Effective Mobile Communication Developed for Maritime Law Enforcement

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Law enforcement officers coordinating and participating in dangerous operations to stop drug trafficking need reliable communications. The US Joint Interagency Task Force South (JIATFS), for example, detects and monitors illegal trafficking in the air and on the water, and supports international and interagency operations that stop illegal drug trafficking. It operates predominantly with its 30 official partner nations, where cell service is all but non-existent. This makes effective, tactical-level communication through traditional means difficult.

Recent tests integrating commercial and government capabilities is making tactical communications between international and interagency law enforcement operators safer and more reliable.

In early 2018, several agencies joined forces to identify innovative capabilities that improve communication in maritime environments where cell coverage is lacking. These included the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T), JIATFS Innovation and Technology Directorate (J7), and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA). This cooperative endeavor, the Mobile Maritime Command and Control (M2C2) Project, aimed to demonstrate how integrating commercial communication capabilities with existing government information capabilities could enhance awareness and improve near real-time communications in maritime domains with poor cell coverage.

According to newswise.com, the project team used a portable, COTS satellite Wi-Fi hotspot system connected to an iPhone loaded with NGA’s Mobile Awareness GEOINT Environment (MAGE) application. MAGE is a dynamic, secure, mobile situational awareness platform that can be rapidly deployed and customized for teams and events. NGA released MAGE as an open-source, publicly available capability that is available to partner nations.

The M2C2 Project sought to connect to the secure MAGE application on an iPhone connected to the COTS satellite Wi-Fi hotspot system in a maritime area without cell or Wi-Fi services. In tests, MAGE and CSII exchanged near real-time geolocation updates on tracks of interest. This smoother communication could make it easier for operators on and offshore to work together and share information effectively when tracking suspicious boats or inspecting fishing vessels for contraband.

The first phase of M2C2 scenario testing successfully demonstrated enhanced awareness and improved communications in the maritime domain using the M2C2 methodology.