There are about 20 million sea-going shipping containers in the world that make about 200 million trips per year. In one of its first programs to enhance transportation security after 9/11, DHS established the Container Security Initiative (CSI). CSI evaluates data on each container bound for the United States and determines which might represent a potential risk that warrants further investigation. The U.S. works with other countries to inspect the high-risk containers before they are loaded on ships and sent to the United States. This efficient process requires physically scanning 2–3 percent of inbound containers. This has minimal impact of moving global trade, adds a valuable security deterrent, and enables DHS to focus its efforts on the most serious risks.

Section 203(b) of the Security and Accountability for Every Port Act (SAFE Port Act) of 2006 states that the Secretary of Homeland Security “shall require the electronic transmission to the Department of additional data elements for improved high-risk targeting, including appropriate elements of entry data to be provided as advanced information with respect to cargo destined for importation into the United States prior to loading of such cargo on vessels at foreign ports.” The information required is that which is reasonably necessary to enable high-risk shipments to be identified so as to prevent smuggling and ensure cargo safety and security pursuant to the laws enforced and administered by CBP. In addition, section 343(a) of the Trade Act of 2002 states that the Secretary of Homeland Security “shall promulgate regulations providing for the transmission … of information pertaining to cargo destined for importation into the United States.”

In January, DHS issued the Notice of Proposed Rule Making called the Importer Security Filing (ISF) and Additional Carrier Requirements. The proposed rule, which was developed by CBP in coordination with the trade, including consultation with the Departmental Advisory Committee on Commercial Operations of U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Related Homeland Security Functions (COAC), represents an important component of DHS’s evolving layered strategy for securing the cargo supply chain from terrorist-related activities.