Naval War College Review Volume 61 Article 8 Number 1 Winter 2008 Mines and Underwater IEDs in U.S. Ports and Waterways Scott .C Truver Follow this and additional works at: https://digital-commons.usnwc.edu/nwc-review Recommended Citation Truver, Scott .C (2008) "Mines and Underwater IEDs in U.S. Ports and Waterways," Naval War College Review: Vol. 61 : No. 1 , Article 8. Available at: https://digital-commons.usnwc.edu/nwc-review/vol61/iss1/8 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Journals at U.S. Naval War College Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Naval War College Review by an authorized editor of U.S. Naval War College Digital Commons. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. Truver: Mines and Underwater IEDs in U.S. Ports and Waterways MINES AND UNDERWATER IEDS IN U.S. PORTS AND WATERWAYS Context, Threats, Challenges, and Solutions Scott C. Truver broad spectrum of nontraditional and asymmetric threats challenges U.S. A maritime homeland security.1 The smuggling of drugs, arms, and people; vesselborne improvised explosive devices, like that used by terrorists against the guided-missile destroyer USS Cole in October 2002; proliferation of chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and high-explosive weapons of mass destruc- tion and disruption; piracy and organized crime; overexploitation of marine re- sources and the destruction of marine habitats; environmental attacks and trade disruption; political and religious extremism; mass migration flows; global health threats (e.g., the spread of infectious diseases like SARS and avian flu)— all these and more pose far-reaching dangers for American security interests at home and abroad.