REPORT CALLS FOR ELECTRONIC CLEARINGHOUSE FOR HOMELAND SECURITY

REPORT CALLS FOR ELECTRONIC CLEARINGHOUSE FOR HOMELAND SECURITY    An industry-generated white paper calling for a central electronic clearinghouse serving government and industry in the homeland security effort is now available.'
   The paper, “Improving Trade Documentation for Homeland Security,” was compiled by executives in the security, logistics and transportation fields to assist in trade documentation and compliance after Sept. 11.
   The authors are Rowena Gates, chief executive officer of Aviarc Corp.; John L. Amos, president of Amos Logistics Inc. (also chairman of the National Industrial Transportation League’s Ocean Transportation Committee); and Gen. Merrill A. McPeak, former chief of staff of the U.S. Air Force from 1990-1994.
   The authors highlight recent U.S. Customs initiatives, such as the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism, and the Container Security Initiative, as effective government-public programs.
   Such initiatives will require new procedures and systems to facilitate early notification, as are called for in C-TPAT and CSI.
   “Any program designed to improve the security of ocean container shipments will fail or succeed, based on the government’s ability to improve the flow of trade information,” Gates said. “More complete and accurate shipment information will support scanning, screening and profiling efforts.”
The complete paper can be downloaded in .pdf format at https://www.aviarc.com, or by contacting Gordon Forsyth, at BSY Associates Inc., (973) 226-8580.