Focus Should Remain on High-Risk Detection, Not 100% Scanning, Says McAleenan
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is inspecting all high-risk containers prior to admission into U.S. commerce, but work continues to identify potentially dangerous cargo at the earliest possible time, said witnesses at a June 4 Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee hearing on U.S. port security. The sharpening of risk-based mechanisms to assess high-risk cargo, such as the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism and Importer Security Filing, is a more effective security measure than the recently delayed congressional mandate to scan 100 percent of inbound cargo across the board, added Kevin McAleenan, acting CBP deputy commissioner.
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DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson recently delayed implementation of the 100 percent screening mandate because it's economically and practically infeasible, but pledged to increase the amount of total cargo scanned (see 14060233). Committee lawmakers expressed support for the delay. “If that is the case, we must look for a better way to address security risks while preserving the necessary speed of moving containers through the ports,” said Committee Chairman Tom Carper, D-Del., during the hearing. “So I welcome the secretary’s pledge to make a good faith effort to improve the Department’s capabilities, without getting in the way of the legitimate flow of trade.”
The 58 foreign ports affiliated with the Container Security Initiative are also inspecting more than 80 percent of total cargo bound for the U.S., said McAleenan. Twelve of those ports are no longer deemed high-risk, however, said Stephen Caldwell, director for homeland security and justice issues at the Government Accountability Office, adding that there are impending changes to U.S. CSI relationships with specific ports. Caldwell declined to disclose details on which ports may be added or dropped from CSI.
The U.S. is also scanning 98 percent of cargo at U.S. ports with radiation technology, said McAleenan, although Congress and the White House could improve port security by providing DHS agencies with additional radiation resources. “We need to be able to dial the algorithms so they’re very sensitive for the threat materials we’re worried about, but they reduce the naturally occurring radiological material alarms that we face on normal commodities, like bananas, for instance, and granite and other things that do hit on our radiation portal monitors,” said McAleenan. “We don’t want to waste time on those alarms. We want to focus on what could potentially be dangerous material.”
U.S. ports continue to work with CBP to conduct radiological scanning on cargo to prevent nuclear and other radiological devices from entering the U.S., but CBP lacks a plan to replace outdated radiology equipment, said the American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA) in testimony submitted to the committee (here). CBP has reached out to ports and terminal operators asking them to pay for these expensive systems,” said the AAPA testimony. “AAPA believes strongly that ports and terminal operators should not be required to fund this security program, initiated by the federal government in order to secure international borders.” -- Brian Dabbs