NATIONAL MARITIME CYBERSECURITY PLAN “commercial first” policy. Although the United States-flagged commercial fleet is small by global standards, at just under 200 vessels, many American shipping companies have contractual or voluntary relationships with the United States government to provide prioritized access to sealift capabilities. America’s seaports, including more than 70 leading ports, are critical to our Nation’s economic and national security. 26 United States military equipment deployed by ship is typically loaded within a strategic seaport. DOD operates six military strategic seaports; additionally, there are 17 designated, commercially-owned and operated ports that voluntarily participate in DOD deployment planning and readiness reporting. 27 28 29 There are no designated strategic seaports outside the United States; all planning, outloads, and debarkations at foreign ports occur on a caseby-case basis. The National Port Readiness Network, consisting of military and government agencies, supports military force deployments during national defense emergencies. The United States military’s reliance on the surge fleet for major deployments highlights the need for large-scale, dedicated efforts to improve the cybersecurity posture and resilience of these key resources. Malicious state and non-state actors may target these strategic ports because of their strategic value to the United States and the relative ease of influencing them through cyberspace. For example, more than 90 percent of the military cargo delivered to support Operation Iraqi Freedom was via Military Sealift Command (MSC), the Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD), and United States-flagged commercial ships. To put this in perspective, “[f]rom January 2003 through the end of April 2003, MSC delivered more than 21 million square feet of war-fighting equipment and supplies, 260 million gallons of fuel, and 95,000 tons of ammunition to the Persian Gulf area for the Army, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Navy war fighters involved in Operation Iraqi Freedom. 30 Sealift support for military mobilization is critical to defend our national interests. 26 United States Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Port Performance Freight Statistics in 2018, Annual Report to Congress 2019 (Washington, DC: 2020). https://doi.org/10.21949/1504598 27 Military Ocean Terminal Sunny Point (North Carolina); Joint Base Charleston (South Carolina); Military Ocean Terminal Concord (California); Indian Island (Washington); and Pearl Harbor (Hawaii); and Port Hueneme (California). 28 Philadelphia (Pennsylvania); Port of Virginia (Virginia); Morehead City and Wilmington (North Carolina); Charleston (South Carolina); Savannah (Georgia); Jacksonville (Florida); Gulfport (Mississippi); Beaumont, Port Arthur, and Corpus Christi. (Texas); San Diego (California); Los Angeles (California); Long Beach (California); Oakland (California); and Anchorage (Alaska). 29 Surface Deployment and Distribution Command (SDDC) supports the deployment of United States Armed Forces in the event of war, contingency, or other national emergency or disaster. SDDC and other National Port Readiness Network members devote resources to planning for major deployments at these ports and, through various port level committees, specifically Port Readiness Committees established in each of the Strategic Commercial Seaports that are chaired by the cognizant Coast Guard Captain of the Port, builds relationships with local stakeholders in concert with the Maritime Administration’s management of the National Port Readiness Network, making ultimate action run smoother than it would otherwise. 30 Global Security, Sealift in Operation Iraqi Freedom, https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/ship/sealiftoif.htm, retrieved July 21, 2020. A-7