"Politicians have been unwilling to confront difficult issues such as the lack of cooperation between the CIA and the FBI, and corporations have been unwilling to make the financial investment in security," said Mike Cherkasky, president & CEO of New York city-based security consulting firm Kroll Inc.
Cherkasky said there has been an overall return to complacency and a failure to recognize the seriousness of the terrorist threat to Western society.
"We are always fighting the last war's battle," Cherkasky said. "We've spent millions on checking passengers at airline terminals, but have done little comparatively to enhance security on the cargo side of the airline industry, or to increase screening of either passengers or cargo transported by sea or rail.”
Cherkasy noted that of the millions of cargo containers that enter U.S. ports every year, only 2% of them are ever inspected.
"While some corporations realistically face little risk of a terrorist attack, companies in the infrastructure and transportation industries can no longer consider security an option to be dropped during tough economic times," Cherkasky said.
