Since then in the United States many officials have come 
    to regard the ocean with grave concern, believing that a 
    full-blown maritime attack would make September 11 seem 
    puny by comparison, that such an attack currently poses 
    the most serious threat to national security, and that 
    when the attack comes, it will involve the use of merchant
    ships. They may well be right. Ships can deliver a big 
    punch, and their importance to world commerce practically 
    ensures that in the reactions that follow, major self-
    inflicted damage will be done.