The focus for this issue is maritime security — a foundation for national security and economic well-being. But these objectives can only be reached through stability operations and coalition cooperation on a global scale.
To this end, U.S. Navy and joint forces are projecting a forward presence with a preeminent combat capability, thus promoting deterrence and building confidence and trust with nations worldwide.
Working with the U.S. Department of State, USAID, coalition partners and many interagency organizations, U.S. Africa Command, Combined Joint Task Force – Horn of Africa and Africa Partnership Station help build stability by promoting security cooperation through a multifaceted approach: humanitarian aid and disaster response, providing peacekeeping military-to-military training, promoting human rights, and sponsoring medical and health care programs in African nations.
In the maritime domain, AFRICOM will help African nations improve their maritime security where illegal fishing, piracy and smuggling are dangerous threats to the sovereignty and economic development of many African nations.
In the U.S. Southern Command area of operations, the needs are no less urgent, piracy, poverty, unequal wealth distribution, social exclusion, corruption, narco-terrorism, urban crime and illicit trafficking plague many of the nations of the Caribbean and Central and South America and threaten their stability and economic development.
By implementing the National Strategy for Maritime Security and working with many federal and interagency partners and engaging the countries of Latin America, USSOUTHCOM is tackling these challenges by helping Latin American nations strengthen their security to enable an environment conducive to enduring prosperity, said the USSOUTHCOM Commander, Adm. James Stavridis.
Maritime security can be enabled by innovative technology, said Adm. Stavridis. The admiral describes the need for inexpensive deployable technologies for surveillance and detection, planning, sensors, radar, collaboration and "persistent precision-guided intelligence" in this issue of CHIPS.
Ultimately, ships, operators and command centers need "global maritime vessel transparency" because world prosperity and security depend on free use of the seas.
Joining in the discussion about innovative technology are Ms. Cynthia Gonsalves, acting director of DoD's Office of Technology Transition and Mr. Dennis Bauman, the Joint Program Executive Officer for JTRS.
Finally, the CHIPS staff participated in the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command's exhibit at West 2008 in February where many of the game-changing technologies developed by the SPAWAR team were demonstrated. Thanks to those readers who stopped by to say hello.
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