16 December 2004
Homeland Security's Ridge Recaps U.S. Cargo-Screening Procedures
Rule requiring 24-hour advance notice of cargo shipments now in effect
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has deployed advanced X-ray and radiation technology at international shipping ports to screen cargo for contraband, including weapons, Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge says.
The department also is enforcing a rule that cargo manifests must be provided to U.S. customs and border officials at foreign ports 24 hours before shipment, Ridge said at a cargo security meeting December 16 in Washington.
Customs and border inspectors now are stationed at 32 international ports to protect the U.S. supply chain and close any gaps that terrorists might seek to exploit, Ridge said.
Additionally, the department is working closely with the private sector to create high-security seals and sensors to help guard against container tampering, he said.
The enhanced security measures include the Customs and Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT), a program that rewards companies that have stringent security systems with expedited processing times, Ridge said.
Following are Ridge's prepared remarks:
(begin text)
U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
Press Office
December 16, 2004
AS PREPARED FOR DELIVERY
REMARKS BY SECRETARY OF HOMELAND SECURITY TOM RIDGE
AT THE CARGO SECURITY SUMMIT
WASHINGTON -- Thank you, Asa, for that warm introduction. I'm pleased to be here today to help kick off Homeland Security's Cargo Security Summit. On behalf of the Department, I'd like to welcome and thank all of you who have joined with us to work our way through many of the complexities surrounding this issue. Given the group gathered here, the next two days should put us well on our way to refining and finalizing a National Cargo Security Strategy.
As owners and operators within the cargo and shipping industry we're looking to you to play a direct and active role as we work to ramp up the security of this vital economic sector. DHS has put together a draft strategy to serve as a jumping off point for discussion. This strategy lays out the nuts and bolts of this issue, and what the task of securing our cargo encompasses.
From coast to coast and international ports all over the world, thousands of tons of cargo make their way into this country, with more than 20,000 containers coming through on a daily basis. Based on sheer volume alone cargo security is a difficult job. But we must also factor the challenges of cargo responsibility changing hands as it moves from manufacturer to importer. As well as the intricacies that overlapping jurisdictions of authority pose on shipments that pass through international waters and foreign ports.
And once you add all that up it's obvious that this is a job beyond the scope of one federal department. Getting this right will take the input and effort of a wide range of partners ... the private sector, the international community, local governments. And that's why we're here today. Because we need your help to make this all happen. Cargo security is a linchpin issue, not only for the security of our homeland, but also for our economic security as well.
The protection of this supply chain is vital to the small business owner who depends on getting her supplies on time. It's essential to the construction company that needs the necessary materials to complete a job. And it's absolutely critical to the parents who must have that Dancing Elmo doll delivered in time for Christmas.
Over the past two years, much has been done to bolster our container and cargo security. And as a result of the cooperation and hard work of our partners at the international level and within the private sector, new programs and technologies have been deployed and put to use. We've added layer upon layer of security to tighten and close any gaps terrorists might seek to exploit.
These new defenses begin thousands of miles away before a container is even loaded onto a cargo vessel bound for our shores. From the 24-hour rule that provides advance cargo manifests for all U.S. bound containers to the Container Security Initiative that has U.S. Customs and Border inspectors stationed in 32 international ports.
These programs enable us to target and screen cargo and pinpoint any high risk shipments before a ship ever leaves port. We have also worked to take advantage of the technological tools that are at our disposal.
With the use of advanced x-ray and radiation screening equipment, Customs officers can more safely and efficiently screen for contraband, including weapons of mass destruction. The Department has also worked closely with industry to create high-security seals and sensors that can help guard against container tampering.
With every step we take to enhance security throughout the cargo shipping process, we are mindful that security measures must not stifle the free flow of commerce and goods that drive the economies of the world. That's why programs such as our Customs and Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) have been put in place to reward companies that meet more stringent security procedures with benefits such as expedited processing times. And while these efforts will help ensure that Elmo arrives safe and sound by Christmas Eve, they can and must be improved upon to provide a tighter and more robust system of security for the future.
Moving forward to reach that higher platform of security demands the active participation and engagement from the business community and across the broad spectrum of cargo security stakeholders.
As I've said before we cannot secure the homeland from Washington, D.C., alone. More than anything, homeland security in the 21st century is about the integration of a nation and nations. It's a philosophy of shared responsibility, shared leadership and shared accountability. The private sector has an important role to play in this all-hands effort.
We need partners in the private sector that will stand up and be counted as any regular citizen ... partners that take a pro-active, forward-leaning view of security at all times. Why is this so crucial? Why is it so imperative that the business community actively engage in the homeland security effort?
It's imperative because maintaining a strong economy is directly tied to sustaining our freedoms and our nation. The freedoms for which our founders fought, enshrined in the rhetoric of the Constitution and other writings, are the ideological foundation of our nation. It is the source of our strength.
Those freedoms nourish our ability to create and pursue opportunity, to labor unhindered and unbound, to build a business from nothing and to look to a horizon of limitless possibility. So just as crucial as the fight to preserve our freedoms is the fight to protect our economy. For it is the state of our economy on a more practical day-to-day level that determines our current strength as a nation.
Al Qaeda understands this all too well. That is why one of its expressed goals is to destroy the American economy. That is why we must bring the same zeal to protecting and defending the economy as we do to preserving and upholding our freedoms.
And that is why your commitment and your willingness to engage in this fight are so important. We appreciate your readiness to take on this responsibility and remain shoulder to shoulder with the Department as we work to craft a framework that will raise our cargo security to a higher standard of safety. In the end, we are all in this together.
As soldiers advance the vanguard of freedom on far away battlefields, we must labor here at home to do our part to keep our lives and our way of life secure ... for generations to come. Certainly efforts such as our work here will lead us toward that more secure and peaceful future.
Thank you.
(end text)
(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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