On Dec. 15, New York State Senator Michael A. L. Balboni (R-C, Mineola) announced the allocation of $1.5 million in state startup funds to create the New York State Strategic Center for Port and Maritime Security, including first of their kind programs designed to increase port and shipping security, at SUNY Maritime in the Bronx.

"Based on a statewide series of homeland security public hearings we recently completed, the need to bolster port security was clearly identified as a major need," said Balboni, chairman of the Senate Committee on Veterans, Homeland Security and Military Affairs. "The initiation of this unique program at SUNY Maritime is a major step towards protecting vital shipping interests in New York and across the nation and is a welcome addition to our ongoing fight against terrorism."

The New York State Strategic Center for Port and Maritime Security, whose primary mission will be to bolster security at ports in the New York metropolitan area, will focus on four major port and maritime activities: research and development on security and supply chain integrity systems; security education and training - including a first-in-the-nation master's degree and certificate programs in port and maritime security; testing and evaluating new security solutions; and security policy research.

Of the $1.5 million in funding to establish the center, $1 million provided by the Senate will be used to hire personnel, identify projects and begin specialized training and research. The remaining $500,000 in startup funding, provided by SUNY, will supply personnel, materials and in-kind support. The funds will be used in conjunction with a $1.7 million commitment from federal sources for material and equipment, including a 260-foot vessel secured earlier this year that will house the center on the SUNY Maritime Campus.

In order to keep the center in operation on an ongoing basis beyond this initial startup funding, the SUNY Research Foundation has outlined a plan to secure additional funding from private enterprise and federal grants, including funds available through the 2002 Maritime Transportation Antiterrorism Act.

The new initiative received praise from the leader of the State Senate, as well as the governor. "This funding represents a commitment to maintaining New York's place as a leader in effective and innovative homeland security efforts, and I am hopeful it will become the preeminent facility for port and maritime security issues in the nation," Senator Majority Leader Joseph Bruno (R-C, Brunswick) said. "By investing in this type of border and transportation security research, we are contributing to the efficient, reliable flow of people, goods and services while preventing terrorism and other forms of criminal activity from damaging our citizens, nation and economy."

"This new initiative at SUNY Maritime represents another step forward in the ongoing effort to protect New York's ports and shipping facilities from acts of terror," Governor George Pataki said. "New York State continues to play the role as the nation's leader in terms of developing and implementing innovative homeland security strategies."

The new port security initiative is a joint partnership among SUNY Maritime, Stony Brook University and Brookhaven National Laboratory. The program will focus on the following major areas of study:

* Security and Supply Chain Integrity Research

The center will be able to develop a research and development branch to

explore new technologies for container and cargo tracking, monitoring and inspection, enhanced wireless communications and interrogation systems, and container fingerprinting in an effort to improve efficiency and security.

* Security Education and Training

The center will use its academic and professional maritime and port security experts to develop and disseminate multiple first-in-the-nation maritime security programs for individual, industry and government utilization, including undergraduate and master's degree programs; a certificate program in port security preparedness and response; crisis management drills; and security awareness training.

* New Security Solutions

The center will help initiate and coordinate testing and evaluation of new security solutions for suitability, viability, sustained performance, interoperability and end-to-end solutions in conjunction with the private sector, the nation's principal provider of good and services.

* Security Policy Research

The center will conduct strategic studies and projects to help government and industry leaders meet critical security challenges, as well as launching global efforts with the international community in an effort to balance maritime speed, efficiency and security in the post-September 11th world.