ABSTRACT
Cargo screening and inspection is just as important as the screening of passengers and their carryon luggage, even more so if it is assumed that the terrorist does not want to sacrifice his or her life for the cause and seeks to hide the bomb on board an aircraft unaccompanied. The catastrophe of Pan American Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, is the perfect example. The attack on 11 September raises the question, what next? The disaster reinforces the concept that no matter how demanding the present security cargo procedures seem, under current standards, a bomb may somehow find its way into the cargo. Prevention before the event is of course a key element of any solution. However, all available efforts also need to be made to minimize the damage once the inevitable is about to happen. Speed, volume, and on-time delivery requirements drive today’s cargo business strategy of supply-chain management. The increase of sophisticated threats from terrorists, international crime organizations, and cyber-crime potentially could have a catastrophic impact on global trade. The new cargo criminals are nationally networked and internationally financed.
