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USTRANSCOM deploys container security system to better protect U.S. military supply chain

  • Published
  • By U.S. Transportation Command
SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill --  The U.S. Transportation Command recently deployed a container security system, which detects tampering and helps protect military container shipments moving from Afghanistan to Pakistan.

U.S. TRANSCOM introduced the CommerceGuard container security system, provided by GE Security, Inc., a business of GE Enterprise Solutions, to better protect its container shipments.

U.S. TRANSCOM directs and supervises execution of the military supply chain for the Department of Defense. The command required quick action to add high technology intrusion detection and tracking to containers being transported to the port of Karachi in Pakistan.

Realizing the CommerceGuard solution's ease of deployment, GE Security responded immediately to U.S. TRANSCOM's request for a reliable container security solution.
"We're pleased that CommerceGuard is proving effective for U.S. TRANSCOM. Within three weeks of receiving their call, we were able to get reliable container intrusion detection deployed in the Afghanistan-Pakistan trade lane," said Randy Koch, CommerceGuard president and CEO.

The system provides shipment security throughout the supply chain.

U.S. TRANSCOM contractors use CommerceGuard handheld readers at specific checkpoints in the supply chain to read container security devices on the command's containers. The devices report the security status of each container, alerting U.S. TRANSCOM if doors have been opened without authorization. Logistics managers can use the data to determine when and where containers were opened.

U.S. military personnel mount the container security devices inside the container doors when the containers are filled with supplies, then use a handheld reader to arm the devices for shipment.

"In addition to heightening our security measures with intrusion alerts, the data made available through the CommerceGuard global information network adds efficiency to our processes by confirming that our containers are secure throughout this vital supply chain. This allows our supported commanders to focus their attention on operations," said Vice Adm. Ann Rondeau, U.S. TRANSCOM vice commander. "We have been pleased with the quick deployment, ease of use, and effectiveness of this system."

The CommerceGuard container security system is commercially used by shippers today and fixed readers are deployed at more than 20 leading seaports around the world. It is available through a global business collaboration consisting of GE Security, Mitsubishi Corporation, Samsung C and T Corporation, and Siemens Building Technologies.

GE Security, Mitsubishi Corporation, Samsung C and T Corporation and Siemens Building Technologies jointly own the CommerceGuard container security solution. CommerceGuard features the first market-ready container security device that is located inside an intermodal cargo container and registers door openings. The container security device communicates with fixed and handheld readers to send alerts of security breaches and to record shipment status in the CommerceGuard Information Network, where data is accessed at no additional charge by customers and government officials from any place in the world.