CURRENT TOPIC
Agriculture the Next Front?
By
Gary Hickey Sr. Project Manager,
Rick L. Cardin Principal, Cardin & Associates
Abstract
If an army travels on its stomach, then it is safe to conclude that society must also need the massive amount of food that the agriculture industry produces each year.
In this work we will look at agriculture, and the possibility, as well as, the probability of terrorist attacks against agriculture in general and individual sectors in particular. By analyzing the parts first, we will be better able to decide on a program for the whole of the agriculture industry.
After determining the most vulnerable or soft points in the agriculture infrastructure, we will assess the ways America's food supply can be protected. While it is not feasible to turn a ranch, dairy or timberland into a fort bristling with armament, we can and should harden all areas that are possible to upgrade.
Definition
According to Webster's dictionary, Agriculture is defined as "The science, art and business of soil cultivation, crop production, and the raising of livestock." While Agribusiness is defined as "Farming engaged in as big business, including the producing, processing, and distributing of farm products."1 For the purposes of this paper, we will stay with the differences as outlined by Webster.
Agribusiness and agriculture are both considered soft targets. While it is true to presume that parts of each have hard targets incorporated into them, from an overall perspective, they are quite vulnerable to attack.
Current Situation
Even before the attack on the World Trade Center (WTC) in 2001, the possibility of a terrorist type of attack against an Agriculture based target and how to defend against it had been under consideration. Shortly after the attack on the WTC, stories started appearing about terrorist plots to use crop dusters, tanker trucks, as well as other types of vehicles to inflict damage on American soil. Almost two (2) years post 911, we are in the process of hardening our defenses against this style of attack. However, Agriculture and Agribusiness pose an entirely different set of scenarios for those wishing to defend against terrorism.
Strategic Differences and Similarities
The differences between a metropolitan area with its confining streets and dense population and that of an agricultural area with few buildings and vast amounts of space are obvious. What may not be so obvious are the similarities between the two (2) venues.
First, in both areas it does not take a large number of personnel to accomplish the mission. Second, massive damage can be accomplished with relatively little equipment. Thirdly, training of the teams can be done in relatively obscure areas, while walk through or dry run training can be performed at the target location over a long period of time (so as not to raise the suspicions of the locals.)
Defining the Different Segments
The Agriculture Industry can be broken down into five (5) main sections. They are as follows; Production (growing crops or raising livestock,) Processing (slaughter houses and dairies,) Storage (grain silos, feed lots and warehouses,) Transportation, and Distribution (wholesale and retail.)
Areas of Concern
As is the case with all facilities, some areas are simpler than others to penetrate. The goal for any organization is to harden the soft areas of their facility in order to persuade would be antagonists to look elsewhere for their target.
It is not feasible to defend large tracts of farm or pasture land from a terrorist type of attack. Therefore, we must concentrate on the collection or “choke points” where animals and produce are processed, stored and shipped. Dairies, grain silos, feed lots, transportation depots, and warehouses should have security assessments performed to evaluate the level of protection now in force, as well as, the potential increase in protection possible. Recommendations should be implemented as soon as possible after the assessments have been completed.
While upgrades to security will be required, it does not necessarily follow that all upgrades will be high tech or expensive. Some facilities may only need minor modifications to their existing security measures.
Conclusion
It is no longer a matter of if there will be another terrorist attack against this country, but when there will be another attack. When that attack comes, will it be against our cities or our food supply?
Recent history has shown that the sheer size of the U. S. makes it impossible for Law Enforcement and/or the military to completely eliminate the terrorist threat on our soil. While their ability to discover and stop terrorist attacks against this country has greatly improved since September 11th 2001 (and will continue to evolve and improve in the future,) it is simply not possible for our armed forces to be everywhere at once. For this reason, farmers and ranchers must band together to protect America’s food supply from those who would cause harm to this country.
___________________________________________________
1. Webster's II New Riverside Dictionary, 1996
