Port security

AAPA: $4 billion needed to protect ports, supply chain security

The American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA) has identified nearly $4 billion in "crucial" port and supply chain security needs over the next decade, according to a new report.

In the fourth edition of its "The State of Freight" report, the AAPA recommends refocusing the Federal Emergency Management Agency's Port Security Grant Program to "better meet the security infrastructure needs of publicly owned commercial seaports and related maritime operations," AAPA officials said in a press release.

The AAPA's recommendations include funding $2.6 billion in maintenance and upgrades to port security equipment and systems, and another $1.3 billion for investments to address cybersecurity, active shooter, drone mitigation, resiliency and other evolving security threats.

Although the federal government invests $100 million annually in the grant program, security threats at ports keep changing, AAPA officials said.