The U.S. economy relies heavily on the smooth flow of goods through the global supply chain, most of which are transported by ship. The United States Coast Guard (USCG) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) are the two main Department of Homeland Security (DHS) agencies responsible for screening these vessels and shipments for potential security threats. However, a new report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) finds that DHS needs to improve its efforts to track the effectiveness of its approach in securing U.S.-bound vessels and cargo from supply chain risks.
According to the GAO report, these agencies use a layered maritime security approach to identify high-risk vessels and cargo. This includes screening, targeting, and examining vessels and cargo before they leave foreign ports, while they are in transit (at sea), and when they arrive at U.S. ports.
The GAO also found that USCG and CBP officials at 16 selected field units generally followed five leading practices for interagency collaboration. For example, USCG leverage staff of other federal agencies, such as CBP, to help with vessel boardings. Yet, the GAO report also found that DHS has not fully assessed the effectiveness of its security approach. While USCG has worked with other stakeholders to develop a strategic goal for maritime security, the agency has not developed specific metrics to measure progress towards this goal.
The GAO made two recommendations to DHS, with which DHS concurred:
- Develop objective, measurable, and quantifiable performance goals and performance measures.
- Use the collected performance information to assess progress toward strategic and performance goals, and the overall effectiveness of the layered approach to maritime security on an ongoing basis.
This report highlights the importance of having strong measures in place to track the effectiveness of maritime security programs. By developing better metrics, DHS can ensure that its resources are being used effectively to protect the U.S. from national security-related threats.