The Federal Bureau of Investigation's Efforts to Protect the Nation's Seaports
(Redacted and Unclassified)

Audit Report 06-26
March 2006
Office of the Inspector General

Objectives The primary objectives of the audit were to determine: (1) the FBI’s roles, responsibilities, and capabilities for preventing and responding to terrorist attacks in the maritime domain, including U.S. seaports; and (2) the extent and effectiveness of FBI interagency coordination, planning, assistance, and investigation to help ensure maritime domain security. Scope and Methodology The audit was performed in accordance with the Government Auditing Standards, and included tests and procedures necessary to accomplish the audit objectives. We conducted field work at the FBI’s headquarters in Washington, D.C., facility in Quantico, Virginia, and Baltimore, Maryland, field office. In addition, we also conducted work at the Washington, D.C., headquarters of the DOJ and Coast Guard. We interviewed officials from the FBI, DOJ, Coast Guard, and CBP. We also interviewed officials from state and county law enforcement in Maryland. The FBI officials we interviewed were from the CTD, the CIRG, Directorate of Intelligence, and the Baltimore field office. We also reviewed documents related to the FBI’s Maritime Liaison Agent program initiative, Maritime Security Program, intelligence requirements and collection sets, intelligence products, response capability, and organizational structures. In addition, we reviewed relevant laws, directives, national plans, congressional testimony, and prior OIG and GAO reports. To determine the FBI’s roles, responsibilities, and capabilities for preventing and responding to terrorist attacks in the maritime domain, we reviewed federal statutes, national directives, and memoranda of understanding pertaining to terrorism and to maritime authority. We examined the FBI’s maritime-related counterterrorism efforts by reviewing existing FBI maritime program and capability documents and interviewing FBI officials. We also reviewed the FBI’s threat data and intelligence products concerning maritime terrorism. In addition, we visited the Baltimore field office to observe maritime training and interview officials regarding the FBI’s interagency cooperation and maritime response capabilities. While at the Baltimore field office, we observed FBI maritime training involving the Baltimore SWAT team and the Hostage Rescue Team. To determine the extent and effectiveness of FBI interagency coordination, planning, assistance, and investigation to help ensure maritime domain security, we interviewed FBI, Coast Guard, and CBP officials. We interviewed FBI officials to learn about its maritime initiatives, efforts at interagency cooperation, and information sharing with maritime partners. We reviewed FBI participation in maritime terrorism-related exercises. In addition, we interviewed Coast Guard headquarters officials, Coast Guard Investigative Service officials assigned to the National Joint Terrorism Task Force and the Baltimore Joint Terrorism Task Force, and Maryland state and county law enforcement officials to assess their working relationships with the FBI, including information sharing and interagency cooperation.