CANEUS-Shared Small Satellites CSSP (Collective Security, Safety, and Prosperity) International Workshop

Background

The world’s oceans, seas, and waterways are trade routes that are increasingly threatened by non-state actors, perpetrating criminal acts of terrorism, piracy, drug trafficking, over-fishing, pollution, illegal immigration and other abuses to international cooperation and law. For the first time in history, these non-state actors now have the ability for global reach and the potential for disastrous global impact. The emergence of unrestricted, asymmetric threats facilitated by the proliferation of technology and emergence of the global economy underscores the need for increased global situational awareness, and sharing that awareness with legitimate national sovereignties to enhance safety, security and prosperity.

Need for New International Cooperation Framework

Global, persistent access to AIS and reliable and timely access to data from unattended sensors can extend situational awareness across the globe.

Existing and proposed commercial systems lack transparency for all international partners, being driven by profit incentives or hampered by classification and sharing issues inherent with intelligence collection. Instead of facilitating the ubiquitous exchange of information at the lowest possible cost, situational awareness derived from commercial or intellicence sources is enjoyed by the “haves” and but unavailable to the “have-nots.”

Nations without the ability or means to establish, situational awareness in their “unwired” territories have little or no information about the illegal activities occuring there. There may be no perceived address these unseen threats. Resource allocation and force structure decisions that would improve governance are starving for data.

The ability to detect and monitor suspicious activityand to share that information will enable international partners to collaborate and cooperate to enhance their collective security.