Proliferation Security Initiative Logs Varied Activities in Two Years
02 May 2005
PSI sea-land-air exercises have taken place around the world
The Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) will mark its second anniversary on May 31.
The PSI, launched in Krakow, Poland, in May 2003, seeks to prevent the transfer of weapons of mass destruction, their delivery systems and related materials by air, ground or sea to and from states and nonstate actors of proliferation concern.
All PSI activities are voluntary and carried out consistent with respective national legal authorities and international law and frameworks. PSI participants are building a network to respond quickly and effectively to illicit proliferation-related transfers. One of PSI’s strengths is its flexibility and, as such, does not require any formal structure. More than 60 nations have expressed support for the initiative.
There have been 14 interdiction training exercises since the PSI’s inception; another 14 exercises are planned through the end of 2006. PSI partners are also involved in outreach to industry so that they can improve cooperative relationships and provide information and transparency to the initiative. In this connection, PSI partners held a maritime container security workshop in Copenhagen, Denmark, in August 2004 and will host a similar one in Los Angeles in September 2005. Both the operational training exercises and outreach events are intended to enhance the interoperability of the PSI’s voluntary participants.
Following is a list of some PSI milestones:
(begin fact sheet)
U.S. Department of State
Washington, D.C.
May 2, 2005
PSI Milestones
2005:
April 11-15: Portugal hosts a maritime exercise off the coast of Lisbon, named “Ninfa 2005,” involving ship-boarding and inspections.
April 8: Under the PSI framework, Cyprus and the United States concluded bilateral negotiations on a text to establish procedures and safeguards for ship-boarding operations on the high seas aimed at combating WMD proliferation.
March 21-22: The United States hosted an Operational Experts Group (OEG) meeting in Omaha, Nebraska. Participants included: Australia, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Singapore, Spain, Turkey and the United Kingdom.
March 10: U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan encouraged all states to join PSI during his speech closing the International Summit on Democracy, Terrorism and Security in Madrid, Spain.
2004:
December 1: The U.N. Secretary General’s High Level Panel on Threats, Challenges and Change specifically addressed PSI: The A.Q. Khan network demonstrates, it said, “the need for and the value of measures taken to interdict the illicit and clandestine trade in components for nuclear programs. This problem is currently being addressed on a voluntary basis by the Proliferation Security Initiative.”
November 30-December 1: Australia hosted an OEG meeting in Sydney.
November 8-18: The United States hosted a Coast Guard-led maritime interdiction exercise off Key West, Florida, called “Chokepoint 2004.”
October 25-27, 2004: Japan hosted a PSI maritime exercise called “Team Samurai ’04.”
September 27-October 1: The United States hosted a maritime interdiction gaming exercise at the U.S. Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island. Participants included Australia, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Singapore, Spain, and the United Kingdom.
August 5-6: Norway hosted a PSI OEG meeting in Oslo.
August 3-4: Denmark hosted a workshop in Copenhagen on shipping container security.
June 23-24: France led a simulated air interception exercise called “APSE ’04.”
May 31: Poland hosted the first anniversary meeting of PSI.
May 12: Panama and the United States signed a reciprocal maritime ship-boarding agreement in support of PSI as an amendment to an existing bilateral maritime law enforcement assistance arrangement. Panama is the world's largest ship registry.
April 28: The U.N. Security Council adopted Resolution 1540 calling for all nations to take cooperative action to prevent illicit WMD trafficking in accordance with relevant national legal authorities/legislation as well as existing international law.
April 16-17: Canada hosted a PSI OEG meeting in Ottawa.
April 19-22: Italy hosted a maritime exercise in the Mediterranean Sea called “Clever Sentinel.”
April 19-21: Poland hosted the PSI “Safe Borders” exercise on the Polish-German border near Wroclaw.
March 31-April 1: Germany led a customs exercise at Frankfurt-Main International Airport called “Hawkeye.”
February 24: In a major speech at the National Defense University, President Bush said that as PSI grows “proliferators will find it harder than ever to trade in illicit weapons.”
February 19: Italy led an air interception exercise over its territory called “Air Brake ‘03.”
February 11: Liberia was the first nation to sign a PSI ship-boarding agreement with the United States. Liberia is the world's second-largest ship registry.
January 11-17: A U.S.-led maritime exercise called “Sea Saber” was conducted in the Arabian Sea.
2003:
December 16-17: The United States hosted a PSI OEG meeting in Washington, D.C., at the National Defense University.
November 25-27: France led a maritime exercise in the Western Mediterranean called “Basilic ’03.”
October: The German-owned BBC China, carrying Malaysian-produced uranium centrifuge equipment destined for Tripoli, was detained and its cargo seized through the cooperative efforts of Italy, Germany, the United States, and Libya.
October 13-17: Spain led a multilateral maritime exercise in the Western Mediterranean called “Sanso ’03.”
October 8-10: The United Kingdom, again, hosted a PSI meeting, while also leading a table-top air command post interception exercise in London called “Air CPX.”
September 10-13: A PSI maritime exercise called “Pacific Protector” was led by Australia in the Coral Sea.
September 4: The PSI Statement of Interdiction Principles was issued. Participants agreed to undertake effective measures, alone or in concert with others, to interdict the transfer or transport of WMD, WMD-delivery systems and related materials to and from states and non-state actors of proliferation concern. Endorsing the PSI Statement of Interdiction Principles is an important signal of a country’s support for the goals of PSI.
September 3-4: PSI participants met in Paris, France.
August 13: The Republic of the Marshall Islands, one of the 10 largest ship registries in the world, and the United States signed a reciprocal maritime ship-boarding agreement in support of PSI that established procedures to board and search vessels suspected of carrying items in international waters.
July 30: The United Kingdom hosted a PSI meeting in London.
July 9-10: PSI participants met in Brisbane, Australia.
June 15: PSI participants met in Madrid, Spain.
May 31: During the G8 Summit in Krakow, President Bush unveiled PSI as a comprehensive international effort to counter the threat of WMD reaching hostile states or terrorists: “When weapons of mass destruction or their components are in transit, we must have the means and authority to seize them,” he said.
(end fact sheet)
(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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