Coast Guard Launches Dedicated Office to Direct Maritime Cyber Policy
The U.S. Coast Guard has established the Office of Maritime Cybersecurity Policy (CG-MCP) to centralize domestic regulations and align international cyber standards across critical port infrastructure, strategic sealift assets, and commercial shipping networks.
The U.S. Coast Guard has officially stood up the Office of Maritime Cybersecurity Policy (CG-MCP), establishing a dedicated institutional focal point to govern domestic cyber policy and drive international standards alignment across the maritime domain. Operating within the Coast Guard’s broader regulatory and operational mandate, CG-MCP will codify cybersecurity frameworks, harmonize operational technology (OT) protocols with foreign partners, and address escalating cyber risks targeting critical port infrastructure, commercial shipping vessels, and maritime supply chains.
The creation of CG-MCP comes amid heightened threats from state-sponsored threat actors and extortion groups targeting maritime industrial control systems, shipboard automated networks, and automated container handling equipment. By centralizing policy development, the new office aims to eliminate regulatory ambiguity while bridging gaps between military authorities, civilian agencies—including CISA, MARAD, and the Department of Transportation—and commercial sector stakeholders. For port authorities, terminal operators, and maritime technology developers, CG-MCP’s policy outputs will directly shape future compliance mandates, compulsory incident reporting protocols, and cyber resilience baselines across the U.S. Marine Transportation System (MTS).
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