REMARKS FOR
THE HONORABLE NORMAN Y. MINETA
SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION
KINGS POINT CLUB OF WASHINGTON
WASHINGTON, D.C.
JUNE 6, 2002
1 PM
Thank you for that kind introduction, Lennis, and thank you for inviting me here to share a few thoughts about the post-September 11th world we all live in.
I have a close affiliation with our United States Merchant Marine Academy, and I am proud of how the Academy serves our country. For many years, I served on the Board of Advisors for the Academy’s Global Maritime and Transportation School, which all of you know as GMATS.
During that time, I came to understand the vital role
that Kings Point plays in our national defense, in providing merchant marine
officers, as well as outstanding leadership for our nation’s maritime and
intermodal transportation system.
Kings Point has a prestigious history of service to the
Nation – so it was no surprise to me when I learned that the Academy responded
instantly to the attacks on September 11th by dispatching a fleet of
vessels to New York City.
When those first vessels headed to lower Manhattan, the
Twin Towers were still standing, wounded, with smoke billowing from their pores.
Crews from commercial vessels and Kings Point watched in horror as those
wounds became fatal and the towers collapsed.
Merchant Mariners at the helms of those vessels didn’t
know if this was the beginning or the end of the attacks on our Nation.
Not knowing whether they would return, the crews kept going, heading
straight for the war zone.
It was the bravery of the Academy’s students and staff,
and the rest of the maritime community that evacuated as many as a million
people in just a few hours time. This
is a truly amazing feat when you realize that only about 175,000 people
commute to Manhattan by water each day.
For nine days, faculty, staff, and midshipmen from the Academy served alongside the Coast Guard and the Fire Department of New York. The logistics of this disaster were daunting. Services ranged from morgue duty to refueling fire trucks to helping pump water for the fire trucks to douse the smoldering Towers.
I want to thank those who responded so quickly, so bravely,
and so completely. Thank you for
keeping this spirit of service alive, and please know that President Bush, the
American public and I could not be prouder of any group.
Because of the ruthless terrorist attacks last September,
America has entered a new era in transportation. Now, Kings Point will play an even greater role in
safeguarding our nation’s intermodal transportation system.
At the Department of Transportation, we have worked
literally day and night for the last nine months to prevent terrorists and other
criminals from ever again using any facet of our transportation system as a
weapon.
Kings Point’s own Captain Bill Schubert, the Maritime
Administrator, along with other key Kings Point MARAD personnel, such as Tom
Harrelson, Ed Fitzgerald, and Lennis Fludd, have been helping me to improve the
security of our maritime infrastructure. And
Captain Chris McMahon, the Director of GMATS, has served as my Special Assistant
since last Fall.
Before September 11th, we at DOT viewed
transportation security as one of our strategic goals.
After September 11th, it became the overarching goal.
President Bush directed us to build a transportation
security system that will provide a strong defense against all external threats.
At the same time, the President expects us to develop an efficient
approach to transportation security, one that avoids unnecessary and
unreasonable obstacles to legitimate trade and travel.
To address security immediately after the horrific attacks
of September 11th, I established the National Infrastructure Security Committee,
or NISC, within the Department of Transportation.
The NISC is made up of six basic direct action groups each focusing on a
different mode of transportation.
During the fall, these direct action groups evaluated our security infrastructure and recommended many improvements that have been implemented.
Through the NISC, we are also in the process of
developing an identification card for all transportation workers.
This card, using smart card technology, will serve to restrict access to
secure transportation facilities.
We are also in the process of creating a new Transportation
Information Operations Center that will provide greatly improved communications
between the transportation industry, the Department of Transportation, and key
federal agencies.
In December, the NISC created an interagency container
working group that is tasked with improving the security of the six million
marine containers, eleven million cross border trucks, and two million cross
border rail cars that enter the United States each year.
Co-chaired with the U.S. Customs Service, this group has
more than 150 representatives from various federal agencies as well as
representatives from the private sector.
As a part of its new commitment to security, the Bush Administration worked with Congress and the Department of Transportation to pass the Aviation and Transportation Security Act of 2001. This law makes security for all modes of transportation, for the first time, a responsibility of the Federal Government.
To carry out this critical new responsibility,
Congress created a separate agency within the Department of Transportation.
This new agency is called the Transportation Security Administration, or
TSA. President Bush appointed one
of America’s leading law enforcement professionals, John W. Magaw, to serve as
the first Undersecretary of Transportation Security Administration.
To help with this mission, we
appointed recently retired Coast Guard Commandant James M. Loy to the
post of Deputy Under Secretary for Transportation Security and Chief Operating
Officer of the Transportation Security Administration.
During his 38 years with the Coast Guard, Admiral Loy earned an
international reputation for operational excellence and innovative leadership.
We also hired Rear
Admiral Richard E. Bennis as our new Associate
Under Secretary of Transportation for Maritime and Land Security.
In his new position, Admiral Bennis is helping us address the issues of
intermodal surface transportation security.
Admiral Bennis is a 30-year
veteran of the Coast Guard. In
fact, he led the Coast Guard response in New York Harbor to the September 11th
terrorist attacks.
Before the admirals came on
board, we at the Department of Transportation were already hard at work
addressing maritime issues. For
instance, the Coast Guard has developed a three-year Maritime Security
Plan to further heighten security at our ports.
Last month, the Coast Guard selected TRW to assist with
Port Vulnerability Assessments at America’s most critical commercial and
military seaports. And, the
Maritime Administration, working with Transportation Security Administration and
the Coast Guard, solicited security proposals from public port facilities for
$93 million in competitive grants that we expect to award sometime this month.
In addition, Kings Point is joining the rest of the
Department of Transportation’s efforts in the realm of security.
Captain Schubert is working with Admiral Bennis to provide a flow of
graduating midshipmen who will serve in the Transportation Security
Administration. GMATS will provide
training to TSA personnel as well as security training to maritime professionals
throughout the Nation.
As we move ahead in these uncertain times, the United
States Merchant Marine Academy continues to serve our Nation in many ways.
The Kings Point role in the future of America’s maritime industry and
its security is critical and I am proud to serve as the Academy’s Secretary.
Thank you again for inviting me here today. Now, if anyone has any questions, I’d be happy to take them.
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