Port Security Exercises and Training: A Formidable Curriculum

As explained on the U.S. Transportation Security Agency’s website, PortSTEP (the Port Security Training and Exercise Program) was established as a partnership with the U.S. Coast Guard to improve “the intermodal transportation industry’s ability to prepare for and contend with a Transportation Security Incident.” The program is in that context a response to the requirements set forth in the Maritime Transportation Security Act of 2002, which set a goal of conducting of at least 40 port-security training exercises between August 2005 and October 2007. As the program nears its end, it is time to look at not only the past but also the future of PortSTEP and other port-security exercise programs. By most accounts, the PortSTEP exercises already completed were successful in meeting their objectives of increasing awareness, improving processes, creating partnerships, and providing the port-incident training needed to improve preparedness for responding to a Transportation Security Incident in a U.S. port. At least part of this success comes from combining PortSTEP with the U.S. Coast Guard’s Area Maritime Security Training and Exercise program, or AMStep.   

The latter program was created to exercise the Area Maritime Security Plans developed for U.S. ports to meet mandates postulated in the Maritime Transportation Security Act.  Combining the two exercise programs helped port Area Maritime Security Committees look beyond the maritime transportation system and consider its interdependence with surface transportation systems such as railroad and highway networks.   

PREP, STEPs, and Major Concepts In addition to PortSTEP and AMStep, the longstanding national Preparedness and Response Exercise Program (PREP) has offered port-area first responders a means for jointly exercising their plans for All three types of exercises have been conducted simultaneously to provide a comprehensive view of a transportation security incident that would involve decision makers as well as on-site operating personnel responding to oil spills and releases of hazardous materials.  

The PREP exercises, developed in conjunction with other steps postulated by the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 and the subsequent National Contingency Plan, introduced port responders to the Incident Command System and to the concept of unified command (both of which are incorporated into the National Incident Management System, or NIMS). PREP not only laid the groundwork but also served as the model for both PortSTEP and AMStep.  

Not surprisingly, all three types of exercises have been conducted simultaneously in a few ports to provide a more comprehensive view of a transportation security incident that would involve decision makers as well as on-site operating personnel in all phases of a simulated incident ranging from initial response to and through the consequence-mitigation and recovery phases. The 2006 Security and Accountability For Every Port Act – better known as the SAFE Port Act – has added significantly to the exercise requirements mandated by the Maritime Transportation Act.  The SAFE Port Act includes requirements for both a Port Security Training Program and a Port Security Exercise Program.  Both programs are tied to preparedness for response to and recovery from accidental, natural, or intentional incidents at facilities regulated under the Maritime Transportation Security Act.  A notable element of the training program is the requirement to educate and train individual citizens living and/or working in neighborhoods around the facilities.   

Realism+Consistency=Enhanced Preparedness 

Perhaps the most significant component of the overall exercise program is its stated purpose of “testing and evaluating the capabilities of” public and private-sector responders.  This is a significant change from previous exercise programs, which were designed primarily to evaluate the supported plans, but not necessarily the responders themselves.  

Other significant requirements for the exercise program include: the need for realism, the use of clear and consistent performance measures, periodic assessments to learn and share best practices, and a formal remedial action program (to promote and ensure the adoption of best practices).  

 The SAFE Port Act goes on to make the conduct of  (a) port-wide exercises, (b) exercises to strengthen terrorism preparedness, and (c) the conduct of preparedness training all eligible for funding under the Port Security Grant Program. The Coast Guard recognized the need to strengthen its exercise program in its own fiscal year 2007 budget statement, which called for establishing a new Area Maritime Security Exercise program.   The provision of sufficient funding, combined with the issuance of new regulatory requirements, should significantly improve upon current exercise programs, enhancing not only preparedness per se, but also the ability to measure preparedness in the post-PortSTEP era.

Joseph DiRenzo III

Dr. Joseph DiRenzo III is a retired Coast Guard officer. He's visiting fellows at the Joint Forces Staff College. He has written extensively on maritime security issues. Any opinions expressed in the preceding article represent their own views and are not necessarily the official views of the U.S. Coast Guard.

Christopher Doane

Christopher Doane and Dr. Joseph DiRenzo III are retired Coast Guard officers and visiting fellows at the Joint Forces Staff College. Both of them have written extensively on maritime security issues. Any opinions expressed in the preceding article represent their own views and are not necessarily the official views of the U.S. Coast Guard.

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