Discussion Questions: This week you have been made aware of a wide range of ashore and afloat maritime training requirements and programs such as CSI and C-TPAT which require qualified members. Based on the current threat and what you have learned this week, what is the biggest gap in the current maritime ashore security and afloat requirements? You can comment on qualifications, exercise requirements and or formal classroom work. Also, comment on the framework for managing and leading a security force and maintaining force competences in port security. The purpose is to stimulate some discussion on the state of ashore and afloat security force management and training.
Articles for weekly assignment:
C-TPAT: Program Overview: https://www.cbp.gov/border-security/ports-entry/ca
CSI in Brief, Container Security Initiative: https://www.cbp.gov/border-security/ports-entry/ca
Maritime Security Training Challenges in the Post ISPS Code and MTSA 2002 World: https://www.gao.gov/assets/650/647999.pdf
Instructions: Fully utilize the materials that have been provided to you in order to support your response. Your initial post should be at least 350 words. Please respond to at least two other students. Responses should be a minimum of 150 words and include direct questions. You may challenge, support or supplement another students answer using the terms, concepts and theories from the required readings. Also, do not be afraid to respectfully disagree where you feel appropriate; as this should be part of your analysis process at this academic level.
Forum posts are graded on timeliness, relevance, knowledge of the weekly readings, and the quality of original ideas. Sources utilized to support answers are to be cited in accordance with the APA writing style by providing a general parenthetical citation (reference the author, year and page number) within your post, as well as an adjoining reference list. Refer to grading rubric for additional details concerning grading criteria.
Student #1 Samuel
This week you have been made aware of a wide range of ashore and afloat maritime training requirements and programs such as CSI and C-TPAT which require qualified members. Based on the current threat and what you have learned this week, what is the biggest gap in the current maritime ashore security and afloat requirements? You can comment on qualifications, exercise requirements and or formal classroom work. Also, comment on the framework for managing and leading a security force and maintaining force competences in port security. The purpose is to stimulate some discussion on the state of ashore and afloat security force management and training.
Every job faces its own challenges. Some are more prominent than others. The first gap in the maritime ashore security I see is training. Training is very easy to let slide only soon to find out your current training program is not effective or outdated. Training is one of those foundational pillars in an organization. It can be the root cause of many issues that an organization is facing. Often time we see we are expected to do more with less. There is more responsibilities and training that is continually expected to be performed. Unfortunately when training is lacking is can come down to people wanting to cut corners, lack of funding or it is simple not adequate.
The framework for managing and leading a port security force is similar to many other professions and job structures. Coming from a military background it is quite the same and force management has been a talking point for many years now with us. We know that not one person or group can handle the many faucets that are required to run an operation. That is why it is broken down into multiple levels each with their own focus. The middle tier or middle managers serve as the liaison between both tiers of front line workers and upper management. Middle management up channels issues from the front line workers when applicable and ensure that the guidance and policies are being followed. Our senior management or top tier works to instill that clear mission for the organization. The last tier or front line workers handle to day to day business of the organization. The front line workers provide valuable insight and feedback into daily operations and possible improvements. These ideas are passed through the chain of command in leadership for approval and implementation. Another key factor that is vital to the livelihood of the organization is the demeanor and tone that is set forth and exemplified by leadership. It is easy to pick out leaders who only care about getting the job done while there are those who also care about the wellbeing of their team.
Sam
Christopher, K. (2015). Port Security Management, 2nd Ed. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press Taylor & Francis Group, (ISBN # 13: 978-1-4200- 6893-1) e-book.
Student #2 Lori
Discussion Questions: This week you have been made aware of a wide range of ashore and afloat maritime training requirements and programs such as CSI and C-TPAT which require qualified members. Based on the current threat and what you have learned this week, what is the biggest gap in the current maritime ashore security and afloat requirements? You can comment on qualifications, exercise requirements and or formal classroom work. Also, comment on the framework for managing and leading a security force and maintaining force competences in port security. The purpose is to stimulate some discussion on the state of ashore and afloat security force management and training.
I believe that the biggest gap in the current maritime ashore security and afloat requirements all stem back to a root, cause, and analysis approach; its a lack of training. This is where it all begins. I feel we do not place enough importance on our own security, regardless the level. In a $7 billion-a-year industry growth explosion, regulations have not been kept current of training requirements for security officers therefore, placing them and our pubic safety, at risk (Kirchner, 2014). I find these kinds of numbers alarming because we expect the officers we place in these key positions, that they are going to automatically know what their roles and responsibilities are. False! There come responsibilities when signing up for these types of duties, this is where foundational requirements must be met to hire for these positions. We dont hire people off the street to be a firefighter with a paper test, they partake in training requirements that are laid out and defined in order for them to become a qualified member of a team.
I feel that these position of being a security guard are down-played because they might be an unarmed position they are seeking for hire. Just because there are not weapons involved for security measures, security requirements still need to be met. This is also true for the Transportation Security Officers that work in every airport, they may not be armed but they are trained to specific criteria and need to pass regular exercises or inject scenarios or they are disqualified and taken off of that duty assignment. So many demerits, you can lose your job. This should also apply to port security whether it is ashore or afloat. Unfortunately, 9/11 happened but if it had not, where would security measures be today? Because of 9/11, the Maritime Transportation Security Act of 2002 raised the bar for security measure, land and sea (Thomas, 2005). Although these types of measures are costly, I believe they are worth the money of preventing such horrific attacks that have the potential to create catastrophic economic events if a port or vessel attack were to be carried out. In devising these plans for prevention, there comes a level of training. The key personnel that are assigned to these plans need be familiar with them as they train to them on a continuous timeline. Training is key for people to be aware and successful in their core competencies.
Reference
Kirchner, L. (2014, July 1). THE SURPRISINGLY LAX OVERSIGHT OF THE SECURITY GUARD INDUSTRY. Retrieved from https://apus.intelluslearning.com/lti/#/document/1
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Thomas, L. (2005, August 24). Maritime FSOs: The New Breed of Homeland-Security Professionals. Retrieved from https://www.domesticpreparedness.com/preparedness/
