National Targeting Center News

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.

Thank you for that introduction; it is a pleasure to be with you again for this important conference. One year ago, we all met like this in Nashville and I joked that I might try to get a gig on Nashville Star, singing some cheesy country song about testifying on Capitol Hill. It’s too bad the TV show CSI isn’t actually filmed here in Vegas. With this group in town, we could do an episode that highlights the Cargo Security Initiative – call it CSI on CSI. When I actually got around to saying something of substance last year, I spoke a bit about the “complacency gene” that we all have – the tendency to default into a careless loss of focus. Well, I bet if those CSI folks ran some tests, they would still find evidence that it exists.

As new international and domestic regulations regarding shipping security enter force, the focus is not simply on security, but also on maintaining a healthy flow of commerce to keep the U.S. and world economy humming. U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge recently announced the implementation of new security measures designed to build upon the layers of security that are already in place at the nation's ports. The new measures, required by the Maritime Transportation Security Act, add additional security protections to every port in the United States. Port and vessel protection continues to remain one of the Department of Homeland Security's highest priorities.

U.S. Customes and Border Protection issues a release to try and dispel what it calls common myths regarding container inspection. 95-percent of the containers that come into the ports are not inspected. · The 95-percent figure is misleading and falsely implies that we do nothing to inspect cargo containers arriving at our seaports. We use intelligence to review information on 100 % of cargo entering our ports, and all cargo that presents a risk to our country is inspected using large x-ray and radiation detection equipment. · Following 9/11, the Administration developed and implemented a smarter strategy to identify, target, and inspect cargo containers before they reach U.S. ports.

Southampton Container Terminals, United Kingdom, Port Qasim, Pakistan (both managed by DP World) and Puerto Cortez, Honduras will become the first seaports to implement the Secure Freight Initiative (SFI) beginning October 12 by scanning all maritime containers destined for the U.S. for nuclear or other radiological materials. These ports fulfill the requirements set out in the Security and Accountability For Every (SAFE) Port Act of 2006, which establishes a program that couples Non-Intrusive Inspection (NII) and radiation detection technology. Data from these systems is then provided to U.S. officials at U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s National Targeting Center for analysis.