Maritime Security: Past, Present, and Future
September 11th, 2007: Bernie Groseclose introduced Captain Michael McAllister as a senior officer and commander in the US Coast Guard who has witnessed “significant changes” since the day he was commissioned. Captain McAllister has a very distinguished career and continues to serve our country as the Captain of the Port and Sector Commander to the other ports in SC and Georgia. He is a graduate of the USCG Academy and holds Masters Degrees from the University of Illinois and MIT.
Captain McAllister gave a thought-provoking discussion that began with a reflection on September 10th, 2001 where he was notified of a Congressionally dictated 58 percent cutback in the USCG maritime budget. The very next day they were protecting the Statue of Liberty and overseeing a “call to all boats” that evacuated 3/4 of a million people, ferried over 5000 first responders, and delivered over 800 tons of supplies during the first few days after 9/11. They conducted the largest port security effort since WWII. Captain McAllister explained the significance of conducting “national policy in real-time” and aiding the Mayor of NYC and Governor of NY to stand up a new incident command center. He further described the evolution of responsibilities from 9/11 until today: 96 hour pre-notification of arrival; commercial inspection as far off-shore as possible; escorting potential targeted ships; expanded maritime intelligence; USCG as a charter member of the 22 agency, 182,000 Department of Homeland Security; the new focus on container security from point of origin; 24 hour advanced notice of manifest (compared to the past where manifest changes could be up to 30 days after arrival in our ports!); and implementation of TWIC, transportation workers identification card.
After an excellent explanation of why port security is so much more complex and difficult than air or rail, Captain McAllister talked about the future need for: a stronger suite of legal boundaries through a coordinated legal framework; increased layered security through maritime domain awareness (more sensor systems); faster disaster recovery capability; and most importantly, international engagement.
Submitted by Bill Crowe, Keyway Committee Chair