels, cargoes, and people of interest from the point of origin, through intervening ports, to the point of entry to ensure the integrity of thetransit, to manage maritime traffic routing, and, if necessary, to interdict or divert vesselsfor inspection and search. The United States will promote efforts to enhance theefficiency and effectiveness of detecting and determining the status of unidentified orunauthorized vessels, people, and cargo within the maritime domain.

Military and law enforcement response provides a fourth security layer. For maritimesecurity operations on the high seas or in its exclusive economic zones, territorial seas,internal seas, inland rivers, ports, and waterways, the United States must have well trained, properly equipped, and ready maritime security forces from both the U.S. ArmedForces and national, regional, State, and local law enforcement agencies to detect, deter,interdict, and defeat any potential adversary. For protection and deterrence to besuccessful, maritime security forces must be visible, vigilant, well-trained, well-equipped,mobile, adaptive, and capable of generating effective presence quickly, randomly, andunpredictably.

In many instances each layer of maritime security is the responsibility of a differentagency with multiple jurisdictions and functions. Integrating these disparate maritimesecurity layers requires a clear delineation of roles and responsibilities and cannot beachieved through cooperation alone.

In particular, to achieve unity of effort andoperational effectiveness, maritime security forces from both the U.S. Armed Forces andlaw enforcement agencies must have the capability and authority to operate in mutuallysupporting and complementary roles against the spectrum of expected security threats.These security forces must have a high degree of interoperability, reinforced by joint,interagency, international training and exercises to ensure a high rate of readiness, andsupported by compatible communications and, where appropriate, common doctrine andequipment.

• Recognizing the critical importance of interoperability, maritime security actions atthe operational and tactical levels will be based on a network-centric approach thatemploys resources, as needed, from multiple agencies – primarily from theDepartment of Homeland Security and the Department of Defense – includingsurveillance and reconnaissance assets, aircraft, ships, boats, land units, and shoresupport facilities, all linked by an operational information network.

• Wherever feasible and operationally effective, agencies should co-locate inmultiagency centers to facilitate direct interaction and efficient use of limitedresources. Additionally, concrete and well-defined coordination protocols andcommunication mechanisms including procedures for operating jointly to prevent andrespond to threats, and for assigning lead agencies for both pre- and post-incidentoperations, will be implemented. The coordination protocols must also outlinedefined procedures for ensuring national execution of maritime security policy forspecific threats or incidents, and more routine encounters where a multiagencyresponse must be seamlessly coordinated.

• Integrated planning and effective management of agency resources – Federal, State,and local – are essential for an effective response. Therefore, agencies will also sharetraining, planning, and other resources, where practical and permissible, tostandardize operational concepts, develop common technology requirements, andcoordinate budget planning for maritime security missions.

• Acquisition and logistics processes must support the continuous assessment of allrequirements to optimize the allocation of appropriate resources and capabilities.Cooperative research and development efforts, coupled with reformed acquisitionprocesses with coordinated requirements, funding, and scheduling, along withmanagement, will identify unmet and emerging needs.

Assure Continuity of the Marine Transportation System

Assure continuity of the marine transportation system to maintain vital commerceand defense readiness.

The United States will be prepared to maintain vital commerce and defense readiness inthe aftermath of any terrorist attack or other similarly disruptive incidents that occurwithin the maritime domain. The response to such events should not default to anautomatic shutdown of the marine transportation system; instead, the United States willbe prepared to disengage selectively only designated portions, and immediatelyimplement contingency measures to ensure the public’s safety and continuity ofcommerce. This requires:

(1) a common framework with clearly defined roles for thosecharged with response and recovery;

(2) ready forces that are properly trained andequipped to manage incidents, especially those involving WMD;

(3) carefully crafted andexercised contingency plans for response, assessment, and recovery; and

(4) extensivecoordination among public, private, and international communities.

As stated in theMaritime Transportation Security Act and the National Response Plan, the Department ofHomeland Security, with the U.S. Coast Guard as its executive agency, has the primaryresponsibility for maritime homeland security, including the coordination of mitigationmeasures to expedite the recovery of infrastructure and transportation systems in themaritime domain, with the exception of DOD installations.

Although this Strategy advocates that incidents should be managed at the lowest possibleorganizational and jurisdictional level, maritime incidents of national significance willrequire the combined expertise of all levels of government and the private sector, andcoordination with international trading partners. The United States will respond using thecommon coordinating structures contained within the National Response Plan and theNational Incident Management System. Similarly, there is a need for correspondinginternational coordinating mechanisms to reconstitute commerce and minimize the globalimpact in the event of a significant maritime incident or threat.

The first line of response in the aftermath of any terrorist attack is the first-respondercommunity – police officers, firefighters, emergency medical care providers, publicworks personnel, and emergency management officials. However, this first line of response may have only limited capabilities for dealing with the effects of a WMD eventwithin the maritime domain, such as a nuclear or radiological dirty bomb exploded on avessel in a major port area.

The United States must build rapid-reaction forces to supportfirst responders with capabilities to respond to WMD and other terrorist incidents thatoccur in the maritime domain. These response forces will blend the expertise andresources of the public and private sectors.

They will be organized, trained, equipped,and exercised to operate in contaminated environments and manage the consequences ofWMD incidents. Specifically, they will develop and deploy capabilities to detect andidentify harmful chemical and biological agents, as well as conduct casualty extractionand mass decontamination in the maritime environment.

Concurrent with efforts to ensure the public’s well-being, actions to maintain continuityof commerce must be implemented as quickly as possible, with a focus on expediting therecovery of maritime infrastructure, transportation systems, and affected maritimecommunities. Contingency and continuity plans for the public and private sector must bedeveloped and exercised.

Protocols for assessment, recovery, and reconstitution musteffectively prioritize local, regional, and national interests, manage risk and uncertaintywithin acceptable levels, and achieve validation through regular drills and exercises. Themarine transportation system will not be shut down as an automatic response to amaritime incident. Instead, a prudent and measured response will be taken based on anassessment of the specific incident, including available intelligence.

Assessment andrecovery efforts must be a shared responsibility of the public and private sectors.Accurate assessments regarding closures of selected commercial nodes within the marinetransportation system, as well as effective efforts to redirect the affected modes ofcommerce, can only be achieved with the full cooperation of the private sector. Tofacilitate these actions, a formally recognized, national-level, coordinating bodycomprising private sector interests will liaison with Federal and State governments indeveloping and implementing these significant measures.

The direct and indirect costs associated with a prolonged and systemic disruption of themarine transportation system can be avoided by following the provisions of in-placecontingency and continuity plans. These plans for assessment, recovery, andreconstitution must prioritize local, regional, and national interests, as well as managerisk and uncertainty within acceptable levels. These contingency and continuity plansmust be developed and exercised in a coordinated fashion by the public and privatesectors.

Section V: Conclusion

This National Strategy presents a vision for the achievement of maritime security for thepeople and interests of the United States while respecting the information privacy andother legal rights of Americans. Moreover, it underscores our commitment tostrengthening our international partnerships and advancing economic well-being aroundthe globe by facilitating commerce and abiding by the principles of freedom of the seas.As a vision for the future, it certainly faces some serious challenges. The sheermagnitude of the maritime domain complicates the arduous and complex task ofmaintaining maritime security.

The United States confronts a diverse set of adversariesfully prepared to exploit this vast milieu for nefarious purposes. The seas serve as themedium for a variety of transnational threats that honor no national frontier and that seekto imperil the peace and prosperity of the world. Many of these threats mingle withlegitimate commerce, either to provide concealment for carrying out hostile acts, or tomake available weapons of mass destruction, their delivery systems, and related materialsto nations and non-state actors of concern.

In this ambiguous security environment, responding to these unpredictable andtransnational threats requires teamwork to prevent attacks, protect people andinfrastructure, minimize damage, and expedite recovery. It necessitates the integrationand alignment of all maritime security programs and initiatives into a far-reaching andunified national effort involving the Federal, State, local, and private sectors.

SinceSeptember 11, 2001, Federal departments and agencies have risen uncompromisingly tothe challenge of maritime security. But even an enhanced national effort is not sufficient.The challenges that remain ahead for the United States, the adversaries we confront, andthe environment in which we operate compel us to strengthen our ties with allies andfriends and to seek new partnerships with others. Therefore, international cooperation iscritical to ensuring that lawful private and public activities in the maritime domain areprotected from attack and hostile or unlawful exploitation. Such collaboration isfundamental to worldwide economic stability and growth, and it is vital to the interests ofthe United States. It is only through such an integrated approach among all maritimepartners – governmental and nongovernmental, public and private – that we can improvethe security of the maritime domain.

Thus, effective implementation of this National Strategy requires greater cooperation, notless. It requires deeper trust and confidence, not less. It requires a concerted application of collective capabilities to: increase our awareness of all activities and events in themaritime domain; enhance maritime security frameworks domestically andinternationally; deploy a layered security based on law enforcement authorities, privatesector partners’ competencies, and military might; pursue transformational research anddevelopment to move to the next level of information fusion and analysis and WMDdetection technologies for qualitative improvements in threat detection; and lastlyimprove our response posture should an incident occur.With this National Strategy, the course has been set, but rhetoric is no substitute foraction, and action is no substitute for success.

Annex A: Supporting Implementation Plans

This Strategy directs the coordination of United States Government maritime securityprograms and initiatives to achieve a comprehensive and cohesive national effortinvolving appropriate Federal, State, local, and private sector entities. In support of thisStrategy, eight national implementation plans provide amplifying detail and specificity:

1. National Plan to Achieve Maritime Domain Awareness lays the foundation for aneffective understanding of anything associated with the maritime domain that couldimpact the security, safety, economy, or environment of the United States, andidentifying threats as early and as distant from our shores as possible.

2. Global Maritime Intelligence Integration Plan uses existing capabilities tointegrate all available intelligence regarding potential threats to U.S. interests in themaritime domain.

3. Maritime Operational Threat Response Plan aims for coordinated United StatesGovernment response to threats against the United States and its interests in themaritime domain by establishing roles and responsibilities that enable the governmentto respond quickly and decisively.

4. International Outreach and Coordination Strategy provides a framework tocoordinate all maritime security initiatives undertaken with foreign governments andinternational organizations, and solicits international support for enhanced maritimesecurity.

5. Maritime Infrastructure Recovery Plan recommends procedures and standards forthe recovery of the maritime infrastructure following attack or similar disruption.6. Maritime Transportation System Security Plan responds to the President’s call forrecommendations to improve the national and international regulatory frameworkregarding the maritime domain.

7. Maritime Commerce Security Plan establishes a comprehensive plan to secure themaritime supply chain.

8. Domestic Outreach Plan engages non-Federal input to assist with the developmentand implementation of maritime security policies resulting from NSPD-41/HSPD-13.