Revista Sextante

Assessing the Effectiveness of Maritime Surveillance Systems in Strengthening Coastal Defense Operations

Adrian Ellis Hartwell

Centre for Maritime Policy Studies, Bristol, United Kingdom

Keywords: Maritime surveillance, Coastal defense, Maritime domain awareness, Sensor integration, Operational effectiveness

Abstract

Maritime surveillance supports coastal defense by helping authorities detect vessels, interpret behavior, coordinate agencies, and direct timely responses. Its effectiveness, however, cannot be established from sensor coverage or equipment inventories alone. This conceptual review examines surveillance as a connected operational process in which sensing, identification, information fusion, human assessment, and response must function together. Selected public materials from the International Maritime Organization, European Maritime Safety Agency, IALA, NATO, and two maritime data research papers provide the documentary basis. The assessment considers coastal radar, cooperative reporting systems, satellite observations, remotely piloted aircraft, analytical tools, and the institutional arrangements that connect them. Nine discussion sections develop a framework covering operational objectives, complementary sensing, data integrity, decision support, interagency coordination, human performance, cyber resilience, evaluation methods, and sustainable implementation. An illustrative graph uses a transparent hypothetical probability model to demonstrate how weaknesses in later stages can limit the value of improved detection. The graph represents a conceptual example rather than measured defense outcomes. The central argument is that effective surveillance depends on the reliable conversion of observations into justified and timely action. Evaluation should therefore combine technical indicators with mission outcomes, workload, lawful information use, resilience, and lifecycle costs. The article proposes a practical research agenda for testing these relationships without assuming that civilian monitoring services automatically demonstrate military effectiveness.