Quote:
Originally posted by likwid
So you're saying we're impervious to another terrorist attack?
I suppose "Homeland Security" is now patrolling our shores 24/7 to stop any foreign flagged ship from coming in and inspecting every single one?
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Yes, this is true.
All foreign flagged vessels entering US ports are boarded, inspected and cleared or turned away. I am not saying this is fool-proof. Some vessels are inspected prior to departing their port of origin. If you have a panamanian flagged, japanese owed container vessel that carries 2500 containers not every container will be open. But those vessels are checked at their port of origin. Good luck trying to bring a vessel into the US from India or Pakistan. Is it fool-proof? No, but it's 300% more than we were doing before 9/11. Our intel services have changed the way that they think as well.
After the Cole incident, the Navy started taking "force protection" really seriously. It is now illegal in US waters to close a US warship closer than 100 yards without 1st communicating with us. Will we shoot you ? not right away, but there will be a security boat with weapons talking to you, or you might get pulled over by the coasties. Is it fool-proof, no, but if you break our security zone, there will be action and they escalate to deadly force.