DHS Reports Progress on Border Security, Trade Facilitation in 2011

The Department of Homeland Security has released a report on its accomplishments in 2011, in connection with a speech by Secretary Janet Napolitano on the progress DHS has made that year. Among other accomplishments, the report notes that (1) the Container Security Initiative is now active at more than 50 overseas ports, and (2) the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) has grown to more than 10,200 Certified Partners worldwide.

(See ITT’s Online Archives 12013104 for a summary of DHS Secretary’s Speech.)

With respect to international trade, DHS reports the following accomplishments in 2011:

Strengthening International Partnerships. Through partnerships around the world and with the private sector, DHS is enhancing cargo security through a risk- and technology-based approach that strengthens cargo screening at every point in the global supply chain, through programs including:

• The Container Security Initiative, which is active at more than 50 overseas ports to pre-screen and evaluate high-risk containers before they are shipped to the U.S.

• The Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT), which is a voluntary public-private sector partnership program that strengthens cargo security throughout the international supply chain by working closely with importers, carriers, consolidators, licensed customs brokers, and manufacturers. Since it was launched in 2001, C-TPAT has grown from seven participating partners to more than 10,200 Certified Partners worldwide, and has conducted more than 19,300 on-site evaluations.

• Program Global Shield, implemented in coordination with WCO, is a multilateral law enforcement effort aimed at combating the illicit cross-border diversion and trafficking of explosive precursor chemicals for making improvised explosive devices (IED) by monitoring their cross-border movements. Under Program Global Shield, more than 70 participating countries are currently sharing information with each other to ensure that chemicals entering their countries are being used in safe and legal ways. As of December 2011, Program Global Shield has accounted for seizures of chemical precursors totaling over 45 metric tons and 19 arrests related to the illicit diversion of these chemicals.

• In 2011, through the National Cargo Security Program Recognition (NCSP), TSA reviewed foreign partners' cargo screening to determine whether their programs provide a level of security commensurate with the level of security provided by existing U.S. air cargo security programs. Partners that meet TSA screening requirements are officially recognized under NCSP to conduct screening for cargo traveling to the U.S.

• DHS launched the Homeland Security Dialogue with India—the first comprehensive bilateral dialogue on homeland security issues between the two countries, focusing on securing the global supply chain, trafficking of illicit goods and materials, and protection of critical cyber infrastructure. The U.S. and India continue to make significant progress in implementation, such as signing a bilateral Computer Emergency Response Team agreement to coordinate cyber dialogue.

• ICE provided IPR enforcement training to more than 17,000 law enforcement partners and stakeholders, to provide tools to combat intellectual property-related issues in order to protect the public health and safety.

Improving Cooperation on the Canadian Border

• The Beyond the Border: A Shared Vision for Perimeter Security and Economic Competitiveness Declaration, signed by President Obama and Canadian Prime Minister Harper in February 2011, sets out joint priorities to advance both countries' interests in shared security and economic competitiveness. As part of the Action Plan announced in December 2011, DHS is working with U.S. and Canadian partners to develop the next generation of integrated cross-border law enforcement, interoperable radio communications, border wait time measurements, and enhanced air/land/maritime domain awareness, as well as a multitude of initiatives to streamline trusted trader and traveler programs and expedite legitimate travel and trade. (See ITT’s Online Archives 11020729 for summary of the Beyond the Border Declaration. See ITT’s Online Archives 11120818 for summary of the Beyond the Border Action Plan.)

• Secretary Napolitano and Canada's Public Safety Minister Vic Toews announced the Joint Border Threat and Risk Assessment, highlighting the U.S.' and Canada's commitment to identifying and mitigating potential threats of terrorism and transnational organized crime along the shared border.

Securing the Border and Facilitating Trade with Mexico

• The Declaration on 21st Century Border Management, issued by Presidents Obama and Calderon, expressed the US and Mexico's commitment to increased collaboration on facilitating legitimate trade and travel at the border, while continuing to combat transnational crime. As part of this effort, DHS is working closely with its Mexican counterparts on critical infrastructure protection and expansion of trusted traveler and shipper programs. (See ITT’s Online Archives 10052166 for summary of the U.S.-Mexico Declaration’s tenets.)

• DHS made great strides in expediting legal trade and travel—working with local leaders to update infrastructure and reduce wait times at our Southwest border ports of entry through initiatives including Active Lane Management which leverages Ready Lanes, Dedicated Commuter Lanes, and LED signage to dynamically monitor primary vehicle lanes and re-designate lanes as traffic conditions and infrastructure limitations warrant.

Countering Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear Threats

• In FY 2011, DHS' National Biodefense Analysis and Countermeasures Center (NBACC) laboratory received its accreditation with the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture to begin research and diagnostics on pathogens to understand the scientific basis of the risks posed by biological threats and to attribute their use in bioterrorism events.