Kerlikowske Lays Out Broad Goals for Future of CBP

CBP will increasingly push for "strategic partnerships that facilitate integrated, risk-informed, intelligence-driven law enforcement operations," as the agency works to maintain U.S. security and prosperity in trade, said CBP Commissioner Gil Kerlikowske on April 8. "This requires a national 'whole of government' approach – as well as an international unity of effort." Kerlikowske discussed the way ahead for the agency during a Brookings Institution event (here) on the agency's new strategic plan (here). The strategic plan outlined several broad CBP goals for handling trade, travel and transparency issues.

CBP "understands the global supply chain system is an interconnected network, and will continue to provide leadership in cultivating partnerships to exchange information and intelligence, build capacity, and increase worldwide security and compliance standards," he said in the strategic plan. The agency pointed to increased collaboration with other federal agencies and industry as a way to improve risk identification. "Many of the tools and techniques the private sector uses to manage their supply chain can help identify risk indicators that CBP can use to enhance trade enforcement," it said. "Maintaining a constant awareness of the practices and methods of compliant businesses can help identify non-compliant importers and exporters who do not adhere to those practices."

The agency "is also actively engaged in forming more collaborative relationships by integrating enforcement capabilities through forward deployment of CBP personnel to pre-screen and target cargo in international ports before it departs for the" U.S., said the plan. CBP also pointed to the Centers of Excellence and Expertise and increased automation as ways the agency will improve and simplify trade processing. The sharing and analysis of trade data will also continue to grow in importance, it said. "CBP must continue to develop and cultivate information sharing partnerships that will enhance CBP’s ability to accurately and timely identify and validate low-risk importers," the agency said.

The recent decrease in intellectual property rights violation seizures in fiscal year 2014 compared to the previous year (see 1504030019) likely isn't "demonstrative" of any major change in enforcement efforts, said Kerlikowske at the event. He noted that the seizures and values of the seizures had shown a drastic increase in previous years and "only within this last year did it kind of plateau out." The agency wants to "make sure that we are going after the things that can cause the most harm," such as counterfeit pharmaceuticals, air bags and computer chips, he said. "So we're concentrating on that and we continue to make progress."

CBP will also work with other countries to improve customs regimes based on the successes and failures that CBP has seen, he said. Many countries have requested help from CBP on the subject and there's growing recognition internationally that customs regimes should play more than a revenue collection role, he said. CBP will also work to improve the "culture" at the agency, by hiring the best people for the job, including more women for frontline positions, he said.