Maritime security exercise to begin in Jacksonville
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -Agency and industry partners are conducting a full-scale maritime security exercise Tuesday and Wednesday in the ports of Jacksonville and Port Canaveral, Fla.
The exercise, named Operation Argus, is part of the Northeastern and Eastern Central Florida Area Maritime Security Plan, which is a required and critical step in protecting the port and marine transportation systems. The Northeast and Eastern Central Florida Maritime Security Committee developed the exercise plan and will facilitate the exercise.
Operation Argus will emphasize prevention, preparedness for response, crisis management and recovery, resource management, and information sharing during a simulated security incident in the ports of Jacksonville and Port Canaveral. The exercise will test and hone the response capability of decision makers in the private sector, MTSA-regulated entities, and law enforcement officials and emergency responders at the federal, state, and local levels.
The Coast Guard, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, FBI, JAXPORT, the Canaveral Port Authority, the Jacksonville Sherriff’s Office, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and numerous maritime cargo facilities are some of the port stakeholders that will participate in Operation Argus.
