U.S. COAST GUARD COMMANDANT LOY STRESSES NEED FOR SECURITY

U.S. COAST GUARD COMMANDANT LOY STRESSES NEED FOR SECURITY    A persistent and well-coordinated national strategy is the only way to ensure security at America’s ports, U.S. Coast Guard Commandant Adm. James Loy told port executives at the American Association of Port Authorities conference Tuesday.
   Port authorities and government agencies need to work toward security now, while the urgency for security at the country’s 361 ports is still gaining national attention, Loy said.
   “The classic human complacency gene has a way of setting in,” said Loy, who urged passage of the Seaport Security bill.
   Loy said the Coast Guard can contribute to national security by stationing sea marshals or escorts at ports to escort “high-risk” vessels as they approach, or by providing critical infrastructure protection to port facilities and waterways.
   He noted there are other vulnerable sites in the U.S. infrastructure that the Coast Guard must defend, such as 68 nuclear power plants on navigable U.S. waterways.