Hearings Aren't Helping Ports Deal

Coast Guard concerns about the Dubai Ports World deal surfaced at the outset of the new 45-day review period:

"There are many intelligence gaps, concerning the potential for DPW or P&O assets to support terrorist operations, that precludes an overall threat assessment" of the potential merger, an unclassified Coast Guard intelligence assessment said.

"The breadth of the intelligence gaps also infer potential unknown threats against a large number of potential vulnerabilities," said the half-page assessment. Officials said it was an unclassified excerpt from a larger document.

In a statement, the Coast Guard said the concerns reflected in the excerpt ultimately were addressed and that other U.S. intelligence agencies answered the questions raised. (source)

Since the Coast Guard has front line security responsibility for ports, their concerns carry weight -- and they really show the sorry state of port security as much as they raise concerns about the Dubai deal.

Related Tags: Dubai, UAE, Ports, Bush, Senate Hearings, Coast Guard