Page 11: of Maritime Logistics Professional Magazine (Q2 2012)

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Control: This is the phase at which the best laid plans fall short and a threat appears. Controlling an attack means combining passive and active measures that work effectively in concert to foil an attacker’s means of presenting a threat. For example, use of evasive tactics and emerging barrier-interdiction tech- nologies reinforce embarked security teams. This integration of defensive measures creates an economy of force that again shifts the initiative to shippers. Under this model, pirates are no longer dealing with a known problem – fi re from security teams – or even one problem. Now, they have to worry about the effects of defense-in-depth, the most serious of which is being funneled into a “chokepoint”, where security teams can pick them off. Having complementary defenses means ship- pers can sail with far less risk to the vessel, the cargo, and ultimately the crew.

Escape: The ultimate objective in a critical-threat situation is to escape. In an ambush (which is actually what a pirate at- tack is), this is often referred to as “getting off the X.” It is the ability to put as much distance between you and a threat as possible, as soon as possible. Done effectively, all the other previous measures support this goal. Strong situational aware- ness can help make sure that an escape path won’t run the ship through yet another high-threat area, and a defensive ca- pability that not only deters the attackers but physically dis- ables their skiffs can maximize the time shippers have to put distance between themselves and the threat. All truly effec- tive counter-piracy solutions require the maximum possible degree of situational awareness, strong and diverse defensive options, and a cohesive unity of effort between all the mov- ing parts. The PACE method can be an effective way to make sure all these aspects are addressed. As a result, they can help keep the initiative where it belongs – with shippers instead of pirates.

The Authors

Lawrence O’Connell is Executive Vice President of International Maritime Security Corporation (IMSC). Scott and Michael Brewer are Principals and Co-Founders of IMSC, a Washington D.C.- based fi rm specializing in maritime consulting and risk mitigation. www.maritimeprofessional.com | Maritime Professional | 11

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