Maritime Transportation Security Act Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Maritime Transportation certificate forge - Essay ExampleWhile the attacks focused attention on our aviation systems vulnerability, it became obvious that our maritime airfield needed greater attention. Besides being gateways through which dangerous materials could enter, ports are attractive targets because they are frequently large and sprawling, accessible by water and land, close to crowded centers, and interwoven with highways, roads, factories, and businesses (Flynn, 2004). security is made gruelling by the number of stakeholders involved in port operations, which include local, state, and federal agencies multiple law enforcement jurisdictions merchant marine and trade companies factories and other businesses. The MTSA imposed an ambitious schedule of requirements on federal agencies and called for a comprehensive fashion model that included planning, personnel security, and careful monitoring of vessels, facilities, and cargo. Table 1 contains the MTSAs key security-rel ated activities. However, Haste makes waste, and the pressing nature of the legislative and implementation efforts of the MTSA 2002 proved this to be true (Bouchard, 2005 Ervin, 2006 Haveman et al., 2007).The MTSA 2002, through the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), gave the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) lead responsibility for most of its requirements. Timetables for implementing the provisions were tight, and adding difficulty was the need to implement MTSA after the most extensive federal reorganization after the Second World War. Most of the 22 agencies with MTSA responsibilities were reorganised into the DHS in March 2003, less than 5 months after enactment. Some departments such as the Transportation Security Agency (TSA) were new, while others such as the USCG, Customs Service, and the Immigration and Naturalization Service were transferred from various executive director departments. This recombination of organizational cultures and the need to coordinate with other agencies such as the State, Transportation, and Justice Departments introduced complex chains of direct and reporting responsibilities (MTSA,2002 DHS, 2005 USCG, 2007).The deadline for implementing MTSA of July 1, 2004 was tight. Unlike other areas of critical infrastructure security where the government was unwilling to set eliminate mandates for the private sector and push for meaningful change, the MTSA was a catalyst for action. Unfortunately, in the face of unrealistic deadlines and set-apart implementation milestones, good intentions were non necessarily translated into greater security at the pier. And to add insult to injury, the USCG not only proved incapable of managing the projects designed to improve its capability but became open to graft and putrefaction and overspending (Economist 2007, p. 36). The priorities