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Maintain the security of U.S. coastal borders, ports, and harbors through improved maritime law enforcement.

The U.S. is a world leader in the enforcement of laws concerning drug and illegal immigrant smuggling, customs regulations, harvesting of living marine resources in our Exclusive Economic Zone, and marine safety and environmental protection. International maritime criminal activities pose clear threats to our borders, our economy, our environment, and our national security and require strong offshore law enforcement. Additionally, the post-Cold War era has brought emerging threats, such as terrorism, arms trafficking, evasion of international trade sanctions, and piracy, each with potential maritime components. Critical U.S. ports and waterways infrastructure, commercial carriers moving U.S. military cargo, and large numbers of U.S. citizens aboard cruise ships may be at risk.

The marine transportation system is especially vulnerable to illegal and terrorist activities because its scale, complexity, and pace of activity often overwhelm local, state, and federal detection and enforcement capabilities and private-sector protective measures. Increased cooperation with our international partners is needed to disrupt illegal activity before contraband is loaded onto vessels destined for the United States. Enforcement efforts must also take full advantage of maritime transportation choke points and challenge suspect vessels before they reach U.S. ports. As governments remove barriers to trade and travel, U.S. officials need more information on the cross-border flow of people and goods and on other maritime activities to better identify criminal and other illegal actions.

Ongoing Concerns

• International criminal and terrorist threats are constantly changing and adapting to current law enforcement capabilities. Today's communications and integrated intelligence systems lack the sophistication to support real-time monitoring of vessels, people, and cargo movements.
• High-level awareness of the emerging threats to the marine transportation system is required, along with the interservice, interagency, and international coordination needed to address them.
• The U.S. currently claims a 12-nautical-mile contiguous zone, yet customary international law, as reflected in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, allows states to claim a 24-nautical-mile contiguous zone.

Recommendations

• Improve cooperation at the interagency, interservice, and international levels to address threats to our maritime interests, including collecting and sharing key information, and developing and integrating real-time intelligence systems for tracking cargo, personnel, and commercial vessel operations.
• Improve U.S. capability to conduct surveillance, detection, identification, classification, and interdiction of maritime threats before they reach U.S. coasts and harbors.
• Acknowledge the low level of current security awareness in the marine transportation system, and initiate a national education campaign to improve federal, state, and local awareness of the growing threats.
• Declare a 24-nautical-mile contiguous zone consistent with international law, as reflected in Article 33 of the Law of the Sea Convention.

For more information

http://www.uscg.mil/hq/g-o/g-opl/lawweb2/homepage.htm
http://www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov
http://www.uscg.mil/deepwater/data/threats/
http://www.navy.mil