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The third issue is returning fighters. Our
media often latch onto stories of citizens
from a developed nation running off to
join ISIS. But at some point they may
sneak back to their home country, and
melt into the population successfully.
“You can’t look at traditional tell-tale
signs. They would not be the sort of
people you are thinking of.”
Screening
Increased screening and other security
checks are a fact of modern logistics life,
especially since 9/11. This gives rise to
more issues; how much do they slow down
the movement of goods while increasing
costs, and do they work anyway?
“It is up to governments as to how to
translate that into effective policy on the
ground,” says Jerard.
A number of cargo screening and
certification regimes have sprung up to
sniff out terrorist materials. “It’s a never
ending race,” says Scott McCorquodale,
Manager Australia & New Zealand at
Cargo Community Network.
Business leaders recognise that stopping
to check everything at each border is a
recipe for adding huge costs. In March
US Commissioner of Customs and Border
Protection, R. Gil Kerlikowske said;
“Trade and travel facilitation, balanced
with our strong commitment to seamless
border security, make our mission
incredibly complex.”
While the bulk of our trade goes
through ports, one of the hot topics is
international air cargo as over 80% is
carried in the belly of passenger planes.
Security screening is a significant issue
for bodies such as IATA and regions
including Europe and the US. Indeed
increased requirements have recently
upset EU-Russia relations.
Beefed-up measures include 100%
screening for some US-bound freight,
with concessions for trusted shippers,
or deferral of full implementation. With
aircargo trade slipping and margins
being squeezed, extra costs and steps
will be unwelcome.
Canada has recently promised to make
air cargo screening more efficient.
Approved shippers will be allowed to
screen cargo at any point in the secure
supply chain. This is all part of ‘Beyond
the Border’, the Canada-US Action Plan
on Perimeter Security and Economic
Competitiveness.
Yet the US Transportation Security
Administration is in a mild state of
panic, as recent undercover tests
revealed just how flimsy and ineffective
passenger screening at airports can be.
Perhaps the delays will spill over from
increased time at security screening for
passengers to delays on freight. The TSA
has also uncovered a long-running gun
smuggling operation using scheduled
flights, which doesn’t help matters.
The task is getting bigger according to
McCorquodale. “Trade is increasing.
There’s more product being moved
around the world by more people.”
Security fatigue has also been
identified by Jerard as a threat. “Our
minds are so inundated with being told
to be vigilant, and no attacks is a good
thing. But sometimes you get bored, it
opens the doors.”
Another problem is that, just when
you thought you had everything
under control, the game changes. “An
important feature of terrorist groups
is their ability to evolve. We need to
recalculate our response - there are
gaping holes.”
One example she gives is explosives
disguised as copier toner and bomb
electronics as a printer circuit board.
It was intelligence, rather than cargo
screening, that stopped the threat.
Initiatives have been carried out
by the US, EU and Canada after
the 2010 ‘Yemen cartridge bomb
incident’, using advance data for risk
assessment as an additional layer of
security.
But as Kerlikowske put it, balancing
the need for speed with the
reassurance of a safe and secure
civilisation is a tricky business.
7
Logistics Business Magazine | September 2015
Supply Chain Security