(Journal of Commerce) National and homeland security expert Stephen E. Flynn last week continued to press members of Congress to increase funding for federal efforts to prevent terrorists from attacking the U.S. through the
maritime transportation system.
Appearing at a hearing before the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee's Coast Guard subcommittee, Flynn, a Senior Fellow with the National Security Studies Program
at the Council on Foreign Relations and former Commander in the United States Coast Guard, concurred with the 9/11 Commission report that the U.S. transportation system remains vulnerable to terrorist, a point he has
been making for years.
"As I have testified on eight occasions over the past three years, I believe maritime transportation is one of our nation's most serious vulnerabilities, and we are simply not doing
enough to respond to the terrorist threat to this critical sector," said Flynn, the Jeane F. Kirkpatrick senior fellow in national security studies at the Council on Foreign Relations.
Flynn's testimony
included numerous indictments of government programs, including budget shortfalls at the several components of the Department of Homeland Security. For example, Flynn said, the Coast Guard does not have enough personnel
to verify that all foreign vessels are complying with the International Ship and Port Facility Security Code.
He also faulted Customs and Border Protection for its training of foreign-based U.S. inspectors
working on the Container Security Initiative.
"The CSI is the centerpiece of the administration's efforts in this area," Flynn said, referring to cargo security. Although the program was
well-conceived, "inspectors are receiving no formal language or other training to prepare them for these overseas posting," he said. In addition, inspectors are able to inspect "only the tiniest of
percentages of containers."
Flynn also said the government has not devoted enough resources to the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism program. "Like CSI, the underlying logic of the program is
laudable. Unfortunately, CBP is not adequately staffed to even review the nearly 5,000 initial C-TPAT applications it has received."
Rear Adm. Larry Hereth, director of port security for the Coast Guard,
also testified at the hearing, as did two members of the Sept. 11 Commission. The commissioners also raised concerns about maritime transportation, especially the movement of cargo containers.
"It is
critical the Department of Homeland Security continue to improve efforts to collect good data on the origins and contents of containers," commissioners Jamie Gorelick and John Lehman said in prepared testimony. The
two also noted that the Coast Guard and Customs have not yet signed a memorandum of agreement establishing how the two agencies share their responsibilities and information for ensuring maritime security.
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