Homeland Security seeks industry input on cargo security plan

The Homeland Security Department on Thursday called on the cargo industry to help develop a national strategy to ensure the protection of America's supply chain.

"This is a job beyond the scope of one federal department," Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge told a group of U.S. owners and operators of cargo and distribution companies. The job also will require the collective efforts of the private sector, local governments and the international community to protect America's economic security, he said.

To begin the push for the strategy, Ridge presented a working paper to cargo industry stakeholders during the first of a two-day meeting hosted by the Homeland Security Institute, which provides systems and technological analyses to the department.

"We want you to vet, modify and alter" the draft paper, he said. "We are looking to you to play an active role" in developing standards and "best practices" for a national strategy.

More than 20,000 containers enter the United States daily, Ridge said, and jurisdictions in the distribution process overlap. Some jurisdictions are beyond U.S. legal control, he said.

"No one can expect a 100 percent secure cargo regime," said Randall Yim, director of the institute. But the mission of the department is to inspect 100 percent of cargo identified as high-risk. "People are entitled to expect that the government do its very best."

In securing incoming cargo, the department recommends that U.S. customs officials create a multilateral information-sharing system with its foreign trading partners and establish international standards for security, data and system architectures.

The majority of cargo, some 9 million containers, enters the United States by water. The department requires 24 hours notice before any U.S.-bound cargo is loaded onto a vessel. An international shipping and port security code, called an ISPS, also has been adopted to enhance maritime security. The code assesses threats, enables data collection and sharing, and imposes training requirements.

Technology tools also are needed to secure cargo, Ridge said. Advanced X-ray and radiation screening equipment and high-security seals and sensors already are in place, he said, but even with technology, vulnerabilities remain.

The white paper identifies deficiencies in data collection, analysis and reporting. Unauthorized access to computer systems could expose computer systems to hackers, intercepted e-mails and shipment details, the paper said. The department urges the federal government to work with the private sector to leverage its capabilities in data collection and analysis.

"With every step we take to enhance security throughout the cargo-shipping process," Ridge said, "we are mindful that security measures must not stifle the free flow of commerce and goods that drive the economies of the world."

Ridge said a disruption in shipping could have dire consequences on small-business owners, construction companies and retailers, and the economic viability of the country.

"We need partners who will take an active, forward-leaning view at all times," he said. "We will have to work with you in the end to implement" the national strategy.