"Smart Border" plan takes shape

Canadian deputy prime minister John Manley and White House homeland security advisor Tom Ridge have hammered out more details for the "Smart Border" initiative between the U.S. and Canada. Ridge said Smart Border is a blueprint for securing the flow of people and goods across the world's longest undefined border. The two finalized a 30-point action plan that lays out efforts to increase border security

Sean Kilcarr

July 1, 2002

Canadian deputy prime minister John Manley and White House homeland security advisor Tom Ridge have hammered out more details for the "Smart Border" initiative between the U.S. and Canada.

Ridge said Smart Border is a blueprint for securing the flow of people and goods across the world's longest undefined border.

The two finalized a 30-point action plan that lays out efforts to increase border security while also speeding up legitimate travel and trade between the two nations. Included in the plan is an effort to create a new joint program border program, Free and Secure Trade, to efficiently move commercial shipments across the border with a greater degree of security.

Other joint efforts involve the creation of a bi-national steering group to reduce the risks to critical border infrastructure and speed the sharing of information and intelligence, including the creation of a total of 14 integrated border enforcement teams over the next 18 months. Joint counter terrorism training exercises are also planned along the border, including a major exercise scheduled for May 2003.

About the Author

Sean Kilcarr

Editor in Chief

Sean Kilcarr is a former longtime FleetOwner senior editor who wrote for the publication from 2000 to 2018. He served as editor-in-chief from 2017 to 2018.