The sale of facilities at six U.S ports by a
British-based company to Dubai World Ports, a government-owned
company in the United Arab Emirates, has raised concerns among many
in the homeland security community. These concerns reflect the
importance of the maritime domain, which cannot be overestimated.
Almost one-third of the U.S. Gross Domestic Product is derived from
trade, and ninety-five percent of American overseas trade traffics
the maritime domain. According to the American Association of Port
Authorities, $1.3 billion worth of U.S. goods move in and out of
U.S. ports every day. In addition, many major urban centers
(comprising upwards of half the U.S. population) and significant
critical infrastructure are in proximity to U.S. ports or
accessible by waterways. Heritage research has long focused on
developing security solutions that make Americans safer, make the
best use of our tax dollars, and ensure that the United States will
remain economically competitive in the 21st century. Nowhere are
these goals more important to pursue simultaneously than in port
security.
Security
and the Sale of Port Facilities: Facts and Recommendations
by James
Jay Carafano, Ph.D., and Alane Kochems
February
22, 2006
Because Congress
has not taken the opportunity to review the CFIUS procedure since
its implementation in 1988, it should take 45 days to review the
Dubai World Ports deal. The country needs confidence in the
procedures meant to ensure that foreign investment does not harm
national security, and this reasonable delay for review is the way
to provide it.
GreenLane
Maritime Cargo Security Act: A Good First Attempt
by Alane
Kochems
January
26, 2006
The GreenLane
Maritime Cargo Security Act (S. 2008), recently introduced by
Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Patty Murray (D-WA), has numerous
laudable objectives. These include increasing security for cargo
and seaports, minimizing closures of U.S. seaports in case of an
accident or attack, providing layered security in the supply
chain, "pushing out" U.S. borders, and focusing resources on
suspect cargo. However, the legislation as written also
contains provisions that should be removed or modified.
Countdown
to 9/11: Five Fixes for Homeland Security by the Fifth Anniversary
of the Attacks
by James
Jay Carafano, Ph.D.
January
23, 2006
If deadly cargo such as a nuclear bomb or a
biological agent reaches American shores, it will be too late.
Maritime security means preventing dangerous cargo from ever
entering a U.S. port, and this is the domain of the U.S. Coast
Guard. Yet the Coast Guard's modernization program is seriously
underfunded.
Taking
a Global Approach to Maritime Security
by Alane
Kochems
September 22, 2005
As a matter of common sense, the United
States should not attempt to make every cargo container and port
into a miniature Fort Knox. Securing trade requires a more
comprehensive and effective approach than just putting up
fences and gates, posting guards at ports, and inspecting all cargo
containers as they enter the country.
The
Future of the Coast Guard: A View From the Top
by Jack
Spencer
August
11, 2005
In the past, as
in World War II, the Coast Guard dedicated a large portion of its
operational assets to the protection of America's ports, with a
port security component larger than today's entire Guard. However,
as the end of the 20th century approached, assets dedicated to port
and coastal security fell to two percent of the Coast Guard's
operational force.
The Specter of Pork Barrel Homeland Security
by Keith
Miller and James Jay Carafano, Ph.D.
April 8,
2005
An in-house
review of the port security grant program questioned the merits of
several hundred port security projects. In general, rural,
less-populated areas continue to receive a disproportionate amount
of funding.
Making
the Sea Safer: A National Agenda for Maritime Security and
Counterterrorism by James Jay Carafano, Ph.D., and Alane
Kochems
February 17,
2005
(Special Report
#03)
The United
States must develop a "system of systems" maritime architecture
with strong domestic and foreign components, as well as
public-private sector partnerships.
Homeland Security Dollars and Sense #2: Misplaced Maritime
Priorities
by James
Jay Carafano, Ph.D.
February
2, 2005
Maritime
commerce is essential to America's economic vitality. Most goods
that enter and leave our shores travel by sea. But this economic
lifeline also offers terrorists vast opportunities to exploit or
attack ships, ports, and waterways. Nowhere should the need for
strategic spending be more apparent. Yet, nowhere is it more
apparent that Congress has failed to target spending where it could
provide the most security.
Homeland
Security and Emerging Economies
by James
Jay Carafano, Ph.D., and Ha Nguyen
September 14, 2004
Good security
costs money. The International Shipping and Port Security (ISPS)
code offer a case in point. Established by the International
Maritime Organization (IMO) in the wake of 9/11, the ISPS code
mandates new, unprecedented measures for securing commercial
shipping. The ISPS code requires commercial ships to carry an
automatic identification system so that their location can be
plotted at any moment in the event of an onboard emergency.
Protectionism
Compromises America's Homeland Security by James Jay Carafano,
Ph.D., Tim Kane, Ph.D., Dan Mitchell, Ph.D., and Ha Nguyen
July 9, 2004
Applying
protectionist policies to homeland security would stifle innovation
and increase costs
Before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and
Transportation
by James
Jay Carafano, Ph.D.
March
24, 2004
"Another issue
that might be addressed is the requirement for Deepwater systems to
provide security on the waterside of the ports. Most security plans
acknowledge that security on the landside of port facilities is the
responsibility of the port. There is often, however, an assumption
that security of the water around the port should be the
responsibility of the U.S. Coast Guard."
U.S. Foreign Assistance After September 11: Major Changes,
Competing Purposes, and Different Standards-But Is There an Overall
Strategy?
by Marc
A. Miles, Ph.D.
February
26, 2004
The International Maritime Organization's
International Shipping and Port Security (ISPS) code requires that
ports implement specific security measures by July 2004. The
consequence of not meeting this deadline is alienation from trade
until the country fulfills security demands. While these new
security regulations attempt to address serious vulnerabilities of
maritime commerce, emerging countries find themselves scrambling
for financial resources to support security rules, for the
consequence of not meeting the deadline could be devastating to a
small economy.
The APEC Forum: Time to Make a Difference
by Dana
R. Dillon, Balbina Y. Hwang, John J. Tkacik, Jr., James Jay
Carafano, Ph.D., and Sara J. Fitzgerald
October
10, 2003
Inspecting the millions of containers that
transit the Pacific Ocean every day would be a virtually impossible
task. The United States has developed a strategy that focuses
inspections on "high-risk" cargo from less reputable shippers or
persons with suspected terrorist links. The objective of the U.S.
approach is to investigate containers at the port of origin,
interdicting threats long before they reach their intended
destination and removing dangers not only to the intended target,
but also to intervening ports of call.
The
Role of the Coast Guard in Homeland Security
by
Admiral James M. Loy
December 21,
2001
Maritime
industries contribute over $1 trillion annually to the gross
domestic product. Over 95 percent of our commerce is carried on
through the seaports. We have about 95,000 miles of coastline in
this country, and 3.5 million square miles of EEZ (exclusive
economic zone). More than 7,500 ships and 200,000 sailors make
51,000 port calls every year in the United States. And those ships
carry 6.5 million passengers, 1 billion tons of petroleum, and 6
million containers a year--that's 16,000 a day.