William Hughes Watson is Founder and Managing Director of William Watson Group, LLC (WatsonGroup) in Washington, DC – A boutique consultancy dealing in Government Affairs, Security and Maritime Issues. He is also Vice President – Government Affairs for the Maritime Security Council and, in that role, he also serves as Director of the Maritime Information Sharing & Analysis Center (Maritime ISAC) / Maritime Representative to the National Council of ISACS. WatsonGroup) is a veteran-owned, limited liability company based in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Through this unique entity, Mr. Watson teams with colleagues, experts and specialists to solve client problems and advance client goals. Mr. Watson and his team specializes in maritime security, safety, environmental regulations and compliance with various international conventions – including the International Ship and Port Facility Security Code (ISPS) and with compliance with various standards under the International Standards Organization (ISO). Additional areas of expertise include flag State, port State and coastal State security and safety regulatory structures; counter piracy and counter terrorism protocols and cyber security strategies. Clients include government agencies (including agencies in the intelligence community), corporate entities (foreign and domestic), non-profit organizations and individuals. Over his diverse and expansive career, Mr. Watson has worked as an investigative journalist, editor or managing editor at five East Coast daily newspapers and as a senior editor at the pre-eminent international maritime weekly magazine (where he covered flag States, security and piracy / terrorism / crime issues); he has worked in flag State management, including dealing with security issues, regulatory affairs and casualty investigation (including the DEEPWATER HORIZON disaster); He has served as a delegate to both the United Nations and to the International Maritime Organization (IMO) where he served on the committee that drafted the ISPS code.; He has served as a senior executive in two international security firms and as a senior consultant to two others, all of which conducted numerous ISPS compliance audits at ports and terminals in the Americas, Africa, Asia and the Middle East. Mr. Watson has worked in most of the 50 United States, in Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Africa. Additionally, Mr. Watson has consulted on container design and security as well as the repurposing of containers for a variety uses. Mr. Watson serves on the Advisory Board to America’s Ports Caucus Institute, which advises Congress on port and terminal related issues. I this role, his primary area of expertise is maritime security. He represents yacht crew and recreational boaters on the Administrative Board of the Apostleship of the Sea of the United States of America (AOS-USA), serves on the Advisory Board of both the National and International Maritime Law Enforcement Academies and served on the Industry Advisory Group to the Security Association for the Maritime Industry (SAMI). He is an active member of the Council of American Master Mariners and DACOR (Diplomats and Consular Officers - Retired). Mr. Watson served as Chairman of the Maritime Security and Surveillance Conference in Abu Dhabi, UAE; as keynote speaker at the Qatar Maritime Security Conference (QMARSEC); as commercial maritime subject matter expert / speaker at the Global Maritime Forum Workshop in Venice co-hosted by the U.S. and Italian Navies; as featured keynote speaker at the Council of American Master Mariners Annual General Meeting banquet; was a lecturer at the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) in-service training program in Quantico and at the Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI) training program at MITAGS; and at numerous other conferences and meetings. Mr. Watson served in and was honorably discharged from the U.S. Air Force Reserve and the South Carolina Air National Guard. He was awarded the Air Reserve Forces Meritorious Service decoration and the Palmetto Service decoration. Mr. Watson still serves in the American Legion, the Air Force Association and the Non-Commissioned Officers Association. Mr. Watson is an alumnus of the University of South Carolina and has lectured at American University in Washington, DC. and at the International Maritime Law Institute on Malta. He is a Certified Company and Vessel Security Officer. He is a Master Mason and a 32nd Degree Scottish Rite Mason; He is a 4th Degree Knight of Columbus.