A sad ahoy.
A very tragic, cowardly attack happened back East on Tuesday,
affecting thousands and thousands of people. It happened there, but how
secure is our harbor? Sure, San Onofre, South Coast Plaza and Newport
Center might be a blip on a terrorist's radar screen, but can Newport
Harbor be the next target?
Newport Harbor is the largest small-craft harbor in the world, with
more than 9,000 boats surrounded by multimillion-dollar homes. Some of
the area's residents are involved in world affairs, politically or
economically, or both, yet this area seems a placid target, in my view.
The Orange County Sheriff's Harbor Department and the Coast Guard
provide immediate harbor and coastal security. The Harbor Department is
the front-line defense for Orange County's harbors, and Capt. Marty
Kasules said the department has increased staffing and patrols, and is
positioning a patrol boat at Newport Beach's jetty entrance for some time
period.
Knowing Kasules personally, I have the utmost respect for his
leadership in times such as these to protect our harbor, and with the aid
of the Newport Beach Police Department, any situation that might arise
will be adequately resolved.
The next line of defense for Newport Harbor and the first line for the
ocean is the Coast Guard. Stationed in Newport Beach is Lt. John Kidwell,
commanding officer, and Chuck Lindsey, executive officer. Both officers
stated that, with their new cutter the Narwhal now in town, they are all
manned up and ready to go. On Tuesday, they were on Def-Con Delta status
waiting for orders from Coast Guard Group Los Angeles-Long Beach. Now the
ship is patrolling the Long Beach Harbor area, which could be a target.
Kidwell told me the people of Newport Beach are safe in his and his
crew's hands. I know this crew, and they will perform more than 100% of
what is required to protect our harbor and coastline.
Then I spoke with Dan West, owner of Naut-a-Care Marine Services in
Newport Beach, who is a chief as a special warfare combat crewman
assigned to the Navy SEAL Team in charge of boat operations. I asked him
about the threat to Newport Harbor from terrorism, and he believes it is
not a major threat in Newport Beach, but if it were the government would
move more resources into our area for protection.
However, Long Beach and Los Angeles harbors have major concerns, and
both harbors are under high security with all ships receiving a security
escort out of the harbor to the anchorage areas. Also, West reports that
