| Office of Public Affairs U.S. Coast Guard Seventh District |
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| Media Advisory |
Date: Nov. 19, 2004 Contact: (305) 415-6683 |
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VIDEO AVAILABLE FROM EXERCISE CHOKEPOINT '04 **Interested media can pick the tape up at Brickell Plaza Federal Building, 909 SE 1st Ave, Downtown Miami. Please call in advance, (305) 415-6683, so a dub can be made. To view a low resolution version of the video, click here.** MIAMI - A video containing footage from both the ship's perspective of the ship-to-ship boarding of a commercial freighter playing the role of a Liberian flagged ship suspected of carrying material for the proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction, and the aerial sensor footage shot by a Coast Guard long-range maritime patrol aircraft is available from the Coast Guard Public Affairs Office. This international boarding evolution, which included U.S., U.K., Netherlands and French participation, was the final stage of an exercise being conducted as part of the Proliferation Security Initiative. The exercise began Nov. 8 with a several day test of information and intelligence sharing between the 16 participating countries, culminating in the identification of one vessel (from six original suspects) believed to have the simulated WMD onboard, requiring an international operation to detect, monitor, interdict and board the vessel. In addition to this video release, representatives from all U.S. television networks captured aerial footage of the at-sea interdiction and interviews with Coast Guard representatives. Please work with your affiliates for this material. PSI is a global initiative aimed at stopping shipments of WMD, their delivery systems and related materials. Announced by President Bush on May 31, 2003, it stems from the National Strategy to Combat Weapons of Mass Destruction issued in December 2002. That strategy recognizes the need for more robust tools to defeat the proliferation of WMD around the world, specifically identifying interdiction as an area where greater focus will be placed. The goal of PSI is to create a more dynamic, creative and proactive approach to preventing proliferation to or from areas of proliferation concern. Actions will be taken in support of the PSI consistent with national legal authorities and relevant international law and frameworks. The PSI seeks to use existing authorities -- national and international -- to defeat proliferation. In September 2003, 11 countries agreed to and published the PSI Statement of Interdiction Principles. Since then many more countries have endorsed the principles. This set of principles identifies specific steps for effectively interdicting WMD shipments and preventing proliferation facilitators from engaging in this deadly trade. Participation in the PSI is voluntary. PSI partners encourage all states to publicly support the PSI, and to take the steps outlined in the principles, including steps in support of PSI operational activities. Support for the PSI is an acknowledgement of the need for stronger measures to stop proliferation through cooperation with other countries. ### The U.S. Coast Guard is a military, maritime, multi-mission service within the |
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