Marine Log - March 2009 - (Page 14) INSIDEWASHINGTON “Scan them all”: NOT going to happen I n her first hearing before Congress, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano told the House Committee on Homeland Security that DHS won’t meet its 2012 deadline for screening all cargo containers coming into the U.S. for radiological and nuclear materials. “To do 100% scanning requires lots of agreements” with other countries, Napolitano said in response to a question from Rep. Peter DeFazio, (D-Ore.), noting that “my initial review is that the 2012 deadline [for scanning] won’t be reached under the current state of the program.” Essentially, Napolitano was giving the Committee the same message as her Bush Administration predecessor. That’s not too surprising, seeing that she’s new in the job and has the same people feeding her information on the scanning program. However, even if she were to make “scan them all” her top priority, it’s unlikely she could give a different answer. Back in June 2008, Steven Caldwell, the GAO’s Director, Homeland Security and Justice, testified at a Senate hearing on cargo chain security. His testimony said that GAO had identified challenges in nine areas related to the continuation of the Secure Freight Initiative pilot program [set up to scan boxes at a number of foreign ports, using U.S. equipment, personnel and funding] and the longer-term 100% scanning requirement. These included workforce planning with more CBP officers needed to review and analyze data for participating sea- ports. Another problem: The legislation requiring 100% scanning doesn’t specify whether the United States would bear the costs of implementing it. Logistics are another challenge: Space constraints can require seaports to place scanning equipment miles from where cargo containers are stored, and some containers are only available for scanning for a short period of time and may be difficult to access. Environmental conditions can damage equipment and cause delays, and infrastructure capacity and equipment compatibility have presented difficulties in the SFI pilot program. Use and ownership of data: Legislation specifies that scan data should be available to CBP officials, but the data are often generated and collected by foreign seaports and, in some cases, will require international agreements for transfer to CBP officials. International partners state that 100% scanning is inconsistent with accepted risk management principles and diverts resources away from other security threats. Reciprocity and trade concerns: Foreign governments could call for reciprocity of 100% scanning, requiring the U.S. to scan cargo containers, and some view this requirement as a barrier to trade. Bottom line: It can’t be done. The question is whether Congress members will now see “scan every box” as a political slogan that has outlived its shelf life. 14 MARINE LOG MARCH 2009 www.marinelog.com http://www.marinelog.com
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