Some authors in Maritime Security point to the bombing of the "USS Cole" in 2000 as a pivotal moment of maritime terrorism. This bombing preceded the &lt;a href="September%2011%20attacks"&gt;9/11-attacks&lt;/a&gt; as an example of a direct and obviously malicious attack against a state by a non-state actor. The bombings also became crucial for private security companies: in the wake of the attack, Blackwater (now Academi) signed its first contract with US military. Terrorist non-state actors at sea have also been linked with pirates. NATO concluded in 2010 that terrorism could be linked with piracy and illegal fishing. This has been criticized however, by other authors, who believe a relation between pirates and terrorists bring no mutual benefits.