Aviation and airport security

Looking to Our Airports

July 22, 2008

On a recent flight I noticed that within a couple of hundred meters there were residential, pseudo residential or mixed residential / commercial areas, which brought to mind one of the classic attacks by the Provisional IRA – the mortaring of London’s Heathrow airport. What are the implications? If there is a perceived threat of such an asymmetric attack, then every space where a vehicle can be parked within the range of an improvised system must be subject to some kind of monitoring.

TSA’s Badging Mistake

admin |

June 19, 2008

Let’s be clear – TSA screeners are not law enforcement officers. They are not certified inspectors. They do not require access to crime scenes and they are not equipped or trained to respond to law enforcement incidents. They only special access they require is to certain areas of airports – for which their TSA badge and credential provides them access.

Fuel Prices: The Latest National Security Concern

Kevin McCarthy |

June 9, 2008

The airline industry in the United States is a significant portion of our critical infrastructure and it is on brink of implosion with little more than the occasional mention in the news. This week United and Continental airlines announced significant reductions in their fleets to try to staunch the financial hemorrhage. Lesser air carriers are fast approaching cessation of operations, while six or seven carriers have already shutdown.

Checkpoint Evolution Cuts Down on Travel Hassles

David Olive |

June 2, 2008

Last week the Travel Industry Association released a study showing that air travel hassles have cost the economy over $26 billion because passengers avoided taking some 41 million trips over the last 12 months. Security is only a portion of those travel hassles, to be sure, but it is an area (unlike fuel prices) where passengers should feel their concerns are being heard, if TSA’s new Checkpoint Evolution is an indication.

DHS's Regulation of the Private Sector Doesn’t Always Work

Security Debrief |

May 30, 2008

There is a tendency for us as Americans to think that improving the status of homeland security means deploying more Border Patrol Agents and better trained TSA screeners. However, there are instances when the DHS uses its regulatory authorities to advance security in a way that is flat wrong. Requiring airlines to play a pivotal role in US VISIT EXIT is one such example. DHS recently issued the US VISIT EXIT proposed rulemaking which makes little sense and flies in the face of the successful pilot program the Department has undertaken.

Testing the Feasibility of Biometric Control Solutions

Greg Principato |

May 15, 2008

Each day, airports work to ensure that air travel is safe and secure. In fact, it is the industry’s number one priority. Partnering with airlines; tenants; the Transportation Security Administration (TSA); and federal, state and local law enforcement, airports are working aggressively to enhance security. Last week, Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS), Chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, introduced the “Biometric Enhancement and Airport Vulnerability Reduction Act of 2008,” which would direct the Secretary of Homeland Security to conduct a study on how airports can transition to biometric control systems for airport workers who have unescorted access to secure or sterile areas of the an airport.

Heritage to Host Cargo Security Forum

Security Debrief |

April 30, 2008

The Heritage Foundation will host next week a forum on cargo security entitled Homeland Security and Inspecting Shipping Containers: Debating the Way Forward. Two of Security Debrief’s contributors will participate – former DHS Undersecretary Asa Hutchinson, who is also now head of the Safe Commerce Coalition, and Dr. James Carafano, who is the senior fellow for foreign policy, homeland security and counter-terrorism issues at the Foundation.

TSA and Emergency Preparedness: An Important Capability Matures

Security Debrief |

April 24, 2008

Agree or disagree, the fact is that President Bush’s DHS has made a Herculean effort to move from day to day crisis management to a more thoughtful consideration of threat based risk management priorities. As all parts of DHS begin placing emphasis on emergency preparedness, TSA is emerging as an excellent example.

TSA is Looking Good

Security Debrief |

April 21, 2008

After five years of getting beaten up routinely by the Congress on a bipartisan basis, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) appears to have found a whole new set of friends in Congress. As sister agencies CBP, ICE and FEMA face increasing scrutiny and oversight, Kip Hawley’s recent testimony shows that Members are almost surprisingly satisfied with the the security aspects of air travel.

Stakeholders Meet with DHS Secretary Chertoff to Discuss Registered Traveler Program

Greg Principato |

April 11, 2008

At the invitation of DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff, last week, Airports Council International – North America staff met with the Secretary and TSA Administrator Kip Hawley to discuss the security benefits of the Registered Traveler Program. Secretary Chertoff engaged in a discussion and dialogue with the assembled group regarding this matter which included high-level DHS […]

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