The Scope of the Recognized Maritime Picture (RMP)

At the recent Institute for Defense and Government Advancement’s, Offshore Patrol Vessel Summit in Norfolk, VA, Canadian Forces LCdr Mark Higginson, Director, Regional Joint Operations Center Atlantic, emphasized the challenges facing maritime security practitioners in appreciating the scope of the Recognized Maritime Picture (RMP). As he indicated in his briefing, Updates for the Recognized Maritime Picture (26 May, 2010), in a full analysis of the RMP, it's great to know what all the vessel traffic is coming and going into your target environment (TE), but the real value of information is in knowing "what is the threat and what is not." That requires investigation of all contacts. To appreciate the scope of this challenge, consider that on the Great Lakes alone, there are about 200,000 registered vessels over 300 GT, but perhaps 6 million smaller vessels. The ability to vet and analyze the threats posed in this complex maritime TE requires significant intelligence to provide investigative support for maritime/homeland security operatives. This necessarily suggests a need for a paradigm shift from a regulatory to a national security mindset when considering administrative and legislative initiatives which affect the maritime industry.