Since the 9/11 attacks, Congress has established a new port security framework–much of which was set in place by the Maritime Transportation Security Act (MTSA). Enacted in November

2002, MTSA was designed, in part, to help protect the nation’s ports and waterways from terrorist attacks by requiring a wide range of security improvements. Among the major requirements included in MTSA were conducting vulnerability assessments for port facilities and vessels, developing security plans to mitigate identified risks for the national maritime system, ports, port facilities, and vessels, developing the Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC), a biometric identification card to help restrict access to secure areas to only authorized personnel, and establishing of a process to assess foreign ports, from which vessels depart on voyages to the United States. The Department of Homeland Security, itself a creation of the new security environment brought on by the 9/11 attacks–administers much of this framework, which also attempts to balance security priorities with the need to facilitate legitimate

trade.

The SAFE Port Act, which was enacted in October 2006, is one of the latest additions to this port security framework. The act made a number of adjustments to programs within this framework, creating additional programs or lines of effort and altering others. The SAFE Port Act created and codified new programs and initiatives, and amended some of the original provisions of MTSA. The SAFE Port Act included provisions that codified the Container Security Initiative (CSI) and the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT), two programs administered by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to help reduce threats associated with cargo shipped in containers, required interagency operational centers where agencies organize to fit the security needs of the port area at selected ports, set an implementation schedule and fee restrictions for TWIC, required that all containers entering high volume U.S. ports be scanned for radiation sources by December 31, 2007, and required additional data be made available to CBP for targeting cargo containers for inspection. This statement summarizes our recently completed and ongoing work for this committee on these areas.

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