---
kind: "section"
citation: "6 U.S.C. § 912"
title: "6"
title_heading: "Domestic Security"
number: "912"
heading: "Port Security Exercise Program"
release: "119-102"
date: "2026-07-12"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/6/912"
units:
  - "Chapter 3 — Security and Accountability for Every Port"
  - "Subchapter I — Security of United States Seaports"
  - "Part A — Port Security Grants; Training and Exercise Programs"
---

# §912. Port Security Exercise Program

- (a) **In general—** The [Secretary](/usc/6/901.md?p=15), acting through the Under [Secretary](/usc/6/901.md?p=15) for Preparedness and in coordination with the Commandant of the Coast Guard, shall establish a Port Security Exercise Program (referred to in this section as the “Exercise Program”) for the purpose of testing and evaluating the capabilities of Federal, [State](/usc/6/101.md?p=17), local, and foreign governments, [commercial seaport personnel](/usc/6/901.md?p=3) and management, governmental and nongovernmental [emergency response providers](/usc/6/101.md?p=6), the private sector, or any other organization or [entity](/usc/6/301c.md?p=2), as the [Secretary](/usc/6/901.md?p=15) determines to be appropriate, to prevent, prepare for, mitigate against, respond to, and recover from acts of [terrorism](/usc/6/101.md?p=18), natural disasters, and other [emergencies](/usc/6/701.md?p=6) at facilities required to submit a plan under [section 70103(c) of title 46](/usc/46/70103.md?p=c).
- (b) **Requirements—** The [Secretary](/usc/6/901.md?p=15) shall ensure that the Exercise Program—
  - (1) conducts, on a periodic basis, port security exercises at such facilities that are—
    - (A) scaled and tailored to the needs of each facility;
    - (B) live, in the case of the most at-risk facilities;
    - (C) as realistic as practicable and based on current risk assessments, including credible threats, vulnerabilities, and consequences;
    - (D) consistent with the [National Incident Management System](/usc/6/701.md?p=12), the [National Response Plan](/usc/6/701.md?p=13), the National Infrastructure Protection Plan, the National Preparedness Guidance, the National Preparedness Goal, the National Maritime Transportation Security Plan, and other such national initiatives;
    - (E) evaluated against clear and consistent performance measures;
    - (F) assessed to learn best practices, which shall be shared with appropriate Federal, [State](/usc/6/101.md?p=17), and local officials, [commercial seaport personnel](/usc/6/901.md?p=3) and management, governmental and nongovernmental [emergency response providers](/usc/6/101.md?p=6), and the private sector; and
    - (G) followed by remedial action in response to lessons learned; and
  - (2) assists [State](/usc/6/101.md?p=17) and [local governments](/usc/6/101.md?p=13) and facilities in designing, implementing, and evaluating exercises that—
    - (A) conform to the requirements of [paragraph (1)](#b-1); and
    - (B) are consistent with any applicable Area Maritime Transportation Security Plan and [State](/usc/6/101.md?p=17) or Urban Area [Homeland](/usc/6/101.md?p=1) Security Plan.
- (c) **Improvement plan—** The [Secretary](/usc/6/901.md?p=15) shall establish a port security exercise improvement plan process to—
  - (1) identify and analyze each port security exercise for lessons learned and best practices;
  - (2) disseminate lessons learned and best practices to participants in the Exercise Program;
  - (3) monitor the implementation of lessons learned and best practices by participants in the Exercise Program; and
  - (4) conduct remedial action tracking and long-term trend analysis.

## Source credit

(Pub. L. 109–347, title I, § 114, Oct. 13, 2006, 120 Stat. 1896.)