WASHINGTON — Problems with securing the U.S. land borders with Mexico and Canada get a lot of attention, but a bigger threat to national security lies in the country’s vast maritime borders, where narcotics can easily navigate around security points, experts and senior members of Congress say.
The flow of narcotics is a crime, but also represents a threat to national security because drug trafficking exposes a weakness in the defense of the border, undermining the military’s efforts to secure the safety, economy and environment of the United States.
“Any point of weakness in our border security defense can and will be exploited,” said Rep. Candice Miller, R-Mich., chairwoman of the House Subcommittee on Border and Maritime Security, during a Nov. 19 hearing.
Efforts to curb the illegal activity are underway, although no single standard definition exists for measuring maritime security.
“Maritime security cannot be measured by a single metric. Rather, a secure maritime border is one where ample opportunities and capabilities are present to mitigate threats and keep our communities safe,” Gen. Randolph D. Alles, the assistant commissioner of the Office of Air and Marine at U.S. Customs and Border Protection, recently told the subcommittee.
Miller noted at the Nov. 19 hearing that it is nearly impossible to provide adequate resources and personnel o secure 95,000 miles of coastline and 3.4 million square miles of ocean.
“Due to the vastness of maritime domain, intelligence may be available but we don’t have the assets or personnel capable to respond in time,” she said.
Illegal drug smuggling is the most significant threat to maritime border security, Alles and other experts told the House subcommittee. Panga boats, known for carrying drugs and other illegal substances, can easily circumvent border patrols. There is a known panga event every four days, meaning there are many more boats that are never caught and drugs continue to get smuggled into the U.S., according to Miller.
“In 2013, the San Diego Maritime Domain along the California Coast, had 243 maritime smuggling events and 123 seizures, of which 81 were pangas, accounting for 93,240 pounds of marijuana,” Alles said.
However, Rear Adm. William “Dean” Lee, deputy for operations policy and capabilities for the Coast Guard, said that domestic and international partnerships and other efforts will improve maritime border security.
“From our efforts to expand maritime domain awareness to our international and domestic partnerships, and investments in cutter boat and aircraft recapitalization, the Coast Guard continues to improve maritime border security while facilitating the safe flow of legitimate commerce,” Lee said.
Miller asked whether efforts to use unmanned aerial vehicles – drones – to secure borders have had success. The officials said that widespread drone use to protect maritime borders and many departments are still in the early testing phases.
Capt. Marcus Woodring, the managing director for Health, Safety, Security and Environmental at the Port of Houston Authority, said partnerships are important because of federal budget cuts.
“Within their budgetary constraints, both the U.S. Coast Guard and Customs and Border Protection provide outstanding service at the Port of Houston. They both come to work daily with the mentality that they must keep commerce flowing for the national good, while also enforcing the mandated.”
