04-13-2009, 03:29 AM
MMA security expert a focus in hostage crisis
By Aaron Gouveia,agouveia@capecodonline.com , April 12, 2009 6:00 AM
BUZZARDS BAY — When Somali pirates attacked a U.S.-flagged ship and took two Massachusetts Maritime Academy graduates hostage, the small college was thrust into the international spotlight. And Paul Kelly along with it.
Kelly, 64, is an Orleans resident who serves on the board of trustees at the maritime academy. But while his dedication to the college is noteworthy, it is not the reason he was in front of the cameras. That would be Kelly's status as an antiterrorism expert and the 24 years he spent in the Secret Service.
"The Secret Service is in the business of risk management but their methodology is not unique to that arena," Kelly said. "It's very applicable to the shipping business and that's what we're teaching here at Mass. Maritime."
Kelly makes the 90-mile round trip trek to the state school twice a week. In addition to lecturing in several classes and teaching firearms safety to cadets in an effort to ward off pirate attacks at sea, Kelly is also responsible for the handful of Chinese cadets currently studying at the maritime academy.
Kelly is fluent in Chinese Mandarin.
"They're keeping me young," Kelly said of all the students at the college.
Kelly retired from the Secret Service in 1996 as the assistant special agent in charge of the White House, then started a private security consulting firm supplying risk management and security strategies for public and private customers.
He has been involved in security details for the World Cup, the Olympic games in Turin, Italy, and the recent Olympic games in Beijing, China.
Although he had no affiliation with the college prior to 2006, he has grown extremely attached to the school.
Adm. Richard Gurnon, president of the college, said Kelly is an invaluable member of the maritime academy community.
"This is a guy who's guarded everyone from the pope to the president," Gurnon said. "He keeps a cool head, has a lot of experience to share, and is completely supportive of our efforts."
Kelly is passing his knowledge on to cadets through programs such as the new emergency management major, as well as an anti-piracy course that includes firearms training.
Kelly said one of the largest employers of the maritime academy's graduates is the Military Sealift Command, made up of naval support vessels that ferry military supplies overseas to places such as Iraq and Afghanistan. Because those vessels often travel through pirate-infested waters, Military Sealift Command employees must be certified in small arms proficiency, Kelly said.
"We're trying to prepare our graduates to meet any challenge they might be faced with, and piracy is one of them," Kelly said. "We're giving them a head start."
With proper training, risk management and enhanced international cooperation, Kelly hopes the global community will crack down on piracy in the near future.
Ships such as the Maersk Alabama are not allowed to have weapons stored onboard because each port in each country has different policies regarding weapons, Kelly said. Until merchant vessels are armed or other measures are taken to bolster their security, Massachusetts Maritime Academy graduates serving on the high seas will be prepared, he said.
"The answer is surely a middle-ground approach," he said. "We may end up getting more help from the military, but we're also asking to be able to defend ourselves."
Paul Kelly
Brown University, political science degree
Served as 2nd lieutenant in the U.S. Marine Corps in 1967
Awarded the Bronze Star, two Purple Hearts and the Cross of Gallantry in Vietnam while serving with the 3rd Force Reconnaissance Company
Joined Secret Service in 1972
Member of the National Security Agency's National Cryptologic School
Keynote speaker at the Department of Defense's Worldwide Antiterrorism Conference, 1995
Retired from Secret Service in 1996 as the assistant special agent in charge of the White House
By Aaron Gouveia,agouveia@capecodonline.com , April 12, 2009 6:00 AM
BUZZARDS BAY — When Somali pirates attacked a U.S.-flagged ship and took two Massachusetts Maritime Academy graduates hostage, the small college was thrust into the international spotlight. And Paul Kelly along with it.
Kelly, 64, is an Orleans resident who serves on the board of trustees at the maritime academy. But while his dedication to the college is noteworthy, it is not the reason he was in front of the cameras. That would be Kelly's status as an antiterrorism expert and the 24 years he spent in the Secret Service.
"The Secret Service is in the business of risk management but their methodology is not unique to that arena," Kelly said. "It's very applicable to the shipping business and that's what we're teaching here at Mass. Maritime."
Kelly makes the 90-mile round trip trek to the state school twice a week. In addition to lecturing in several classes and teaching firearms safety to cadets in an effort to ward off pirate attacks at sea, Kelly is also responsible for the handful of Chinese cadets currently studying at the maritime academy.
Kelly is fluent in Chinese Mandarin.
"They're keeping me young," Kelly said of all the students at the college.
Kelly retired from the Secret Service in 1996 as the assistant special agent in charge of the White House, then started a private security consulting firm supplying risk management and security strategies for public and private customers.
He has been involved in security details for the World Cup, the Olympic games in Turin, Italy, and the recent Olympic games in Beijing, China.
Although he had no affiliation with the college prior to 2006, he has grown extremely attached to the school.
Adm. Richard Gurnon, president of the college, said Kelly is an invaluable member of the maritime academy community.
"This is a guy who's guarded everyone from the pope to the president," Gurnon said. "He keeps a cool head, has a lot of experience to share, and is completely supportive of our efforts."
Kelly is passing his knowledge on to cadets through programs such as the new emergency management major, as well as an anti-piracy course that includes firearms training.
Kelly said one of the largest employers of the maritime academy's graduates is the Military Sealift Command, made up of naval support vessels that ferry military supplies overseas to places such as Iraq and Afghanistan. Because those vessels often travel through pirate-infested waters, Military Sealift Command employees must be certified in small arms proficiency, Kelly said.
"We're trying to prepare our graduates to meet any challenge they might be faced with, and piracy is one of them," Kelly said. "We're giving them a head start."
With proper training, risk management and enhanced international cooperation, Kelly hopes the global community will crack down on piracy in the near future.
Ships such as the Maersk Alabama are not allowed to have weapons stored onboard because each port in each country has different policies regarding weapons, Kelly said. Until merchant vessels are armed or other measures are taken to bolster their security, Massachusetts Maritime Academy graduates serving on the high seas will be prepared, he said.
"The answer is surely a middle-ground approach," he said. "We may end up getting more help from the military, but we're also asking to be able to defend ourselves."
Paul Kelly
Brown University, political science degree
Served as 2nd lieutenant in the U.S. Marine Corps in 1967
Awarded the Bronze Star, two Purple Hearts and the Cross of Gallantry in Vietnam while serving with the 3rd Force Reconnaissance Company
Joined Secret Service in 1972
Member of the National Security Agency's National Cryptologic School
Keynote speaker at the Department of Defense's Worldwide Antiterrorism Conference, 1995
Retired from Secret Service in 1996 as the assistant special agent in charge of the White House