Editor's Note
Land Ho!
IT'S nice to see the departments of Homeland Security and Energy
working together, implementing the Secure Freight Initiative. This is
an unprecedented effort by both agencies to build on an existing port
security plan. It enhances the government's ability to scan containers
for nuclear and radiological materials overseas, as well as providing a
better opportunity to assess the risk of inbound containers.
The Secure Freight Initiative comes with the endorsement of numerous
terminal operators, ocean carriers and shippers, all of whom have
pledged to support the effort at facilities in operation overseas.
Ninety percent of the world's trade occurs via container cargo shipped
in and out of seaports. Obviously, if left unprotected, the world's
largest and busiest seaports could be used by terrorists to smuggle or
traffic nuclear material.
This initiative is the first right step in port security. The
government needs to push the initiative further, obtaining information
about the global supply chain for goods that come into the country. In
setting this initiative into play, port security becomes a high
priority. And a great sense of urgency is placed on the initiative to
prevent a nuclear weapon or dirty bomb attack in the United States.
Since this is the first phase of the initiative, there is more to
come. However, the initial phase involves the deployment of a
combination of existing technology and proven nuclear detection from
six ports outside the United States. These ports include Port Qasim in
Pakistan; Puerto Cortes in Honduras; Southampton in the United Kingdom;
Port Salalah in Oman; the Port of Singapore; and the Gamman Terminal in
Port Busan in Korea. The Hong Kong government also is actively
considering SFI. Earlier this year, containers from these ports were
scanned for radiation and information risk factors before being shipped
to the United States.
If there is a detection alarm, homeland security workers and host country officials will receive the alert simultaneously.
In remarks offered by Ambassador Linton F. Brooks, the under
secretary for Nuclear Security and administrator of DOE's National
Nuclear Security Administration, the first phase of the Secure Freight
Initiative means the United States will work with foreign partners to
integrate data generated by U.S. detection equipment with images from
X-ray and gamma ray container scanners. This equipment is provided by
Homeland Security.
"With this integrated data set available, host country and U.S.
customs officers will now be able to identify containers that may pose
a threat before they are loaded on vessels bound for the United States.
And the overall security of the international container transport
system will be enhanced," Brooks said.
In the immediate post-9/11 environment, there has been strong
support for the fight against nuclear terrorism, involving all elements
of the government. NNSA manages the Energy Department's participation
in this project and its nonproliferation mission to keep the world's
most dangerous materials out of the hands of the world's most dangerous
people. NNSA, and agencies before it, have worked with Russia and other
former states of the Soviet Union to improve security of nuclear
weapons and radiological materials.
"The United States has helped secure 80 percent of the nuclear
storage sites in Russia and the former Soviet Republics, and work is
now underway at the remaining sites. These efforts have effectively put
raw material that could have been used to make thousands of nuclear
weapons beyond the reach of terrorists," Brooks said.
This initiative isn't done on the cheap, however. The cost to both
federal departments is $30 million each to fund radiography equipment,
as well as the installation of radiation portal monitors. NNSA will
take the lead to integrate the data from equipment for use in-country,
and Homeland Security has the responsibility for the installation of
necessary communications infrastructures to transmit the data to the
United States. DHS also will work with the host governments during the
alarm resolution process.
Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman has it right when he said improving
port security worldwide helps to improve security right here at home.
"Through the Security Freight partnership with the Department of
Homeland Security, we will be able to screen more cargo than ever
before using the advanced detection technology, and be in a better
position to prevent nuclear materials or devices from being smuggled
into the United States or partner countries," Bodman said.
One of the biggest worries in the past with the amount of cargo that
has been screened, and this initiative only makes sense. Data gathered
on containers bound for the United States in foreign ports
participating in SFI will be transmitted in near real time to Customs
and Border Protection officers working in overseas ports, as well as to
the DHS National Targeting Center. This data, as well as available risk
assessment information, such as currently required manifest
submissions, will improve risk analysis, targeting and scrutiny of
high-risk containers overseas.
All alarms from radiation detection equipment for any container will
be resolved locally, as is currently the case under DOE's Megaports
Initiative. The initiative has three main objectives for deterring
terrorists from using the world's seaports to ship illicit materials,
detect nuclear or radioactive materials if shipped via sea cargo, and
interdicting harmful material before it is used against the United
States or one of its allies.
SFI will work well because it builds upon a risk-based approach to
secure the international supply chain by leveraging program like the
Megaports Initiative. This works because foreign governments install
specialized radiation detection equipment in order to deter, detect and
interdict illicit shipments of nuclear and radioactive materials.
These initiatives, along with increased CBP and Coast Guard
personnel, resources and assets, as well as the creation of the
Domestic Nuclear Detection Office, have increased a layered defense
overseas and substantially increased security at U.S. ports since 9/11.
This article originally appeared in the February 2007 issue of Security Products, pg. 6.