GAO: Vessel Tracking Still Needs Improvement
April 16, 2009 (WASHINGTON) – Today, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) issued a report requested by Rep. Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), Chairman of the Committee on Homeland Security, and Rep. Peter T. King (R-NY), Ranking Member of the Committee on Homeland Security, entitled Maritime Security - Vessel Tracking Systems Provide Key Information, But the Need to Duplicate Data Should be Reviewed (GAO-09-337).
The report finds that while the Coast Guard has many tools at its disposal for tracking vessels, many newer technologies are facing delays and may not prove to be effective in thwarting attacks from smaller vessels. Similarly, the report finds that the Coast Guard has not coordinated the Long Range Identification and Tracking (LRIT) System and the commercial long-range Automatic Identification System (AIS), resulting in a potential duplication of information.
Chairman Thompson released the following statement with the release of the report:
“With piracy on the rise, past terrorist attacks targeting Mumbai last year and the USS Cole in 2000, the Coast Guard should use everything at its disposal to track vessels at sea as effectively and efficiently as possible. New technologies must be coordinated correctly to ensure that even the smallest vessels can be tracked.”
Ranking Member King released the following statement:
“It remains vital that the Department of Homeland Security utilize a risk-based approach to effectively track maritime vessel traffic in order to identify terrorist threats to our nation. This report is helpful in identifying the possibility that our various tracking systems may be duplicative. I will continue to work with Chairman Thompson and DHS to ensure that the tracking systems we utilize provide efficient, effective security for our maritime transportation system and that we expand our capabilities to monitor small vessels that could pose a threat.”
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FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Chairman Thompson: Dena Graziano or Adam Comis at (202) 225-9978
