WASHINGTON—In a decision that will have a major impact on how cargo moves through the global supply chain, President George W. Bush officially signed into law “H.R. 1 Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act of 2007” earlier this month. This bill, which was signed off on by the United States Senate and House of Representatives in late July, is expected to significantly alter how maritime and air cargo is inspected.

The bill calls for the 100-percent scanning of maritime cargo—before it’s loaded onto vessels heading for the United States—to be required within the next five years. However, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) may extend the deadline by two-year increments, if necessary. It also calls for the scanning of all cargo on passenger planes within the next three years.

The bill will require specific annual benchmarks on the percentage of maritime cargo containers headed for the U.S., an analysis of how to best incorporate existing maritime security initiatives, including the Container Security Initiative and C-TPAT, and an analysis of the scanning equipment, personnel, and technology needed to reach the 100-percent container scanning objective. On the air cargo side, the Transportation Security Administration will be charged with establishing a system to screen all cargo transported on passenger aircraft operated by domestic or foreign air carriers.

While the drumbeat for 100 percent container inspection has been a chief objective of politicians with a keen eye on national security, these measures have largely been rejected in the past on the basis that they would be impossible to implement without harming domestic and global economy operations.

Prior to Bush’s signature on the bill, U.S. House of Representatives Homeland Security Committee Chairman Bennie G. Thompson said that when H.R. 1 is law, U.S.-bound cargo would be scanned in a commerce-friendly manner. However, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce said in a letter to the House that this legislation “would have a crippling effect on global trade without significantly improving security.”