Aviation and airport security

Topic:

Not All International Cargo Screened for Explosives Under Cargo Screening Mandate

September 15, 2011

International air carriers break U.S. federal law every day. Any cargo flown on a passenger plane in U.S. airspace (whether of domestic or foreign origin) must be screened for explosives. Yet, despite the law, some cargo flown into the United States does not meet the “100 percent” standard. To satisfy the cargo screening mandate, TSA has reinterpreted the law in an attempt to achieve 100 percent screening without physically screening all international cargo on passenger planes.

How 9/11 changed air travel

Media Watch |

September 14, 2011

HSPI | Newsroom: Recent News How 9/11 changed air travel MSNBC Today Show September 10, 2011 HSPI Director Frank Cilluffo comments on post-9/11 changes to aviation security. Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Guy Who Created The TSA Says It's Failed, And It's Time To Dismantle It

Media Watch |

September 14, 2011

Guy Who Created The TSA Says It’s Failed, And It’s Time To Dismantle It | Techdirt One of the politicians instrumental in creating the TSA, Rep. John Mica, who wrote the legislation that established the TSA, has apparently decided that the whole thing has been a failure and should be dismantled. He notes that “the […]

Air Cargo Security Requirements – Impact on the Supply Chain

Media Watch |

August 12, 2011

Air Cargo Security Requirements – Impact on the Supply Chain | American Airlines Cargo Business Insights A hot topic at the Air Cargo Europe Conference in Munich, Germany last month was discussed by industry leaders, representing various aspects of the Supply Chain, in a panel session titled “Security Requirements – Their Impact on the Supply […]

Security Debrief |

August 3, 2011

By Rob Strayer
The decision from the U.S. Court of Appeals in a lawsuit challenging the Transportation Security Administration’s use of Advanced Imaging Technology machines is that they do not constitute an unreasonable search under the Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. What is significant is the D.C. Circuit’s holding that TSA failed to provide notice and solicit public comments on a new rule that passengers undergo a mandatory whole body scan or a pat down. The court’s decision will have potentially far ranging effects on the Department of Homeland Security and other agencies that seek to implement new security measures.

Rich Cooper |

July 21, 2011

“Wheels stop.” With those two words, the era of the Space Shuttle officially closed. Those two words are traditionally spoken by the Shuttle Commander as the orbiter comes to a complete stop. Today’s space shuttle landing means 6,300 people will be laid off and the Johnson Space Center’s Mission Control will fall silent. For now, we will have to wait until we see what the private sector can provide for a new era in human spaceflight.

Security Debrief |

July 15, 2011

Yesterday, TSA Administrator John Pistole announced the first step in what is hopefully a lengthy process to reorient TSA’s airport checkpoint screening in a more risk-based manner. He announced a limited partnership with two airlines and four airports where travelers selected by the airlines will be asked to opt-in to a new screening program. This “proof of concept” is mainly designed to ascertain the changes that need to be made at airports to provide a more risk-based approach to aviation security.

Erroll Southers |

June 29, 2011

At an airport security checkpoint last week, a TSA officer guided a 95-year-old cancer patient to a private room to investigate “something suspicious on her leg.” It turned out to be a wet adult diaper, which she was asked to remove. TSA offered no apology and stood by protocol. This was another missed opportunity. Sometimes, even when we do the “right” thing, we should apologize. Instead, we now have a “viral” episode that places another brick on the wall between the public and the security agencies charged with protecting them.

Rich Cooper |

June 29, 2011

Here is a piece I wrote for the Defense Media Network on the recent TSA incident involving a 95-year-old leukemia patient. This instance, like some of the other eye-popping and jaw-dropping cases of the past few months and years raises a lot of questions – I’d like to know where this woman, in her obvious feeble condition, ranked on the risk scale that warranted such a search?