Sponsored by AdvanFort: National Press Club inauguration of Piracy Daily: Maritime Security: Today's Victories and Tomorrow's Challenges

Keynote Speaker: Rear Admiral Terry McKnight, USN (Ret.), author of Pirate Alley: Commanding Task Force 151 off Somalia

WASHINGTON -- RADM (ret.) Terry McKnight, the first commander of multinational Task Force 151, and three other well-known maritime security experts will speak at the inaugural of Piracy Daily, a new online Web site and bi-weekly bulletin highlighting key stories and interviews focusing on piracy issues worldwide.

The event, focusing on "Maritime Security: Today's Victories and Tomorrow's Challenges," will be held on Tuesday, January 8, 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m., at the Murrow Room of the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.

AdvanFort, a recognized leader in global maritime security solutions, is the sponsor of the conference, which will include a one-hour discussion by McKnight and the three other panelists, as well as a subsequent 30-minute question-and-answer period.

In addition to McKnight, the confirmed featured participants are:

• Charles N. Dragonette, a recently-retired senior advisor on piracy at the U.S. Office of Naval Intelligence.
• John A. C. Cartner, the designated Proctor in Admiralty by the Maritime Law Association of the United States, a member of other state maritime law associations, and the principal author, with Richard P. Fiske and Tara L. Leiter, of The International Law of the Shipmaster (800 pp., 2009, Lloyd's of London Press/Informa).
• William (Will) Watson, vice president of government affairs and governor with the Maritime Security Council, where he represents the Maritime Industry on the National Council of ISACs (Information Sharing & Analysis Centers), and the president of AdvanFort.

In addition, McKnight will be available to sign copies of Pirate Alley, which one critic noted is: "a frank, no-holds-barred examination of Somali piracy from the perspective of an insider tasked with fighting this scourge. ... [one that] provides a wealth of information not readily found in other books on this topic." (http://www.cindyvallar.com/piratealley.html)

International and national reporters, including wire services, are among those invited to attend the event.