Through C-TPAT, CBP is able to push security enhancements internationally and reach the two most vulnerable links in any supply chain: the “point of stuffing” of the container, and the movement of the container from the point of stuffing to the port of export. If a container is to be compromised and something illicit introduced into the cargo—be it a weapon of mass effect, illegal contraband or inadmissible aliens—it is more likely to occur at one of these two points.

If terrorists were to exploit even a single container, the disruption to trade and national economies could be enormous. In May 2002, the Brookings Institute estimated that costs associated with United States port closures from a detonated terrorist weapon could amount to $1 trillion from the resulting economic slump and changes in our ability to trade.

There are currently 6,100 certified members in C-TPAT, accounting for 45 percent of the value and volume of the cargo entering the United States. Membership is based on security practices and passing vetting through CBP’s law enforcement and trade databases.

Due to increased staffing, improved validation approaches and automated data collection tools, the level of validations completed has jumped significantly. Currently, 45 percent of all certified members have been validated (up from only 8 percent in January of 2005), and this percentage will increase to 65 percent by the end of calendar year 2006. By 2007, 100 percent of all certified members will be validated, and CBP will begin re-validating members to ensure that security measures found during the initial visit have remained intact and are used consistently.

The C-TPAT program also has undertaken a stronger enforcement posture. The agency suspends or removes members from the program who have misled CBP as to their security measures, or whose security is so lax as to allow the supply chain to be breached, as evidenced by a narcotics or human smuggling incident at the port of entry. Over 100 companies have been suspended or removed in the past year.

The program’s workforce also has increased significantly over the past 12 months. Currently, CBP employs 125 supply chain security specialists, up from 38 a year ago, who work from C-TPAT field offices in Miami, New York, Newark, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. Further recruitment continues.

Supply chain security specialists travel extensively to parts of the world that may have had terrorist attacks in the past, and could have similar attacks in the future, in order to assess the security of a particular supply chain. These foreign validations ascertain if a member is employing effective security measures and practices throughout their international supply chains, and thus is eligible for reduced cargo inspections and lower risk assessment scores. Thus far in 2006, C-TPAT supply chain security specialists have traveled to Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Cambodia, Vietnam, Oman, Jordan, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Bangladesh, Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, Kenya, South Africa, Zambia, Mexico, Canada and elsewhere.