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Homeland Security Issues Draft Cargo Security Plan
The U.S. Homeland Security Department yesterday released a draft cargo security strategy, citing interception of weapons of mass destruction as its prime objective, the Associated Press reported (see GSN, Dec. 16). While the draft plan acknowledges that U.S. intelligence has found little evidence to suggest that terrorists are planning to ship unconventional weapons from overseas, the prevalence of smuggling and the consequences of a potential WMD attack led the department to conclude more must be done to safeguard shipping. Crucial to that effort under the plan will be quickly installing more sophisticated sensors at U.S. ports, airports and border crossings, identifying high-risk cargo and ensuring that tampering does not occur to containers entering the United States, AP reported. Departing Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge acknowledged the difficulty of protecting a system in which shipments change hands constantly as they are moved on various modes of transportation around the world. “We need to set standards, we need to identify best practices, and we need to call upon the companies and the individuals responsible for cargo security to help us develop that strategy,” Ridge said. “It’s absolutely critical to the parents who must have that Dancing Elmo doll delivered in time for Christmas,” he said. Due to confusion within the department — particularly among Customs and Border Protection, the Transportation Security Administration, and the Coast Guard — only ad-hoc measures have been adopted to protect cargo shipping, Ridge said. “During the two years since DHS was established, this has frequently led to questions of “who’s in charge?’” the draft strategy says. Deputy Homeland Security Secretary James Loy acknowledged the delay. “This session is already a year late,” he said yesterday during a meeting in northern Virginia of government and business representatives on cargo security (Leslie Miller, Associated Press/Boston Globe, Dec. 16).
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