The Port Security Plan

The Port Security Plan 

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Management of Tasks and Responsibilities

Our week three lesson will explore the maritime port security environment and the resultant security demands inherently placed on the port security management team. More specifically, the security management team is charged with the responsibility for ensuring all port security elements are successfully planned, developed, and executed in order to execute vital security tasks and responsibilities associated with a safe and secure maritime port.

No doubt the security management team is one of the most important components when trying to protect against terrorists, criminal activities, and other commercial, industrial and natural disasters that can impact a maritime port.  Further, failure to properly assess, plan and execute the fundamental port security tasks and responsibilities required would be disastrous to port security operations in general. As a result, the focus for lesson three will identify and assess key policy and procedures necessary for successfully executing maritime security management operations. Moreover, the importance in building a solid port security posture must start right at the top of the organization, to include the port security leadership staff and the guard force.

As many already know, it all starts at the top.  Poor leadership will result in poor decisions and substandard performance from the staff, which will ultimately flow down and impact the entire security workforce. An inept and incompetent security staff will thoroughly corrupt the ability of the organization to adequately guard and protect the port as a whole.  Poor leadership will cripple a port, and potentially jeopardize the national security of the U.S.  Also, inexperienced and poorly trained managers will set the stage for major security gaps in the port to emerge rapidly, leading to possible exploitation of these gaps by nefarious individuals…who likely have designs centered on terrorism or criminal acts.  This is further complicated by the fact that all U.S port’s security funding for current and future budget years will be substantially cut.  Understanding this, it is essential that the port security teams have continuous education and skills training to maintain force competencies.

Just as important, the security team must be knowledgeable of the critical organizational components within the port that tie into port security.  Christopher identified these components as the communication systems and information sharing capability; building and maintaining a qualified professional staff; conducting basic and advance security training; fostering teamwork, camaraderie, and mission planning. Parallel to these operational components, it is also important that the port security team effectively respond to and interface effectively with incident management systems, attention to communications interoperability, public/media relations, written plans, policies, procedures, and last, but not least, mutual aid agreements (Christopher, 2009, p. 96).

Understanding the depth of the required tasks and responsibilities require that the port security manager and the security team be cognizant of how they can best meet the operational and security needs of the port and its private sector clients. Bottom line, security managers need to use a layered approach to security which means using a variety of tools that provide a strong defense against terrorism, crime, and other identified risks we have already discussed.

Integrating Technology

In regards to the components of security planning, one of the biggest that contributes directly to port security planning is the inclusion of advanced security systems that can be incorporated into the actual design phase of any new port facility. With new and improved technologies being developed and introduced each day, new methods of building an entire security systems must be assessed and evaluated to make sure they are constructed in the most cost effective and efficient manner.  The ability to mitigate security risks and gaps through advanced technology application integration for all new facilities is most important.  It is essential that security infrastructure needs are planned for during the phase known as the design and architecture stage.  This will ensure that security managers won’t need to request for security infrastructure changes at a later time, which will likely result in costly retrofitting of port facilities.  Additionally, budgets cuts will not allow for these post design phase changes, so it is imperative that security managers get it right the first time.  The days of excessive cost overruns due to poor planning or design efforts are no longer acceptable in today’s constrained resource environment.

The Private Sector

Much has been said of the maritime private sector security connection and the critical role they play in port security planning.  First and foremost, the private sector stakeholder input is vital to proper port security planning.  Knowing what the internal and external customers’ needs are and how to meet them is essential to security planning for port operations.  Additionally, a proven and tangible method of identifying ways to mitigate attacks and other events is having hypothetical exercise scenarios developed for operational testing and validation.  Conducting these operational tests and organizational exercises enhances security systems knowledge and understanding, and results in workable solutions for comprehensive port security operations.  Knowing the security components and the various approaches available to management in order to mitigate and remove security gaps with the private sector working within the port environment is extremely important.  Lastly, including the private sector while developing and executing a robust test and exercise program is a best practice for enhanced port security.

In addition, having private sector input during the design and architecture stage is vital. Rebuttals, views and opinions from differing parties should be encouraged and welcomed in order to ensure one party isn’t “angling” their advice or recommendation to achieve an underlying motive. If one party were the only one engaging with the development team, then effective security components could possibly get overlooked or dumped.  The desired end-state is that everyone must work together to achieve the same goal….a safe and viable port.

Fortress Mentality

No discussion on port security is complete without understanding the issue of “fortress mentality” within the port environment. Simply explained, engineers and architects specialize on how to build things effectively and efficiently. This is why we commission them in the first place.  However, that doesn’t mean they know how precisely the security systems must work or even understand how the port security systems are properly integrated into the larger security system that protect the port.