A Primer on the Nonproliferation Regime for Maritime Security Operations Forces

Abstract:     
This article provides an overview of the nonproliferation regime relevant to naval maritime security operations, to alert the reader to shortfalls in that regime that might frustrate at-sea efforts to interdict shipments of weapons of mass destruction (WMD). It begins with a general description of the international approach to combating proliferation of WMD and then examines the individual regimes for nuclear weapons, chemical weapons, biological-toxin weapons and WMD delivery systems, such as missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles. It then traces the development of several resolutions by the UN Security Council that target global terrorism and WMD proliferation. The article does not address maritime operations in support of Security Council resolutions imposing economic sanctions on a particular nation, nor does it address the war time doctrines of neutrality, visit and search for contraband or blockade. The article concludes that while the global nonproliferation regime has progressively developed over the past several decades, it remains incomplete.

Number of Pages in PDF File: 41

Keywords: proliferation, proliferation security initiative, maritime security operations

JEL Classification: K33

Accepted Paper Series