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December 2012www.marinelink.com 17Congressional Interest in Strategic Ports and Roundtable DiscussionCapitol Hill has been engaged on the issue of strategic ports and port infrastructure funding in the last few years. As mentioned above, Congress created a ?Port Infra- structure Improvement Program? in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2010 National Defense Au- thorization Act (NDAA); however, that program has yet to be funded. In addition, Congress mandated studies from the SDDC about the status of our nation?s strategic port infrastructure, including identifying any needed upgrades or issues that should be addressed. Language was included in the FY12 NDAA that requires a broader ex- amination of strategic ports, including a requirement to identify potential funding sources for needed port infrastructure improvements. This updated report is yet to be released by the SDDC. On October 18, 2012, the Congressional Ports Caucus, co-chaired by CongressmanTed Poe (R-TX) and Congresswoman Janice Hahn (D-CA), whose districts include strategic ports, hosted a Roundtable with the American Association of Port Authori- ties (AAPA) on Capitol Hill to educate Members of Congress and Congressional staff on the importance of strategic ports. The Roundtable provided an opportunity for face-to-face dialogue between representatives of strategic ports and the agencies that support them, including DOT, DOD, DHS, and the Army Corps of Engineers. Out- comes of the Roundtable include a heightened appreciation of the importance ofstrategic ports, the challenges they face balancing their commercial and military cargo commitments, and an agreement to work together on a new financing solution for funding infrastructure at strategic ports. Next Steps & ConclusionsWhile Congress has a host of issues to address it before the end of the year and intonext year, including the so-called ?fiscal cliff?, we should not lose sight of the im- portance of funding the infrastructure needed to maintain and improve our strategic ports. The DOD is counting on our ports to be ready whenever they need to move per- sonnel and materiel to the next hot spot. Our strategic ports have met their half of the bargain?being available to DOD when the military and the nation call on them. The other half must be met by helping our ports meet their critical infrastructure im-provement and modernization needs. The military is a significantly large cargo shipper, even in peace time. The responsibility that strategic seaports have to the military has the potential to put additional pressure on their infrastructure, facilities and operations, especially as U.S. port cargo traffic continues to increase. MR#12 (10-17):MR Template 12/3/2012 11:49 AM Page 17