Helping Coast Guard enhance port security. (Women in Defense).

The U.S. Coast Guard is conducting a security review of the nation's critical commercial and military seaports. "With more than 25,000 miles of navigable waterways and over 350 ports, the nation's maritime system presents one of our greatest security challenges," said Rear Adm. Richard E. Bennis, associate undersecretary of transportation for maritime and land security.

The Coast Guard has awarded a five-year contract worth up to $31 million to TRW Systems, of Reston, Va., to help with the review.

Under the contract, TRW is developing model port security guidelines, conducting assessments of at least 55 U.S. ports, and developing a port security self-assessment methodology to help local port officials evaluate and safeguard security conditions.

The program kicked off with reviews of the following cities: Boston; Portland, Maine; Portland, Ore.; San Diego; Detroit and three ports in Texas, Corpus Christi, Port Arthur and Beaumont.

"In the assessments, we are looking at all of the basic angles to determine how the port can most economically and quickly strengthen and enhance its security," explained Marie E. Danco, a TRW manager and a Women In Defense (WID) member.

Working with the Coast Guard, she said, TRW has assembled a ream of contractors and experts on maritime operations, strategic operations and critical infrastructure to provide an overall assessment. Representatives from a broad range of marine and security fields are working with Coast Guard liaison members. Each assessment team is led by a former U.S. Coast Guard captain of the port. Preliminary work has included the production of a pott portfolio to facilitate collection and analysis of data to produce the final report.

WID Interaction

Danco is managing director of the Horizons Foundation, WID's non-profit scholarship fund. She has served in that capacity for the past two years. Prior to that, she served a two-year term as vice president of WID.

"I started out in the defense industry not knowing anything about it," Danco said "I came right from Brussels to Washington, D.C. There were no resources, no camaraderie, and no help in networking, in looking for other things--all of the types of things that WID does for its members.

"It happened that a junior person who worked with me had applied for the Horizons Scholarship and won it," Danco said. "She told me about WID."

The Horizons Foundation

The Horizons Foundation has awarded 62 grants of nearly $40,000 since 1990 to deserving recipients. These grants encourage women to pursue careers related to U.S. national security and to provide development opportunities to women who are already working in national security fields.

"We have a Corporate Leaders Donor program which allows Leaders who contribute $5,000 to serve on the Scholarship Selection Committee," Danco said. "This is a model opportunity for corporations to ensure resources of qualified candidates representing diverse backgrounds to provide a proactive workforce for the future," she said.

To contribute to the Horizons Foundation, apply for scholarships, to join WID and learn about its activities, visit the WID Web site at http://wid.ndia.org/ or click on the WID link at the bottom of the NDIA Web site home page.