WASHINGTON—After over two and a half years of collaboration with the trade community, U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Customs Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (CTPAT) program has finalized its review and update of its Minimum Security Criteria (MSC).
Early in 2016, CBP formally requested the Commercial Customs Operations Advisory Committee (COAC) to establish a Working Group (WG) in order to discuss and recommend updates to the program’s MSC. CTPAT’s MSC required updating to ensure that it is reflective of the current supply chain environment and the threats that the global supply chain faces today. Once established, the WG, made up of 50 individuals from both the private and public sector, worked diligently to discuss the updates.
This collaboration produced a series of MSC booklets, one for each business entity type eligible for CTPAT membership. The booklets address both the eligibility requirements and the MSC for each of the twelve entities in CTPAT. These booklets have been uploaded to the CTPAT Portal and will soon be uploaded to the CTPAT website as well (cbp.gov/ctpat). Members are expected to implement the new criteria throughout the remainder of calendar year 2019 and validations on the new MSC will begin in early 2020.
The CTPAT MSC WG, dismantled after completing its update, was comprised of individuals representing the equities and interests of the entire supply chain spectrum. It was made up of representatives from current CTPAT companies in good standing, including importers, exporters, sea carriers, and customs brokers. It also included representatives from major trade organizations and associations, such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce; the World Shipping Council; the Transported Asset Protection Association; the International Air Transportation Association; the World Business Alliance for Secure Commerce; the British Standards Institute; the Supplier Compliance Audit Network; Airlines for America; and Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg.
CBP’s goal is to establish a holistic approach to ensuring the security of the supply chain – and an approach that better reflects CBP’s overall mission. To that end, issues related to cybersecurity, the protection of the supply chain from agricultural contaminants and pests, the prevention of money laundering and terrorism financing, and the proper use and management of security technology, such as intrusion alarms and security camera systems, have been incorporated into the program’s new criteria. CTPAT will continue to engage its membership and the trade community at large to educate and socialize the new security requirements.