DHS Confirms It Will Delay 100% Screening of Incoming Cargo Containers
The Department of Homeland Security has decided to delay the effective date for 100-percent scanning of incoming maritime cargo containers for at least two years, as expected (see ITT's Online Archives 12060123), the department's top spokesman has confirmed. "Based on engagement with industry and foreign partners, as well as the results of several pilots, DHS has concluded that 100-percent scanning of incoming maritime cargo is neither the most efficient nor cost-effective approach to securing our global supply chain and has extended the implementation of the 100 percent scanning mandate as allowed by the SAFE Port Act," spokesman Matthew Chandler told us.
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DHS actually notified Congress May 2 of the decision, we're told. Congress, as long ago as the DHS FY 2010 Appropriations bill, agreed that "it has become increasingly clear that, at least for now, a 100 percent scanning goal is not feasible, and even if it were, would come at an unacceptably high cost monetarily and in the displacement of other efforts."
Chandler said DHS remains "committed to ensuring that all goods coming into the United States are secure and do not pose a threat to our citizens or national interests. Through robust partnerships with law enforcement, foreign governments, and industry, we are developing innovative solutions that will help maintain the efficient flow of legitimate commerce upon which our Nation's economy depends."
Chandler said DHS has focused "substantial attention and resources over the last several years" to securing goods transported in containers, and therefore has "strengthened our multi-layered security measures, more effectively securing and facilitating the large volume of goods arriving in the United States each year." DHS leveraged programs such as the Container Security Initiative (CSI) for the integrated scanning of high-risk containers, the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT), and the Importer Security Filing (often called "10+2") for the advance collection of manifest and import data to enhance targeting, he said, so "we are more secure than ever before."
DHS's layered and risk-based approach "provides that 100 percent of high risk containers are examined through a number of measures, including screening, scanning, physical inspection, or resolution by foreign authorities," Chandler said. "In addition, we have strengthened our automated targeting systems and enhanced the quality and timeliness of the commercial data upon which those systems rely."