Port Security Threats Are Complex, Growing

This issue features a story about the latest round of port security grants from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. FEMA is just one of several federal agencies that make grants related to port security, along with the Coast Guard, Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection and the Maritime Administration.

In the wake of the 9/11 attacks—whose anniversary we just observed—port security concerns focused on physical access, which led to the Transportation Worker Identification Credential program established by the Department of Homeland Security, itself created as part of the response to 9/11.

The National Cyber Strategy was rolled out in 2018, on President Donald Trump’s watch. Since then, the world has experienced the COVID-19 pandemic and its restrictions; the logistics boomerangs that partly resulted from the pandemic; increasing discord and suspicion between the United States and its largest trading partner, China, including calls to prevent China from accessing sensitive chip-making technology; and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Challenges to port security have multiplied and evolved, often in unpredictable ways. The two broadest areas of concern are cybersecurity, or human-created threats, and physical port security in the wake of natural disasters like hurricanes and flooding. Both areas require a lot of funding to address. Both types of threats are prominent along the Gulf Coast, or Energy Coast as some have dubbed it, where billions of dollars continue to be invested in alternative energy projects in addition to more traditional investments in oil, gas and offshore wind.

We all want to see ports grow and prosper, but with growth comes increased risk and vulnerability—and costs to mitigate them. These are necessary costs, even if they aren’t always visible parts of port infrastructure.