Maritime Shipping Container Security and the Defense Transportation System : Problems and Policy in the 21st Century

The Defense Transportation System (DTS), led by the Military Traffic Management Command (MTMC), depends on the commercial maritime industry to provide movement of supplies and equipment around the world. The maritime shipping container is a critical asset in providing for this logistical support to the war fighter abroad. These 20- or 40-foot containers have become the backbone of the maritime industry, and will continue to proliferate as global commerce continues to expand. While the growth in the use of maritime shipping containers in the 2lst century has accelerated the nation's economic trade substantially, it may also have become a significant problem. Containers are an indispensable but vulnerable link in the chain of global trade; approximately 90 percent of the world's cargo moves by container. Because of DoD's dependency on the man time industry and these containers, it will and must continue to ride the wave of commercial practices, specifically in pursuit of better security throughout the man time industry. In the wake of September 11, 2001, and with the new threats of WMD, the maritime shipping container may become a weapons delivery system. This thesis documented the need for security improvements for the maritime shipping container in protecting global commerce and DoD cargo shipments. Comprehensive reviews of government reports, books, articles, and Internet based materials, as well as interviews with MTMC personnel, have indicated that DoD is taking a series of measures to meet these challenges. DoD's Defense Transportation System and the commercial maritime industry will be challenged and tested by new policy requirements. MTMC has already adopted new business processes, cargo manifest requirements, and technological innovations that assure customers in-transit visibility and total asset visibility (ITV/TAV) , including the Intelligent Road-Rail Information Server (IRRIS) system.Naval Postgraduate School Monterey CA is the author of 'Maritime Shipping Container Security and the Defense Transportation System : Problems and Policy in the 21st Century', published 2003 under ISBN 9781423547846 and ISBN 1423547845.