Excerpt from "National Defense Magazine"

Small boats have been used by terrorists to carry out attacks around the world and they are likely to be employed as weapons in U.S. waterways, the government has recently warned.

Officials believe small vessels — defined as those less than 300 gross tons — are a potential threat because they are easy to obtain and there are few defenses in place to stop them from being used as a platform to launch an attack.

“We are very concerned about people doing harm with small vessels because we have breaches every week,” said Dana Goward, director of Coast Guard maritime domain awareness. An estimated 14 unidentified boats reach U.S. shores each week.

DHS and the Coast Guard have put the spotlight on the possibility of such an attack, emphasizing the need to protect U.S. waterways. But despite efforts to create new security measures, officials are failing to garner the support of small boat owners and operators because of the lack of a clear, cohesive plan.

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