The National Maritime Domain Awareness Coordination Office (NMCO) is proud to announce the Interagency MDA Game to be held June 21-23 at the US Department of Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC. The purpose of the Interagency MDA Game is to provide a forum to explore priority interagency efforts and common maritime information requirements to promote development of MDA in support of common goals and national-level guidance. Included in the Joint Integration of MDA Joint Test (JIMDA JT) and development of an operational plan for the Information Coordination Groups (ICGs) described in the National MDA Plan. Participation in the game will improve the processes and procedures for collaboration and information sharing among interagency partners.
Continue Reading →At approximately 1 a.m. EST today, while negotiations were ongoing to secure the release of four American hostages, U.S. forces responded to gunfire aboard the pirated vessel (S/V) Quest. As they responded to the gunfire, reaching and boarding the Quest, the forces discovered all four hostages had been shot by their captors. Despite immediate steps to provide life-saving care, all four hostages ultimately died of their wounds.
Continue Reading →At the end of 2010, around 500 seafarers from more than 18 countries are being held hostage by pirates. Piracy clearly affects the world’s largest trade transport industry, but how much is it costing the world? Oceans Beyond Piracy has completed a study on the economic cost of maritime piracy. The project set out to analyze the cost of piracy to three regions: (1) the Horn of Africa; (2) Nigeria and the Gulf of Guinea; (3) the Malacca Straits.
Continue Reading →National authorities have convened a thorough review of directives, policies, procedures and structures for the governance and execution of the nation’s efforts to achieve effective Maritime Domain Awareness. These efforts were instituted following the tragedy of 9/11. They are designed to protect against a seaborne attack, have been in place for nearly a decade and beg reconsideration!
Continue Reading →Global Maritime Partnerships (GMP) are a new approach to cooperation among maritime nations with a shared stake in international commerce, safety, security, and freedom of the seas. GMP serves as a basis for building a global consensus on policy principles and for undertaking common activities to address maritime challenges by improving collective capabilities. Global Maritime Partners will seek opportunities to assist one another in using the sea for lawful purposes and legitimate commerce, while limiting use by those who threaten national, regional, or global security.
Continue Reading →
