The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee has posted the public version of U.S. Customs and Border Protection's report to Congress on its 18-month Secure Freight Initiative (SFI) International Container Security (100% scanning) pilot program1.
According to UAEInteract, global marine terminal operator DP World has been certified as a partner in U.S. Customs and Border Protection's C-TPAT (Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism) Program - the only international port operator to have achieved such recognition. (UAEInteract, dated 06/11/08, available at http://www.uaeinteract.com/docs/DP_World_joins_US_Security_Initiative_C-TPAT/30561.htm)
On May 7, 2008, the House Homeland Security Committee's Border, Maritime, and Global Counterterrorism and Management, Investigations, and Oversight subcommittees held a hearing on "Assessing the Resiliency of the Nation's Supply Chain."
The Canada Border Services Agency has posted a revised version of its Memorandum of Understanding for its Partners in Protection (PIP) program.
At the request of various Congressional committees, the Government Accountability Office has issued a report entitled "Supply Chain Security: U.S. Customs and Border Protection Has Enhanced its Partnership With Import Trade Sectors, but Challenges Remain in Verifying Security Practices."
During the May 9, 2008 meeting of the Departmental Advisory Committee on Commercial Operations of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Related Homeland Security Functions (COAC), CBP officials discussed a variety of issues related to customs bonds, highlights of which include:
During the May 9, 2008 meeting of the Departmental Advisory Committee on Commercial Operations of U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Related Homeland Security Functions (COAC)1, CBP officials discussed a variety of issued related to the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) program, highlights of which include:
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has posted its report to Congress on the Automated Commercial Environment for the first quarter of fiscal year 2008 (October 1, 2007 - December 31, 2007). The report provides an update on ACE accomplishments, challenges, fiscal status, and upcoming program milestones.
At an April 2, 2008 hearing of the House Appropriations Committee's Homeland Security Subcommittee, Stephen Flynn, Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations gave his assessment of current U.S. government efforts to improve container, cargo, and supply chain security.
The Department of Homeland Security has recently issued two notices related to critical infrastructure protection, including: (1) the designation of "critical manufacturing" as the 18th critical infrastructure sector under the National Infrastructure Protection Plan (NIPP)1; and (2) the renewal of the Critical Infrastructure Partnership Advisory Council.