Chokepoint

"U.S. Coast Guard, United Kingdom, French and Dutch vessels intercepted
a container ship suspected of carrying materials used to make weapons of
mass destruction in the Caribbean Sea at 1 p.m. today, signifying the
successful end of Exercise Chokepoint '04 ..."
Vice Adm. Vivien Crea, Atlantic Area

A red-hulled container vessel plows through the white-capped pristine blue waters of the Caribbean Sea two hundred miles south of Hispanola. Ships just like this one transit the world's oceans in a constant stream. But this particular ship, just a dot on an unending sea, is the subject of considerable interest. An international coalition of maritime agencies has been tracking this vessel's movement for the past few days. Aboard the vessel, in two of its containers, is a centrifuge and accompanying equipment that could be used by terrorist groups to develop weapons grade nuclear material.

Fortunately, this scenario is part of a combined law enforcement agency and military exercise in support of the Proliferation Security Initiative. The PSI announced by President Bush on May 31, 2003, stems from the National Strategy to Combat Weapons of Mass Destruction issued in December 2002. The goal of PSI is to create a more dynamic, creative and proactive multilateral approach to prevent the proliferation of dual-use materials. Atlantic Area received support in exercise planning and execution from the Defense Intelligence Agency, the Office of Naval Intelligence, Northern Command, Southern Command, Joint Interagency Task Force South, and the Seventh District. The exercise planning focused on testing and validating mission essential tasks that support the seven Interdiction Principles that bind together the PSI partnering nations to stop the flow of proliferable materials.

Exercise Chokepoint '04 included three levels of participation in five different venues around the globe including the Mediterranean Sea, the North and Baltic Seas, the North Atlantic Ocean, the South and North Pacific, and the Caribbean Sea. Participants included Law Enforcement and Defense Department agencies from Australia, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Singapore, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Argentina, Chile, Liberia, Mexico, Norway, Panama, and Sweden observed the exercise and participated in round table discussions during a closing seminar in Key West, Florida.

The exercise tested the ability of partnering nations to:

Support a collaborative multilateral effort to deter or stop the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD), delivery systems, and related materials.

Improve PSI operational capabilities (law enforcement and military) to interdict proliferation related shipments.

Explore policy and operational issues associated with multilateral law enforcement/military WMD maritime interdiction operations.

Examine the use of bilateral boarding agreements in multilateral boarding operations.

Support international PSI outreach efforts to increase the number of participating nations.

On Nov. 8, the exercise was initiated when participating countries were notified that a centrifuge was being shipped from a West African port on one of five vessels departing the port over a seven-day period. Participating countries worked as coalitions under the PSI umbrella to systematically eliminate the various suspect vessels.

As the exercise unfolded and other suspect vessels were eliminated, one vessel heading toward the Panama Canal, became the primary suspect. As it neared the Caribbean, Southern Command tasked the Joint Interagency Task Force South to conduct detection and monitoring operations to locate and track the target vessel.

The French, operating out of Martinique, flew a Maritime Patrol Aircraft to initially locate and track the ship. Once it was located by the French in the Eastern Caribbean, an international Surface Action Group consisting of the CGC Harriet Lane, the British Fleet Supply Ship Wave Ruler, and the Dutch Naval Ship Amsterdam were directed to close in on and intercept the vessel.

A C-130 aircraft from Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater relocated the suspect vessel and the Surface Action Group intercepted it. Upon interception, the 7th District took Tactical Control of the Surface Action Group and directed the Harriet Lane to conduct a Coast Guard led law enforcement boarding with international observers from France and the United Kingdom. The boarding team took control of the vessel and quickly located the centrifuge in one of the target vessel's containers. The exercise ended with all partnering nations discussing options for the final disposition of vessel.

At a press conference at Air Station Miami, Vice Adm. Vivien Crea, commander Atlantic Area, addressed the media and answered questions. "As the lead federal agency for maritime homeland security, the Coast Guard is uniquely qualified to help counter this type of threat in the maritime environment," Crea said. "With international teamwork, we significantly improve our ability to secure the approaches to the U.S. as well as our ports and waterways in the United States."

Story by David Santos, Acp and Cmdr. Doug Eames, Apx Photos by PA3 Bobby Nash, Acp

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COPYRIGHT 2005 Gale Group