28 Proceedings Fall 2024 to increase its security posture, enact stricter adminis- trative procedures, and undergo more intensive screen- ings. The Coast Guard and U.S. government partners take seriously any nation’s inclusion on the PSA, and prospective PSA additions incur an extensive and highly collaborative process of demarche, deconfliction, discus- sion, and remediation, which is closely coordinated with the Department of State, the National Security Council, and other U.S. government partners. Once on the PSA, a nation must show substantive, consistent, and good-faith efforts to improve performance before the Coast Guard can consider its removal from the advisory. The PSA is the IPS Program’s primary tool to fulfill its role to warn by providing foreign and domestic entities with a data- driven input for maritime risk assessment matrices. The United States and other nations can use these matrices to impose targeted conditions of entry such as pier-side inspections, at-sea boardings, or outright entry denials. Build Paramount to the IPS Program’s mission to improve port security globally—and arguably one of its most exter- nally beneficial outputs—is its capacity-building role. Demand for capacity-building has always been high, but requests for engagement have boomed in recent years as economically dynamic nations in the Global South build world-class ports and seek international partners to help raise security standards, imple- ment reliable governance struc- tures, and build capabilities. Global competition in international stan- dards-setting, governance models, and foreign assistance is fierce, but the IPS Program is well-placed to be a partner of choice to maritime administrations throughout the Global South by providing well- qualified Coast Guard members who can offer pertinent, respon- sive security assistance. Reciprocal visits provide another opportunity for the IPS Program to build capacity and strengthen partnerships by inviting foreign delegations to participate in informational and experiential exchanges in the United States. Delegations, accompanied by their IPS Program liaison officers, visit Coast Guard Headquarters in Washington for discussions on U.S. port security administra- tion, national interpretations of the ISPS Code, cargo security, cybersecurity, and border protection. Delegations then proceed to a Coast Guard sector and several port facili- ties to see U.S. port security practices in action. These engagements offer excellent firsthand opportunities for information exchange and allow delegations to compare, query, borrow, and critique U.S. practices. IPS Program reciprocity and U.S. port facility openness pay relational dividends and provide significant collective benefits. Not only does the IPS Program’s responsibility to build through capacity-building and reciprocity answer its legislative mandate, but it also contributes directly to meeting U.S. strategic goals at national, regional, organi- zational, and functional levels by spotlighting the Coast Guard as a willing partner in a shared effort to mitigate strategic risks and enhance global maritime security. Additional Roles in Maritime Security Diplomacy In addition to satisfying the IPS Program’s four man- dated roles, IPS Program liaison officers are well-situ- ated to work with host-nation representatives and U.S. diplomats to forward priorities that align with U.S. and organizational strategic goals in fields unrelated to port security. Host nations and U.S. Embassies frequently seek to work with the Coast Guard because its organi- zational structure, wide-ranging roles and responsibili- ties, and multifaceted character spanning military, law enforcement, regulatory, intelligence, and humanitarian As part of an International Port Security visit, Coast Guard LT Natalie Moyer observes port operations at Jamaica’s Kingston Freeport Terminal in November 2021. The International Port Security Program seeks to reduce risk to U.S. maritime interests, including U.S. ports and ships, while also securing global maritime trade in cooperation with international trading partners. Coast Guard photo by LCDR Kate Woods
