11 March 2021
As technologies and terrorist methodologies continue to evolve, the United States, under the auspices of the FTF Working Group, is organizing a series of region-specific workshops to raise awareness of known or suspected terrorists and foreign terrorist fighters (FTFs) potential use of the maritime domain as a potential attack or travel vector. These workshops are reviewing existing best practices related to screening people, cargo and emerging technologies (drones, GPS spoofing, etc.) in the maritime domain. The aim is for counterterrorism practitioners to increase their understanding of relevant international maritime security protocols and practices and to consider how to address gaps within existing counterterrorism and border security frameworks to specifically address the terrorist risk. Discussion topics include: insider risk and vetting of crews, port and terminal security, piracy, human trafficking and smuggling, and screening at ports of entry and departure. This GCTF Initiative will result in an addendum to the New York Memorandum on Good Practices for Interdicting Terrorist Travel.