Seaport Protection Against Chemical and Biological Attacks

Since the 9/11 attacks, the DHS has increased security measures at airports. On the other hand, it appears on the surface there has been a disregard of seaport protection. The primary question of this thesis is do United States seaports have adequate preventive measures in place to provide early warning to the public? If there are preventive measures in place, will they assist in preventing chemical and/or biological attacks? The ports of Long Beach and Miami were used for a case analysis. Situated on different coasts, these ports have different population sizes and location but similar economic importance and are large enough that information is readily available. The first section analyzed how federal and local governments provide security, oversight responsibility and the application of current doctrine, plans and legislature. Next, analysis was conducted on the utilization of protection measures and current equipment. Finally, included is the role of the federal government in the protection of maritime domain. The case study suggests that both ports examined have met at least some of the seaport protection requirements as set forth in this thesis. The only area in which both ports failed is in the area of budget allocation, specifically dedicating monetary resources toward equipment research and development.