Assessment of the adequacy of the BMP maritime security (2025) guidelines

Maritime security in the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, and the Northwest Indian Ocean has undergone significant transformation in the past five years. The shift from traditional piracy to complex attack scenarios involving UAVs, WBIEDs, ASMs, and digital interferences (GNSS spoofing, disinformation) necessitates a new operational doctrine. This study compares BMP-5 (2018) with BMP MS (2025), assessing the adequacy of the updated guidelines considering the threat landscape as defined in the MISTO report (https://www.maritimeglobalsecurity.org/media/hjcjxkcn/2025-03-31-misto-final.pdf). The analysis encompasses technical and organisational countermeasures, with emphasis on citadel reinforcement, UAV/ASM mitigation, SEV utilisation, and crew psychological preparedness. It concludes that although BMP MS (2025) represents a significant step forward, further support via policy development and technological integration is required to ensure complete ship protection in modern hybrid naval threat environments.