By Shelia Watson
Contributing Writer

U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R–S.C., has proposed legislation that would expand Project Seahawk, the port-security effort launched in Charleston three years ago, into several other ports across the nation.

The Project Seahawk Implementation Act of 2006 (S. 3542), introduced June 21, 2006, would create or designate a location as an interagency operational center for maritime and port security in each geographic region designated as a Coast Guard sector.

The centers would be modeled on the Charleston Harbor Operations Center, also known as Project Seahawk. The purpose of the centers would be to facilitate operational coordination, interagency cooperation and intelligence information sharing to provide greater protection for port and intermodal transportation systems against acts of terrorism.

Benchmarking

Project Seahawk was created as a benchmark project to enhance the protection, security and infrastructure of the nation’s seaports.

The nation’s first port security command and control center, the project is administered by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of South Carolina and is focused on the Port of Charleston, the second largest container port on the East Coast and the seventh largest in the nation.

Billed as a comprehensive effort to coordinate the port security responsibilities of the various federal, state, local, and private entities charged with defending the Port of Charleston, Project Seahawk brings together agencies such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, U.S. Coast Guard, Transportation Security Administration, South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, local law enforcement, the South Carolina State Ports Authority, as well as other federal, state and local agencies, under one command center.

“All these agencies have different sources of information and databases,” said Al Johnson, director of the National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center–Southeast Division, the technology partner to Project Seahawk. “We try to unify that information to create a cohesive picture to determine what threats exist and respond appropriately.”

Funding challenges

Despite its importance, funding for the project has not always been smooth sailing.

The project began in March 2003 with $9 million in funding from the Department of Justice. Other funds were appropriated over the years for everything from renovating and equipping the command center to testing existing equipment used to screen cargo for radioactive materials and chemical and biological weapons to purchasing the latest computer hardware, software and communications infrastructure.

The SPA also received money for Project Seahawk, including grants for items such as video surveillance upgrades at three container terminals in Charleston, lighting enhancements and access control at the Wando Welch Terminal, a high-tech patrol boat, fencing, access control systems, video surveillance and a central monitoring system.

The South Carolina Research Authority also was allotted more than $3 million in federal funds in this year’s budget to support port security initiatives being coordinated by Project Seahawk.

However, earlier this year, the Department of Justice, which oversees Project Seahawk through the U.S. Attorney’s Office, had proposed canceling $27 million in appropriations earmarked for the counterterrorism program, according to a document outlining the agency’s major budget cuts.

In March, Graham worked to secure unanimous Senate support for the project. Graham’s budget amendment restored the full funding of $27 million to keep the project operating in Charleston.

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