Please respond to both students separately with a minimum of 150 words each. Original Post: Explain the specific security challenges in the Port Maritime Environment, Risk-based Management, Megaports Initiative, and the Secure Freight Initiative. Student Response  Cody Port security planning is an essential component of daily port operations. This is important because without it, an attack would instantly shut down day to day activities. There are several important components that make up a complete port security plan. First, it must address the organization of security administration. Second, it has to identify and cover strategic goals. It must also address many other areas, such as personnel training. This is crucial because without properly trained people, with a clear organizational structure, the port simply cannot be properly secured. Ultimately, like all other areas of domestic security, our ports need to have cohesive plans for protection, just like the other areas of critical infrastructure. An attack on this sector would cause massive damage to both the shipping ability of the United States, and the economy. Our economy depends on the rapid processing of inbound and outbound shipping traffic.  Discuss the significance and purpose of the Secure Freight Initiative? The Secure Freight Initiative is a program to install and operate nuclear detection equipment in foreign ports. “As part of the Department’s layered approach to port and container security, the initial phase of Secure Freight Initiative will deploy of a combination of existing technology and proven nuclear detection devices to six foreign port beginning in early 2007” (DHS, 2015). This initiative greatly enhances the security of the United States. It provides nearly real time information to US Customs and Border Protection officers and allows them to identify suspect freight before it reaches the United States mainland. In essence, this initiative allows for threats to be addressed before the suspect containers are even loaded onboard a ship for delivery to the United States. “All alarms from the radiation detection equipment for any container will continue to be resolved locally. For containers bound for the United States, we are working with host governments to establish protocols that ensure a swift resolution by the host government and may include instructing carriers not to load the container until the risk is fully resolved” (DHS, 2013) The Secure Freight Initiative provides a critical component of the United States protection strategies.  Cody Chris The planning of security at the nation’s ports is a very daunting task involving many key people and areas of management.  As mentioned in this week’s lesson, when planning for the security of the ports it is very important to implement a thorough plan from day one until the completion of the build because it is much easier and less expensive to plan from the beginning rather than to go back an ...

1. Please respond to both students separately with a minimum of
150
words each.
Original Post:
Explain the specific security challenges in the Port Maritime
Environment, Risk-based Management, Megaports Initiative,
and the Secure Freight Initiative.
Student Response
Cody
Port security planning is an essential component of daily port
operations. This is important because without it, an attack
would instantly shut down day to day activities. There are
several important components that make up a complete port
security plan. First, it must address the organization of security
administration. Second, it has to identify and cover strategic
goals. It must also address many other areas, such as personnel
training. This is crucial because without properly trained
people, with a clear organizational structure, the port simply
cannot be properly secured. Ultimately, like all other areas of
domestic security, our ports need to have cohesive plans for
protection, just like the other areas of critical infrastructure. An

2. attack on this sector would cause massive damage to both the
shipping ability of the United States, and the economy. Our
economy depends on the rapid processing of inbound and
outbound shipping traffic.
Discuss the significance and purpose of the Secure Freight
Initiative?
The Secure Freight Initiative is a program to install and operate
nuclear detection equipment in foreign ports. “As part of the
Department’s layered approach to port and container security,
the initial phase of Secure Freight Initiative will deploy of a
combination of existing technology and proven nuclear
detection devices to six foreign port beginning in early 2007”
(DHS, 2015). This initiative greatly enhances the security of the
United States. It provides nearly real time information to US
Customs and Border Protection officers and allows them to
identify suspect freight before it reaches the United States
mainland. In essence, this initiative allows for threats to be
addressed before the suspect containers are even loaded onboard
a ship for delivery to the United States. “All alarms from the
radiation detection equipment for any container will continue to
be resolved locally. For containers bound for the United States,
we are working with host governments to establish protocols
that ensure a swift resolution by the host government and may
include instructing carriers not to load the container until the
risk is fully resolved” (DHS, 2013) The Secure Freight
Initiative provides a critical component of the United States
protection strategies.
Cody

3. Chris
The planning of security at the nation’s ports is a very daunting
task involving many key people and areas of management. As
mentioned in this week’s lesson, when planning for the security
of the ports it is very important to implement a thorough plan
from day one until the completion of the build because it is
much easier and less expensive to plan from the beginning
rather than to go back and update for innovative technology
later. Thus, it is suggested to included everyone from the
primary security officer to the architects and engineers heading
the build to the private security personnel that will be working
at the port regularly. This is important to the overall security of
the port because it provides a variety of opinions and points of
view as to the factors that need to be considered in security and
the possible flaws in a system. This cohesive approach to
planning opens the lines of communication among the various
roles in all aspects of building a secure port and having it
function effectively (Christopher, 2015). Each division of the
build has their own focus, needs and goals for the product and
by working together, they can create a cost-effective and secure
port to safely move materials into and out of the United States
without losing money in the process.
2. Discuss the significance and purpose of the Secure Freight
Initiative?
The purpose of the Secure Freight Initiative is to ensure the
safety of all freight bound for the United States from foreign
ports. According to the Department of Homeland Security, this
initiative was established to coordinate security between six
foreign nation’s ports and the United States (DHS, 2015). The

4. operation of this system requires ports to scan all containers for
radiation before they are allowed departure to the United States.
If a scan comes back positive, both the home country and the
United States would receive an alert signal (DHS, 2015). This
type of security management for the initiative is meant to assist
in the quicker movement of materials through U.S. ports by
checking their safety prior to their arrival and assist in the
communications amongst nations. The purpose of this
procedure, as mentioned in the lesson, is to allow for the faster
movement of materials throughout the U.S. ports because, as
with businesses, time is money. The coordination with other
nations cuts the costs to update U.S. ports and implement recent
technology as well as keeping the time materials sit in the ports
to a minimum.