U.S. maritime security plan approved

Updated 3:36 p.m. ET, Tue Sep 20, 2005

WASHINGTON -- The president's Homeland Security Council approved the National Strategy for Maritime Security during its meeting Tuesday morning.

Department of Homeland Security spokesman Jarrod Agen said the strategy is based on three major principles: freedom of the seas, the uninterrupted flow of commerce (schedules), and good border management: facilitating the movement of legitimate commerce, while preventing the movement of dangerous goods or people.

Agen said the strategy's objectives were fourfold, prevent terrorist or criminal acts; protect population centers and critical infrastructure; minimize damage and expedite recovery after an attack, and safeguard the ocean and its resources.

The strategy was developed after the White House issued Homeland Security Policy Directive No. 13 last December. As conceived, the strategy was to incorporate eight implementation plans covering items from maritime domain awareness to supply-chain security, to recovery.