Closing the Gap

Western Hemisphere Perspectives and Approaches to Future Maritime Security Challenges

Edited by David Peer
October 2012
Table of Contents

Maritime security issues refuse to disappear – piracy off Somalia and in the Malaccan Strait, transnational crime in the Caribbean, illegal migration, and the potential for sea-borne terrorism attacks are just a few of the problems in the news. Global solutions are required. Safe navigation for the world’s commerce and traffic will require an increasing level of international cooperation. Many maritime security initiatives are in place, or are being developed to tackle specific security issues in space and time. What is lacking is an effective international framework for maritime security and awareness. The Centre for Foreign Policy Studies held a workshop 27-29 October 2011, entitled “Closing the Gap: Western Hemisphere Perspectives and Approaches to Future Maritime Security Challenges,” to consider regional maritime security perspectives and approaches from the North American context. The workshop brought together maritime security experts, military and civilian practitioners, and academics to explore operational exemplars in four areas relevant to maritime security: humanitarian assistance and disaster relief; capacity building in the Americas; ocean surveillance; and policing. This Maritime Security Occasional Paper includes a report of this workshop, plus a copy of “A Framework for Enhanced International Maritime Security Cooperation and Awareness,” produced by the Combined Joint Operations from the Sea Centre of Excellence, and an analysis of both the workshop and the report