Cargo Security Summit
remarks by Tom Ridge, Secretary of Homeland Security

EDITOR'S NOTE: The Port of Los Angeles is one of the busiest in the world, and a substantial percentage of this country's imports and exports pass through it. The inbound cargo largely arrives on container ships, and is difficult to inspect, causing considerable concern for local homeland security.

Washington, D.C.
Cargo Security Summit
December 16, 2004

I appreciate that kind words. Asa, I've got to tell you that you and I know full well that given the enormity of the task, none of these accomplishments couldn't have been achieved without assembling a phenomenal staff that helped provide that leadership, and among the finest in that staff is -- and who is as diligent and who works as exhaustively and who's been on every basic decision that we've made within the Department and who's been by my side every step of the way is Secretary Asa Hutchinson. So a lot of the credit for what we've been able to do goes to my friend Asa as well. So I thank you, Asa.

And you're going to hear this afternoon, I believe, at the luncheon from another extraordinary public servant. What you're going to be able to do is you'll get a snapshot of the quality of some of the people that I've had the opportunity to work with over the past three years during this two-day Summit. And you'll be able to see firsthand and understand in a very personal way why, in such a short period of time, not only the integration within the Department, we've achieved, I think, considerable success, but you'll also get a sense from the interaction with these extraordinary public servants why in such a short period of time we've been able to effect so many changes that have allowed us to add layers of security to our country.

And it's a phenomenal group of men and women with whom I work, joined by and united by a common purpose, a very rather unique mission in a very troubled world, and has brought an all-volunteer team to headquarters. And I will tell you, if you go out to our headquarters at this old Naval site, you'll know they're not coming out there because they're very comfortable conditions to work in. My normal recruiting pitch has been, “Look, I can guarantee you far more hours than you've ever worked before, a lot less pay than you've ever received before, and by the way, everybody expects you to design a perfect system and that's impossible. Now, are you willing to take the job?” And in spite of that, everybody has accepted the challenge, and I think they've made a real difference. So I thank my friend Asa for that warm introduction, but it should be shared with 180,000 of our coworkers around the country

And I'm very pleased to be here to, hopefully to set the tone and kick off the Cargo Summit on behalf of the Department and on behalf of the citizens of this country. We thank you for taking the time during this busy season to give us two days so you can help us direct further efforts to secure our country. And that's basically what we've asked you to do.

We welcome and we thank you. And we want you to help us work our way through the remaining -- a lot of challenging and complex issues dealing with cargo security. And one of the approaches we've found that is most successful in the work that we've done within the Department is to engage the shareholders and the stakeholders at the front end of the process, rather than after it's all completed, because the men and women, the institutions and the companies, those who we seek to execute whatever the policy is or to adopt whatever the changes are, if they're on the front end helping us identify needs and help us identify strategies and then help us come up with a tactical plan and then help us implement the plan, when your fingerprints are on it, when you're part of the group that designed it, you're more than likely not only to embrace it, but to embrace it enthusiastically and to make the commitment to get it done. So we like the fact that we're here.

Frankly, I'm kind of overwhelmed by the number of people that are here. We're going to put you to work over the next day and a half, because we think you can help us refine and then finalize a National Cargo Security Strategy.

Over the past couple of years, almost on an ad hoc basis, there have been initiatives that the Congress of the United States promoted, certainly initiatives that we began within our Department, and we'll talk a little bit about those in my prepared remarks.

And they've been solid. They've been effective. But we decided several weeks ago, as we planned this Summit, that doing it -- as good as these initiatives have been, we have to look down the road a little bit. What is the overall strategy? What is the ultimate -- what's the outcome that we want to achieve? What do we want to look like three or five years from now? And how do we get there as it relates to securing cargo? Obviously, it's a risk management proposition. There are national and international dimensions to it. We need to set standards, we need to identify best practices, and we need to call upon the companies and the individuals responsible for cargo security to help us develop that strategy, then in the years to come, we're going to ask you to help go out and implement it. So we thank you for being here and making such a significant contribution.

As owners and operators within the cargo and shipping industry we're looking to you to play a very direct and active role as we work to ramp up the security of this vital economic sector. DHS has put together a draft strategy to serve as a jumping off point for discussion. I mean, we have an internal perspective on this. This strategy lays out the nuts and bolts of the issue as we see it, and what the task of securing our cargo encompasses. It's a starting point. It's our perspective. We share that perspective with you and ask you to modify it and refine it and do whatever you need to make it -- turn it into a workable plan.

From coast to coast and international ports all over the world, thousands of tons of cargo make their way into this country, with more than 20,000 containers coming through on a daily basis. Based on sheer volume alone, cargo security is a difficult job. But we must also factor the challenge of cargo responsibility changing hands as it moves from the manufacturer to the importer. And how about the supply chain that gets it ultimately to the finished product, and then into the importer and then into the distribution system internationally. It's a very complex operation that we've asked you to take a look at and see what we can do in addition to what we have done in order to improve the security of the supply chain and distribution chain.

As well as the intricacies that overlap jurisdictions of authority pose on shipments, we also know that they pass through international waters and foreign ports, another complication. We need foreign allies, foreign countries, foreign companies to participate in the process with us. And once you add all that up, it's obvious that this is a job beyond the scope of one federal department. Getting this right will take the input and the effort of a wide range of partners: the private sector, the international community and local governments as well. And that's why we're here today, because we need your help to make sure that it happens.

Cargo security is a linchpin issue, not only for the security of our homeland, but also for our economic security as well. The protection of this supply chain is vital. It's vital to the small business owner who depends on getting supplies on time. It's essential to the construction company that needs the necessary materials to complete a job. And it's absolutely critical to the parents who must have that Dancing Elmo doll delivered in time for Christmas. A lot of imperatives here.

Over the past two years, much has been done to bolster our container and cargo security. And as a result of the cooperation and the hard work of our partners at the international level and within the private sector, new programs and technologies have been deployed and they have been put to use. We've added layer upon layer of security to tighten and close any gaps terrorists might seek to exploit.

These new defenses begin thousands of miles away before a container is even loaded onto a cargo vessel bound for our shores, from the 24-hour rule that provides advance cargo manifests for all U.S.-bound containers to the Container Security Initiative that has U.S. Customs and Border inspectors stationed in 32 international ports.

These programs enable us to target and screen cargo and pinpoint any high-risk shipments before a ship ever leaves port. We have also worked to take advantage of the technological tools that are at our disposal. With the use of advanced x-ray and radiation screening equipment, Customs officers can more safely and efficiently screen for contraband, including weapons of mass destruction. The Department has also worked closely with industry to create high-security seals and sensors that can help guard against container tampering. We've made a lot of progress in a very short period of time, but I don't think there's any of you in the audience that think we're done yet. If you thought you were done and we were done, you wouldn't be here.

Now, with every step we take to enhance security throughout the cargo shipping process, we are mindful that security measures must not stifle the free flow of commerce and goods that drive the economies of the world.

I can remember one of the first conversations I had with the President shortly after 9/11 and shortly after I was sworn in on October 8th to work at the Assistant to the President for Homeland Security. He was well aware of what happened to the flow of goods and people, the economic flow of goods and services and people across our northern and southern borders with our friends in Canada and Mexico right after 9/11. We had ramped-up security, but at a considerable economic cost. And his directive to me and to our team was to go back and take a look at the border agreements with our friends to the north and south and make sure that we develop and design a 21st century border that not only enhanced security, but at the same time, facilitated the flow of goods and commerce across those borders, understanding intuitively, as a former border governor along the Mexican border, that economic security and personal security of the security of a country go hand-in-hand. You cannot secure your freedoms and you cannot sustain this way of life without economic security as well, and that has been the linchpin of our approach with our friends in Canada and Mexico.

That's why programs such as our Customs and Trade Partnership against Terrorism have been put in place to reward companies that meet more stringent security procedures with benefits such as expedited processing times. And while these efforts will help ensure that Elmo arrives safe and sound by Christmas Eve, they can and they must be improved upon to provide a tighter and a more robust system of security for the future.

Now, moving forward to reach that higher platform of security demands the active participation and engagement from the business community and across the broad spectrum of cargo security stakeholders.

As I've said before, we can not secure the homeland from Washington, D.C. alone. There's a mindset we have within our Department. I think it's very positive. It's very much a 21st century mindset. It's the notion that you can't do it all from the nation's capital. You can't secure the hometown from D.C. You can't secure ports from D.C. So while much attention is paid to the integration of 180,000 people and 22 different units or agencies of government, that's part of it, but it's really about the integration of a nation. That's ultimately the primary purpose and reflects the kinds of partnerships that the Department has to establish and then sustain. We have to integrate the entire country, taking advantage of the capacity and the resources available to us throughout the country in order to maximize our ability to secure our freedoms and to provide economic security. That's why you're here.

More than anything else, homeland security in the 21st century is about the integration of an entire nation, as well as, depending on the circumstances, the integration of nations themselves. It's a philosophy of shared responsibility, shared leadership and shared accountability. And the private sector has a critically important role to play in this all-hands effort. We need partners in the private sector that will stand up and be counted as any regular citizen, partners that take an active forward-leaning view of security at all times.

You know why this is critical. You know why it's imperative that the business community actively engage in the homeland security effort, because maintaining a strong economy is directly tied to sustaining our freedoms and our nation. The freedoms for which our founders fought, the freedoms enshrined in the words of the Constitution and other writings are the underpinnings of our entire country. It is the source of our strength.

Those freedoms nourish our ability. Those very freedoms nourish our ability to create and pursue opportunity, to be entrepreneurs, to labor unhindered and unbounded, to build a business from nothing, and to look to the horizons of limitless economic possibilities. We need to sustain our freedoms in order to do those things and to maintain that kind of business environment.

So just as critical as the fight to preserve our freedoms is the fight to protect our economy, for it is the state of our economy on a more practical day-to-day level that determines our current strength as a nation.

Our enemy, our enemy Al-Qaeda understands this quite well. That is why one of the expressed goals -- I might add a reiterated goal -- when you read or listen to any of their rantings about the United States, is to undermine the economy. They see that as the best way to undermine the freedoms and the quality of life that we enjoy in this country. That is why we must bring the same zeal to protecting and defending the economy as we do to preserving and upholding our freedoms. And that is why your commitment and your willingness to engage in this fight are so important.

In the end, we are all in this together, and we must work to craft a framework that will raise our cargo security to an even higher standard of safety. As soldiers advance the vanguard of freedom on far away battlefields, we must labor here at home to do our part to keep our lives and our way of life secure for generations to come. Certainly, efforts such as our work today and tomorrow will lead us toward that more secure and peaceful future.

Again, I want to reiterate on behalf of the Department of Homeland Security and all the men and women that have been working on cargo security issues and economic security issues generally how much we appreciate your presence for the next two days. As I said before, we've got a draft document that we want you to vent, modify, alter. This is a partnership, because when we get done drafting this document, it gives us a strategy and a way ahead. We're going to have to work with you in partnership again to implement what we say will enhance significantly our ability to protect our freedoms and secure our economy.

So I thank you very much for your participation. And there are a lot of different religious celebrations during the month of December, ethnic celebrations. I don't know how you're going to -- which one you'll be involved in, but whatever it is, I hope you have a healthy and happy and a celebratory December holiday season.

Thanks very much.

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