Annapolis, MD, May 19, 2005 -- Though cargo security remain the central words in its name, keynoters at International Cargo Security Council''s annual conference early this week devoted much of their talks to terrorist attacks via the global supply-chain.
"We should step back and examine where we are vulnerable, look at how we can shore up and strengthen our economic immune system, such as the networks for moving containerized cargo around the world," said Stephen Flynn, author of the national bestseller, America the Vulnerable, and inaugural occupant of the Jeanne Kirkpatrick Chair in National Security Studies at the Council of Foreign Relations.
"A weapon of mass destruction smuggled into our country in a cargo container could be the next 9/11. The bad guys watched and learned how we reacted after the last attack by grounding all aviation. They could generate massive economic and societal disruption if they succeed at spooking us into closing our borders and ports to all incoming containers."
One chapter in Flynn''s book is a 19-pg fictional account of an al Queda attack on several U.S. cities with WMD-laden containers, which so disrupts global supply chains that the U.S. and global economies go into a freefall.
The 400 ICSC conferees also heard from keynoter Dale Watson, former head of the FBI Counter Terrorism Division, a principal at Booz Allen Hamilton, Global Strategic Security Practice.
"Why were we attacked? We''re a land of immigrants, all from somewhere else. That''s a good thing but with that comes vulnerability. On 9/11, 19 terrorists attacked us. We knew there were more but we didn''t know where they were," Watson said.
"We are vulnerable for two other reasons: the world has gotten smaller -- more travel, we''re more open and as business expands, we are more vulnerable. We are the most free nation in the world -- a Constitution, a Bill of Rights. If we wanted to secure our borders or be a police state, we could, but we won''t because we are a free nation," he added.
Thirty-four other speakers and panelists presented technological and best-practices solutions to deter cargo theft and terrorism during the May 15-17 Orlando, FL conference. ICSC says the U.S. economy takes an annual $18 billion hit by cargo thieves.