On May 24, the Atlantic Council’s International Security Program and the Michael S. Ansari Africa Center hosted the fifth and final meeting of the Atlantic Council Maritime Piracy Task Force, chaired by Atlantic Council Board Director Franklin D. Miller.

This meeting was part of a series of discussions looking into the challenge of piracy and possible strategic approaches.

The event featured presentations from: US Coast Guard Lieutenant Commander John Reardon, Office of Maritime and International Law, US Coast Guard Headquarters; Rory Domm, Counselor, Delegation of the European Union to the US; and Daniel Whiteneck, Research Analyst, Center for Naval Analyses. Drawing on the insight derived from the previous sessions as well as recent developments, representatives of the US government, international organizations, and industry discussed cross-sector collaboration and other possible ways to move forward in the fight against maritime piracy.

As maritime piracy has emerged as a potential high profile challenge for the US, its allies, trading partners, and global commerce, the Atlantic Council is leading a limited-duration, limited-scope project designed to produce actionable and policy-relevant analysis and recommendations on US approaches to the maritime piracy challenge in the complex international context. The Task Force consists of a series of meetings by a standing group of high-level strategic actors–former US administration officials, distinguished members of academia, international organizations, transportation/logistics industry executives, and occasional ad hoc expert invitees to define the problem and develop courses of action for the formation of US policy. The Task Force will make explicit, implementable recommendations to key policy groups, including the Department of State, the Department of Defense, the Joint Chiefs, the National Security Council, and other elements of the interagency policy community.