The Customs Trade Partnership Against Terrorism is an ambitious program that has far-reaching effects on the maquila industry. The following summarizes Customs and Border Protection’s plan.

    On Sept. 11, 2001, combating the threat of terrorism became CBP’s number one priority. 9/11 required CBP to understand that the United States is not immune to terrorist attacks carried out by global terrorists. One of the best means to prevent further terrorist attacks is to use border authorities to make it more difficult for terrorists or terrorist weapons to enter the United States to carry out attacks.

    Under CBP’s layered, defense-in-depth strategy against terrorism, C-TPAT is the CBP initiative that partners, on a voluntary basis, with members of the trade community. CBP and willing members of the trade community collaborate to better secure the international supply chain to the United States in support of CBP’s priority Homeland Security mission. C-TPAT is one of CBP’s initiatives that help the agency achieve its twin goals: security and facilitation of trade moving into the United States.

    CBP’s strategy relies on a multilayered approach consisting of the following five goals:

    •Ensure that C-TPAT partners improve the security of their supply chains pursuant to C-TPAT security criteria.

    •Provide incentives and benefits to include expedited processing of C-TPAT shipments to C-TPAT partners.

    •Internationalize the core principles of C-TPAT through cooperation and coordination with the international community.

    •Support other CBP security and facilitation initiatives.

    •Improve administration of the C-TPAT program.

    Further, this strategy aligns with and supports CBP’s Strategic Plan, CBP’s Strategy for Preventing Terrorist Weapons from Entering the United States, the DHS Strategic Plan, the department’s efforts to develop a national strategy for cargo security and the President’s Strategy for Homeland Security.

    To better secure and facilitate the flow of goods into the United States, CBP will ensure that existing and new C-TPAT partners fulfill their commitments by verifying that agreed security measures have been implemented. CBP will also work with its C-TPAT partners to further finalize minimum, applicable supply chain security criteria and security best practices. CBP will send teams of supply chain specialists around the globe, to visit members, their vendors, and vendors’ plants to validate that supply chain security meets C-TPAT minimum security criteria and best practices and that procedures used are reliable, accurate, effective and meet the agreed upon security standards. CBP will continue providing tools and creating incentives for the private sector to join C-TPAT, which is a prerequisite for the Free and Secure Trade (FAST) program and other CBP expedited processing programs.

    CBP’s goals – to ensure that C-TPAT partners improve security of their supply chains while providing incentives and benefits to C-TPAT partners – includes nine key objectives:

Goal 1

    •Certify security profiles and security information provided by C-TPAT partners.

    •Enhance validation selection approach using risk factors, and expand the scope and volume of C-TPAT validations.

    •Formalize the requirements for C-TPAT self-policing tool, and implement the process for the submission of the C-TPAT periodic self-assessment.

    Require participants to engage and leverage all business partners within their supply chains.

Goal 2

    •Develop the C-TPAT secure communication platform.

    •Conduct antiterrorism training seminars and targeted outreach for certified partners and the trade community.

    •Share information and security best practices with the membership.

    •Develop minimum security criteria, especially applicable to point of origin, point of stuffing and smarter, more secure cargo containers.

    •Provide expedited processing benefits to C-TPAT partners.

    C-TPAT builds upon relationships with all segments of the supply chain, both foreign and domestic, to secure the entire supply chain of goods entering the United States. More broadly, it is in the interest of the United States, and the protection of global trade more generally, to internationalize C-TPAT’s core principles to the extent possible. This assures greater overall security of global trade, while also facilitating trade from the United States to other nations. Thus, internationalizing C-TPAT will promote supply chain security and facilitate global trade moving to and between all nations. C-TPAT engages many facets of the international trade community and will continue partnering with these multi-national corporations. In addition, C-TPAT will develop global security standards while working with other nations and their customs administrations, the international law enforcement community, international organizations and the international trade community.

    CBP’s goal – to internationalize C-TPAT through cooperation and coordination with the international community – includes four key objectives:

    •Partner with the international trade community to help secure global supply chains.

    •Partner with individual customs administrations to improve the coordination of mutual antiterrorism efforts.

    •Support the work of the World Customs Organization to develop a WCO sponsored framework to secure and facilitate global trade that recognizes customs-private sector partnerships.

    •Coordinate with international organizations to improve the security and integrity requirements of their membership.

    There are a number of programs and initiatives, within CBP and DHS that C-TPAT supports either directly or indirectly. CBP will continue to assist programs and initiatives that help secure and speed the flow of goods into the country. CBP’s goal – to support CBP and DHS security initiatives – includes four key objectives:

    •Support the implementation and expansion of the Free and Secure Trade (FAST) program.

    •Support the development and implementation of a more secure and smarter container.

    •Support and complement CBP’s Container Security Initiative.

    •Support other CBP and DHS antiterrorism initiatives.

    C-TPAT will continue building a strong, modern management infrastructure. This includes effective utilization of human resources, training, information technology, financial management and performance measures.

    CBP’s goal – to modernize and expand the C-TPAT program – includes three key objectives:

    •Implement the C-TPAT human capital plan.

    •Expand the structured training program for C-TPAT supply chain specialists.

    •Coordinate with the CBP Modernization Office to enhance C-TPAT’s data collection and information management capabilities.