It has recently been announced that Europe's largest gathering of maritime surveillance and security professionals is set to feature representatives from the Italian Navy, Royal Navy, US Coast Guard, Columbian Navy, Beechcraft and Boeing.

Senior representatives from international navies, coast guards and governments will be speaking at the 12th Annual Maritime Reconnaissance and Surveillance congress, a two-day conference addressing the challenges which have emerged over the past 12 months, including illegal immigration, counter piracy, smuggling, drug interdiction operations and EEZ protection.

The conference, hosted by Defence IQ - a division of global events company IQPC - will be a unique opportunity for the global maritime community to discuss and debate the importance of future technologies such as unmanned systems and space-based observations, whilst sharing recent operational insights to jointly develop future capabilities.

Matthew Smith, conference director commented, “Since last year's hugely successful Maritime Reconnaissance and Surveillance event, it seems like the news has been dominated by stories involving maritime reconnaissance assets. From the search for MH370 to the continuing battle against illegal migration, navies and Coast Guards have never been as profiled or as challenged.

“2014's congress will offer the global community a unique opportunity to come together to address the issues which have emerged over the past 12 months, whilst debating the way ahead.”

The Maritime Reconnaissance and Surveillance 2014 will take place from 29th September to 1st October 2014 in Rome, Italy.

Current sponsors include Aerodata, Avigilon, Beechcraft, Boeing, Luciad, MDA, Raytheon, Selex, S&T Airborne Systems and Vista Research.

For more information, visit http://www.maritimerecon.com/.