Maritime Homeland Security and Defense: Developing a Baseline Concept of Operations

The missions of Maritime Homeland SecurityDefense are hardly defined beyond the simple meanings of the words. Since 911, the danger of a maritime terrorist attack on the United States has become very real, yet little doctrine exists specifying the roles and responsibilities of services and agencies participating in the effort. This paper explains the difference between Maritime Homeland Security and Maritime Homeland Defense and how the different missions should be viewed. The paper outlines how a maritime threat evolves and examines the maritime domain to understand how best to use assets to accomplish the mission. Finally, the paper emphasizes the necessity for established command and communication networks.