W Ralph Basham News

Three luminaries will augment the speaker panel at the American Association of Port Authorities’ (AAPA) upcoming conference. U.S. Rep. Bill Shuster, the new chairman of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure; Lt. Gen. Thomas Bostick, commanding general of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; and W. Ralph Basham, a principle with Command Consulting Group in Washington, D.C., and former commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection and director of the U.S. Secret Service; will help round-out an already illustrious selection of speakers at the Washington DC conference, March 18-19, 2013. As part of AAPA’s Spring Conference program at The Renaissance Washington, DC Downtown Hotel, U.S. Other program speakers for this year’s event include U.S. Sen.

President Obama has appointed Alan Bersin Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Commissioner Bersin oversees the operations of CBP’s 57,000-employee work force and manages an operating budget of more than $11b. CBP’s mission is to protect the nation’s borders at and between the ports of entry from all threats while facilitating legitimate travel and trade. Commissioner Bersin is CBP’s third Commissioner following former Commissioner’s Robert C. Bonner and W. Ralph Basham. Former Commissioner Bonner was the first Commissioner at CBP’s inception March 1, 2003. CBP’s operational offices include the Office of Field Operations, the U.S. Border Patrol, the Office of Air and Marine and the Office of International Trade.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) published on January 2, 2008 a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) requiring importers and carriers to electronically submit additional information on cargo before it is brought into the United States by vessel. The Security Filing, also known as “10+2,” is another step in the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) strategy to better assess and identify high-risk shipments to prevent terrorist weapons and materials from entering the United States. “The Security Filing will improve CBP’s ability to target high-risk cargo by identifying actual cargo movements and improving the accuracy of cargo descriptions,” said CBP Commissioner W. Ralph Basham. This initiative strengthens cargo security by making CBP screening more efficient and effective.

On February 3, 2004, the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security of the House Committee on the Judiciary conducted an Oversight Hearing on Law Enforcement Efforts within the Department of Homeland Security. Chairman Howard Coble (R-NC) stated that the purpose of the hearing was to examine how the transfer of law enforcement agencies to the new Department has affected the non-terrorism missions of those agencies. Mr. W. Ralph Basham, Director, U.S. Secret Service, testified about how the agency’s traditional missions have merged with the new anti-terrorism mission. Admiral Thomas H. Collins, Commandant, U.S. Coast Guard, testified that the Coast Guard has always been a multi-mission organization and is adept at balancing competing priorities and creating synergies.

Coast Guard Commandant Admiral Thad Allen, U.S. Customs and Border Protection Deputy Commissioner Jayson Ahern, U.S. Navy Commander Submarine Group Trident, Rear Admiral Frank Drennan, and other dignitaries will be in attendance Wednesday at 10 a.m. for the Coast Guard Joint Harbor Operation Center (JHOC) ribbon cutting ceremony at Pier 36 here. The ceremony recognizes officially the operation of the JHOC. The JHOC is the home for Sector Seattle's Command Center, Communications Center and Vessel Traffic Center. The JHOC will be the premiere state-of-the-art maritime Command Center for the Pacific Northwest partnering Coast Guard with Navy…

containers destined for the U.S. Security Initiative (CSI). commerce," said Commissioner Basham. trade facilitation. for the United States. officials at the port of Algeciras began on July 30, 2004.