Maritime Information Sharing Initiatives
The geographically focused Maritime Information Sharing (MIS) initiatives provide effective whole-of-governments understanding of the maritime domain through monitoring, control, and surveillance data sharing among participating regional maritime intelligence, fusion, and operations centers as a function of Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA). MIS initiatives enable partner data sharing with the U.S. Government and other stakeholders, such as INTERPOL (the International Police Organization), on high-fidelity maritime-related information not routinely reported, such as vessel husbanding services, crew lists, cargo, and other locally maintained vessel activities. MIS partnerships consist of:
- International partners that share contiguous coastal state waters (territorial waters or exclusion economic zones) or maritime interests where illicit activity in one affects regional partner interests.
- U.S. departments and agencies with a maritime focus including the Department of State, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Coast Guard, and U.S. Navy.
MIS Components
- Advocate the use of common MDA tools, such as the Department of the Navy’s SeaVision.
- Contribute to country-specific and regional vessels of interest lists.
- Focus on entities benefiting from illicit maritime activity.
- Expand vessels of interest lists to include associated infrastructure (in port and at sea).
MIS Initiatives
MIS–East Pacific
The MIS–East Pacific initiative strengthens MDA and maritime intelligence and information sharing within and between eastern Pacific Ocean coastal nations, including their exclusive economic zones, from Costa Rica to Chile.
MIS–South Atlantic
The MIS–South Atlantic initiative strengthens MDA and maritime intelligence and information sharing within and between western South Atlantic Ocean coastal nations, including their exclusive economic zones, from Brazil to Argentina.
MIS–West Pacific
MIS–West Pacific (MIS-WP) initiative focuses on nations in Tier 1 priority regions, as identified by the U.S. Interagency Counter–Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated Fishing Working Group, including the Federated States of Micronesia, Indonesia, the Marshall Islands, Palau, Papua New Guinea, and the Philippines. The initiative identifies and removes barriers to sharing and aligns with existing capabilities and other international initiatives when possible, in particular through engagement with Oceania’s existing regional architecture including the Forum Fisheries Agency. The MIS-WP initiative executes two main lines of effort:
- Improve access to common and interoperable MDA data and tools.
Develop regional vessels of interest information sharing protocols and habits.