In September 2014, the United States became the 20th Contracting Party to the Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia (ReCAAP), to form the first regional government-to-government agreement dedicated to combating piracy and armed robbery against ships in Asia. The Information Sharing Center was established under the ReCAAP agreement, and its primary role is to facilitate information exchange through capacity building and cooperative arrangements among Contracting Parties and with maritime industry.