There continues to be a leadership vacuum in the area of domestic cargo security within the United States.  Despite noble efforts over the past few years, the government is not adequately focused on the issue and the security profession is not well organized in our approach to the problem.  Losses due to cargo theft continue to mount (although attaining accurate statistics is part of the problem).   Attempts by groups such as the SC-ISAC (which seeks to share information and statistics) and the recently announced Cargo Net initiative (designed to track and share cargo theft data with law enforcement) do provide rays of hope.  The fact remains that our approach to the issue remains fragmented.  The good news is that the losses that occur within the border of the U.S. remain largely financial in nature.  Our neighbors to the south are experiencing difficulties that are significantly more violent in nature. 

With the expansion of C-TPAT to Mexican truck carriers and manufacturers in recent years, the focus on anti-smuggling tactics and conveyance security has markedly improved within Mexico.  Greater partnership between supply chain partners and the authorities have resulted in a significant increase in the seizure of illicit goods and narcotics at the southern border.  An assumption can be made that there has been a reduction in the viability of criminal enterprises to use commercial supply chains as a conduit for their nefarious intentions.  This improvement in security tactics has unfortunately come at a very high price in some instances, however.  While the violence currently being experienced in Mexico may not come as a surprise to anyone who is following President Calderon's war on narco-terrorists, the impact on our brethren in the supply chain community may surprise you.  (more follows...to read or download the entire article please follow the link below)