Maritime Security: Better Planning Needed to Help Ensure an Effective Port Security Assessment Program
Highlights
Created in the wake of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the Port Security Assessment Program was designed to evaluate security at the nation's 55 most economically and militarily strategic ports. Implemented by the U.S. Coast Guard, an agency of the Department of Homeland Security, the program focuses on identifying vulnerabilities, suggesting approaches to minimize them, and making the information available to those responsible for developing and implementing portwide security plans. The program has been under way for more than 2 years and has undergone several sets of changes, including the addition of a geographic information system (GIS). GAO was asked to discuss why and how the program changed and assess the Coast Guard's approach for implementing the program in its current form.
Recommendations
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| United States Coast Guard | To help ensure that the revised Port Security Assessment Program provides the most effective tool possible for security planning and response, the Secretary of Homeland Security should direct the Commandant of the Coast Guard to (1) define and document the GIS functional requirements and (2) develop a long-term project plan for the GIS and the Port Security Assessment Program as a whole (including cost estimates, schedule, and management responsibilities). |
Closed – Implemented
In fiscal year 2004, we reviewed and reported on the Coast Guard's program to conduct port security assessments of the nation's most strategic economic and military seaports. Among other things, we reported that the Coast Guard had revised the program to include a geographic information system (GIS) to help local authorities more effectively use the assessments for security planning and response. We also reported that the Coast Guard had also revised the scope of the program to take into account information from maritime stakeholders and provide for more targeted assessments of critical infrastructure within the ports. However, we found that the Coast Guard had not defined the functional requirements of the GIS nor had it developed a long-term project plan for the GIS and the program as a whole. Coast Guard officials reported that in December 2005 they completed the process of defining the new GIS functional requirements. With respect to the development of a long-term project plan, the officials stated that a project plan was not completed since the GIS was added to an existing system that was already in place. As for a project plan for the program, Coast Guard officials stated that the assessments were completed in 2006 and the responsibilities for updating assessments and conducting new ones have since been taken up by other interagency teams and local Coast Guard offices, therefore a program project plan was not completed. However, given that the Coast Guard has defined the functional requirements of the GIS, which is the key part of the program still in existence, the overall intent of the recommendation has been met.
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