GAO SEES ?WEAKNESSES? IN MILITARY CARGO SECURITY THROUGH U.S. PORTS

GAO SEES ôWEAKNESSESö IN MILITARY CARGO SECURITY THROUGH U.S. PORTS    A U.S. Government Accounting Office report to the House Subcommittee on National Security, Veterans Affairs and International Relations found continued “weaknesses” in the security of military cargoes through the nation’s ports.
   The GAO said it identified two significant areas of concern:
   * Defense Department lacks “central authority” to oversee, coordinate and conduct “force protection measures” when military cargo is moved from domestic installations through U.S. seaports.
   * Defense Department turns over control of its equipment to commercial operators, in some cases to “foreign-owned ships crewed by non-U.S. citizens.”
   “Although these practices are consistent with current DoD policies and procedures, they limit DoD’s ability to oversee security measures,” the GAO said. “As a result, equipment could fall into the hands of individuals or groups whose interests run counter to those of the United States.”
   GAO also faulted federal agencies responsible for seaport security for their inability to efficiently “coordinate and disseminate” information at the seaports. “These conditions compound the already difficult task of protecting deploying forces and increases the risk that threats — both traditional and nontraditional ones    — may not be recognized or that threat information may not be communicated in a timely manner to all relevant organizations,” the GAO said.
   To carry out its study, GAO visited six of the 14 so-called strategic commercial U.S. seaports, in addition to two military-owned ammunition ports and three military installations from which military equipment was sent overseas.
   The GAO said it plans to provide the Subcommittee on National Security, Veterans Affairs and International Relations with a report in October that will provide its recommendations to improve the security of military cargoes through U.S. seaports.