Existing and Emerging Topics and Potential Priorities for the Safety and Security of the Maritime Environment

Abstract

Maintaining safety and security along maritime borders in support of maritime activities and marine environmental management is fundamentally important to the security of the United States. Opportunities and threats in this space are constantly evolving because of changes in economics, geopolitics, society, demography, and other factors. This Perspective summarizes key existing and emerging maritime safety and security topics for policymakers and highlights some important considerations for technological modernization to support homeland security missions in this space.The Maritime Safety and Security Program in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's (DHS's) Science and Technology Directorate sponsored a workshop about future maritime programming in support of homeland security on December 7, 2022, as part of ongoing research and development (R&D) planning. This Perspective reflects themes from the input from subject-matter experts that went into the development of the workshop, and selected discussions among participants at the event, which included DHS headquarters and component representatives and RAND subject-matter experts.