Security Briefs - Jan. 15-22
The Latest Headlines:
- Senate Confirms Ridge as Security Secretary
- South Korea Joins U.S. Anti-Terror Agreement
- Cargo Companies Warn of Increasing Security Costs
- U.S. Lacks Plan for Air Cargo Security, GAO Says
- South Korea Joins U.S. Anti-Terror Agreement
Senate Confirms Ridge as Security Secretary
Former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge was confirmed by the U.S. Senate to be the first Secretary of the Homeland Security, the Associated Press reported Wednesday.Senators voted 94-0 to confirm Ridge, who also sailed through hearings by the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee about his nomination, AP said.
Ridge, 57, became President Bush's top adviser on the issue of homeland security shortly after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and will take over a department that is still struggling to find itself.
South Korea Joins U.S. Anti-Terror Agreement
South Korea, which operates the third-busiest port in the world, said Jan. 17 that it has agreed to support an effort by the U.S. Customs Service to improve container security worldwide, Bloomberg reported.South Korea signed on to the United States’ Container Security Initiative, which will allow U.S. Customs officials to inspect cargo bound for the United States at foreign ports, Bloomberg said.
By signing the agreement, South Korea becomes the 10th country to join the U.S.-led coalition, Bloomberg said.
Since the Sept. 11 attacks, U.S. officials have worried that terrorists may use cargo containers to strike the United States. Transport Topics
Cargo Companies Warn of Increasing Security Costs
U.S. cargo companies have warned officials that their businesses may face higher operation costs as new security rules, passed after the Sept. 11 attacks, are implemented, the Washington Times reported Jan. 18.An unidentified express-delivery company executive told the paper that the rules could severely hurt the industry and cost the economy $60 billion. Manufacturers also said that the new rules could tie up shipping, even as more companies depend on just-in-time delivery to maintain competitiveness, the Times reported.
The proposed rules are slated to go into effect by October include the electronic record keeping to be used in more thorough inspections, the Times said.
The Times reported that Customs officials said they are still trying to balance industry’s concerns about the new regulation with the need to make cargo more secure against possible terrorism. Transport Topics
U.S. Lacks Plan for Air Cargo Security, GAO Says
The General Accounting Office said that more than 16 months after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the United States still does not have a broad plan to keep bombs and other security threats hidden in airfreight from being smuggled onto passenger and cargo aircraft, Bloomberg reported.The report said that "a limited amount" of air cargo is screened and that the Transportation Security Administration has made few changes in cargo security, choosing instead to focus on passenger safety and baggage checks, Bloomberg reported.
The report was released on the same day that Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas) reintroduced a bill to tighten air cargo security, Bloomberg said. The bill calls for more inspections, the creation of a database of known shippers and improved training for cargo handlers.
The bill gained passage in the Senate when it was introduced last year, but failed to get out of the House of Representatives, Bloomberg said.
A spokesman for the Air Transport Association, the trade group that represents the airline industry, told Bloomberg that the GAO report is consistent with what the industry knows needs to be done. Transport Topics
