GAO finds Coast Guard resources inadequate for port security

GAO finds Coast Guard resources inadequate for port security The U.S. Coast Guard lacks the resources to meet the agency's own security standards to protect U.S. ports from terrorist threats, according to a recent Government Accountability Office report.
   The GAO report, released Jan. 10, examined security at numerous U.S. and international ports, concluding that greater protective measures are needed.
   The 112-page report also revealed that while government intelligence can find no specific threats, U.S. ports have been cited as potential targets in captured terrorist training manuals. The manuals also encourage terrorist trainees to conduct surveillance of seaport for possible future attacks, the report said.
   'The supply chain faces three main types of threats — suicide attacks such as explosive-laden boats, 'standoff' attacks with weapons launched from a distance, and armed assaults,' the report said. It noted that in addition to the potential loss of life, attacks on seaports could have serious environmental consequences and disrupt the national economy by short-circuiting the global supply chain.
   According to the report, despite no known attacks against U.S. seaports and the Coast Guard's energy and efforts to ensure no such attacks, 'the level of protection is not where the Coast Guard believes it should be.'
   The report also notes, 'Coast Guard records document that at some ports, a lack of resources has hindered some Coast Guard units from meeting their self-imposed requirements for security activities, such as escorts and boardings.'
   The GAO recommends the agency:
   ' Develop a comprehensive national plan to allocate Coast Guard resources.
   ' Develop post-attack economic recovery plans for the nation's ports.
   ' Integrate national material spill and terrorism response plans.
   ' Focus local training on possible attacks against oil and energy commodity facilities.
   ' Develop priorities for needed resources.
   The report also found that ports are inherently vulnerable due to their sprawling size, proximity to urban population centers, and their dual access by water and land. Vessels calling at the ports, with their fixed schedules and transits through narrow tightly mandated routes that allow little room for evasive maneuvers, are also listed by the report as potential targets.
   Of particular concern are liquefied natural gas terminals and vessels, as well as other liquid bulk tankers.
   “We know that terrorists are looking for the weakest link in our security efforts, and this GAO report is a timely reminder that LNG and oil tankers are serious targets,” Rep. Edward Markey, D-Mass., whose district includes an LNG terminal, told the Associated Press.
   House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman John Dingell, D-Mich., also told the AP that an attack on a tanker or terminal “could have significant economic, environmental and public safety consequences, which would result in even higher gasoline and heating oil prices.”
   The report also raises the concern that LNG shipments to U.S. ports — expected to increase by more than five times over the next decade — will only increase LNG vessels and facilities risk as a terrorism target.
   The entire GAO-08-141 report, Maritime Security: Federal Efforts Needed to Address Challenges in Preventing and Responding to Terrorist Attacks on Energy Commodity Tankers, can be viewed at www.gao.gov. ' Keith Higginbotham