Homeland Security Lauds 2007 Achievements

The U.S. Homeland Security Department said yesterday that it produced significant achievements this year in protecting the country from the threat of weapons of mass destruction (see GSN, Oct. 22).

A five-page fact sheet on the agency’s 2007 efforts includes the following examples of WMD defense programs:

— All U.S.-bound shipping containers leaving Port Qasim in Pakistan, Port Cortes in Honduras and Port Southampton in the United Kingdom are scanned for radiological and nuclear materials (see GSN, Oct. 17).  Additional monitors are expected to be installed at ports in Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea and Oman.

— More than 1,000 radiation detectors have been installed at U.S. points of entry, scanning nearly all cargo containers passing through the northern and southern borders and more than 97 percent of vehicles at seaports.

— The Container Security Initiative cargo security program has grown to include 58 ports that handle 86 percent of sea-based containers heading toward the United States.

— Pilot programs are under way for radiation detection of small vessels at the Puget Sound in Washington state and for San Diego waterways.

— National security standards have been set to block theft of weaponizable chemicals and for preventing attacks on chemical facilities (see GSN, Nov. 2).  The agency’s Science and Technology Directorate also prepared an assessment of the potential impacts of chemical attacks.

The fact sheet also covers a variety of other security initiatives to protect the nation against “dangerous people,” to protect critical infrastructure, and to strengthen preparedness and emergency response systems (U.S. Homeland Security Department release I, Dec. 12).

This year “was, in fact, a year of tremendous progress and maturation for this department,” Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said in a speech yesterday.  “From border security and immigration enforcement to passenger screening, critical infrastructure protection and emergency response, we launched a number of important initiatives to strengthen our nation’s security and we begin to see the fruits of our labor in a number of areas” (U.S. Homeland Security Department release II, Dec. 12).

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