Securing the Global Supply Chain

Attacks in London show us that the war on terror isn't won yet.  I leave it to others to poke holes in Britains easy access to foreigners, but it is clear that terrorists still have the will and the means to continue their ways.  Note that attacks continue to probe weaknesses in passenger security.  This too is where most of the tax dollars are being spent, with over 95% being allocated to passenger security.

But, we still have a long way to go before the global supply chain is secure.  Its only  a matter of time before some crazies get lucky and are able to hit the US through its supply chain.  I agree with the US government strategy of identifying suspect containers before they leave foreign ports as defined by the Container Security Initiative, and partnering with shippers via Customs Trade Partnership Against Terrorism, but these programs are moving very slowly and being funded very meagerly compared with airline passenger security.

If Timothy McVeigh was able to bring down the Federal building in Oklahoma City with a couple of thousand lbs of nitrogen fertilizer, just think what one ocean container full of 40,000 lbs of the material would do detonated in rush hour traffic on the Golden Gate bridge in Southern California.     (See also http://www.radbourneconsulting.com)