Security Effort by Coast Guard Is Falling Short

[cal04]

A Coast Guard plan to combat terrorism by creating the maritime equivalent of an air traffic control system in the coastal waters here, a test for a nationwide effort, has fallen far short of expectations.

The Coast Guard installed long-range surveillance cameras, coastal radar and devices that automatically identify approaching vessels to help search out possible threats.

But the radar, it turns out, confuses waves with boats. The cameras cover just a sliver of the harbor and coasts. And only a small fraction of vessels can be identified automatically.

Officials acknowledge the limited progress that the Department of Homeland Security and the Coast Guard have made toward creating a viable defense here in Miami or at harbors nationwide against a maritime attack, despite the billions of dollars invested in port security since 2001.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/30/us/30domain.html?hp&ex=1167454800&en=7be2b9218a6a3f66&ei=5094&partner=homepage

[razors edge]

1. It didn't work.

We need more money.

Lather, Rinse, Repeat.

[babylonsister]

2. Whoa. The CG falls under DHS; blaming both is inaccurate and

misleading. Who bought the radar, was it what the CG wanted or the lowest bidder who got the contract?

Disclaimer: I love the CG and will always try to protect them.

[madrchsod]

3. the cg got screwed over by the homeland bullshit

i used to get a naval magazine and the articles were nothing but negative about what was happening to the cg. yes they got screwed over big time...do you feel safer now?

[babylonsister]

4. They sure did. They used to fall under the Dept. of Trans. No more. nt

[Sirveri]

7. I thought they used to be DoD?

[babylonsister]

8. Never. The USCG was under the Dept. of Transportation.

It was always Army, Navy, Marines, and Air Force under DoD, CG was DOT.

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

11. Only since the Johnson power grab in 1967

Before that, and where the USCG belongs is in Treasury with Customs and the Secret Service. You are correct they were never DOD, but they were under the War Department several times... Civil War, WWI and WWII.

[Virginian]

10. I haven't felt safer since...

The CG doesn't require security clearances of people who know where the assets are allocated.

They hired an H-1b dependent company to maintain their financial system.
Inventory of Assets and where they are assigned is a part of the financial package.

Any programmer who makes changes to forms or reports needs query privileges to test the changes before they go into production.
The DBA has added several layers of passwords to keep CG employees out of the same data that the H-1b programmers have free access to. It makes the CG feel their data is secure. The only thing that is secure is the DBA's job.

CG also didn't want to go under Homeland Security because DHS wanted accounting to be the same for all.

[kineneb]

5. CG actually serve us

we have a Loran station near by and got to go on a tour there... they didn't sound really enthusiastic about being moved to DHS...

if it were me allocating funds, they would get lots more than they currently receive...

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

6. The "effort" is falling short?

Or the profits for the BFEE?

[crickets]

9. ding!ding!ding! Winnah! nt