[carolinacrazy]

So they don't delegate any responsibilities at all to the companies operating the ports, nor rely on them for backup? Homeland Security has enough personnel to make sure that everything is properly inspected and secured?

Nope to the first.

I don't believe we are doing enough at the ports, but this agreement has nothing to do with it.

[inquest]

I don't believe we are doing enough at the ports, but this agreement has nothing to do with it.

If the customs agencies aren't doing enough to maintain port security, then that would have to mean that they're implicitly delegating to the people operating the port to do the rest, would it not? Even if they're not explicitly delegating this power, it still could only mean that they're relying on the operators.

Let's take a worst-case scenario, and say that the operations company was owned by a government that truly is hostile towards us and wants to hurt us. Even though none of that country's citizens or agents would be anywhere near the facilities, and the longshoremen would all be unionized Archie Bunker-types, and everyone else who worked there had to go through the proper security screening, would it still put us at a disadvantage in any way?