The US Federal Maritime Domain Awareness Programs

U.S. Coast Guard Deputy Commandant for Operations Vice Admiral Peter Neffenger addresses the Coast Guard’s efforts to improve our Nation’s maritime security through Maritime Domain Awareness.

The maritime environment is inherently dangerous, complex, and difficult to govern. The maritime domain’s continuously changing weather and sea state, along with wide expanses which may be exploited by criminals, adversaries, and those with sinister intent present significant challenges to assessing risk. Along with legal regimes and operational assets, MDA is an integral part of the Coast Guard’s toolset through which the Coast Guard manages and mitigates maritime risk directed at U.S. ports, coastline and territorial seas. MDA-related capabilities, which support all levels (strategic, operational, and tactical) of maritime decision-making, provide a continuum of maritime knowledge combining unclassified situational awareness information sources with current and predictive maritime intelligence. The Coast Guard’s MDA is facilitated by its broad statutory authorities, membership in the Intelligence Community, and strong international, Federal, State, local, tribal, and non-governmental partnerships.

read all in: “A Review of Federal Maritime Domain Awareness Programs”

source: US DHS