Official Remarks & Reports |
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HOUSE COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENT REFORM SUBCOMMITTEE ON NATIONAL SECURITY, VETERANS AFFAIRS, AND INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS Stephen J. McHale Deputy Under Secretary of Transportation for Security |
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March 21, 2002 Mr. Chairman and Members of the Subcommittee: I am pleased to appear before you today on behalf of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), which is charged with ensuring the security of air travel and other modes of transportation across the United States in accordance with the Aviation and Transportation Security Act (ATSA). Today I would like to discuss the Department of Transportation and its progress in improving security at airports and seaports; its efforts to coordinate with Federal, State, and local agencies, including the Office of Homeland Security; priorities for additional counterterrorism efforts; and additional steps that need immediate attention to protect against future terrorist attacks. Progress of Improvements in Security at Airports and Seaports I would like to begin by describing the Department’s progress to date on enhancing security at our nation’s airports and then discuss our seaports. Airport Security The ATSA established tight deadlines for the TSA to achieve certain milestones on the road to enhanced aviation security. As you know, we met all 30-day deadlines. We published qualifications for federal screeners, submitted a report to Congress on general aviation security, and published claims procedures for reimbursement of direct security-related costs for airport operators and certain vendors. Among the action items with 60-day deadlines that were completed on January 18th, the requirement to establish a system for screening all checked baggage was the most important and most challenging. The law requires that explosives detection systems (EDS) be used to screen checked bags at those airports where EDS are located. Alternative means for checked baggage screening are authorized for use at those airports where EDS is currently unavailable. These include measures and procedures passengers can see like greater use of explosives trace detection devices on checked baggage and articles like shoes, more use of explosives detection canine teams, and physical inspection of checked bags. Procedures are also being used to match passengers with their bags as allowed by the Act. We released our screener training plan, which was written with input from leading government and private sector training experts. We also issued interim final rules to implement the $2.50 Passenger Security Fee on airline tickets sold on or after February 1, as well as the Aviation Security Infrastructure Fee, which will paid by air carriers to help finance TSA operations. In addition, U.S. and foreign air carriers have begun to electronically transmit passenger and crew manifests to the U.S. Customs Service prior to arrival, and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued its guidelines for flight crews who face threats onboard an aircraft. On February 17, the Under Secretary of Transportation for Security took over all civil aviation security functions performed by the FAA. The TSA assumed many airline screening company contracts in the interim until Federal security screeners can be hired, trained and assigned to all U.S. airport security screening checkpoints. TSA also published a rule requiring certain aircraft operators using aircraft weighing 12,500 pounds or more to implement a security program that includes criminal history records checks on their flightcrews and restricted access to the flight deck. These security regulations apply to both all-cargo and small scheduled and charter passenger aircraft not already covered by a security program, and will take effect on June 24, 2002. Explosives detection equipment is a vital part of our baggage screening program. Every available explosives detection system and device will be continuously used. The Computer-Assisted Passenger Prescreening System (CAPPS) analyzes data voluntarily provided by passengers to airlines during commercial transactions. The information is used by CAPPS to screen out passengers for whom additional security procedures are unnecessary. In addition, bags in airport terminals will be subject to inspection by certified explosives detection canine teams. A certain amount of randomness is built into all of our security systems to make full use of the system as well as to hinder the planning of those intent upon attacking it. Seaport Security An analysis of our transportation system in the aftermath of the events of September 11 clearly laid bare the susceptibility of container shipments as a delivery system for an enemy’s weapons. Prior to September 11th, DOT’s primary concern was the efficient movement of these containers through the transportation system. The advent of just-in-time business processes and the use of the transportation system as a rolling inventory tied the transportation system even more integrally into the economic vitality of this country. We have taken a number of critical steps since September 11:
In addition to the U.S. Coast Guard’s quick response to guard the security of American ports and waterways, on February 28, 2002, Secretary Mineta announced the implementation of the Port Security Grants Program, from which TSA will distribute $92.3 million in grant money to seaports to finance port security assessments and the cost of enhancing facility and operational security at critical national seaports. Secretary Mineta also established the National Infrastructure Security Committee (NISC), a coordinated interagency effort to address transportation security. Through several direct action groups, the NISC was tasked with evaluating transportation infrastructure vulnerabilities, security protocols, and processes and recommending changes to improve security. From the direct action group process, other groups have been formed to tackle very specific security issues. Among these is the Container Working Group – established through the NISC in December. The Container Working group is co-chaired with the U.S. Customs Service and includes representatives from the Departments of Defense, Energy, Commerce, Justice, Agriculture, Health and Human Services (FDA) and others. The group has oversight from the Office of Homeland Security. In order to address individual aspects of container security, four subgroups of the Container Working Group are studying information systems, security technologies, business practices, and international affairs. On the front lines of container security is the U.S. Customs Service, as well as other federal agencies. The Container Working Group is studying technologies and business practices that will enable Customs and others to prevent high-risk containers from entering the United States or to ensure that they are properly inspected before they pose a threat to the United States. Although the Customs Service utilizes a thoughtful risk-based selection method, preventing a container from being used as a weapon requires a more complex strategy, enhancing the non-intrusive inspection technology and information used for selection. The new Customs Container Security Initiative builds upon previous work with our international trading partners to improve container security throughout the world's global supply chain. Coordination with the Office of Homeland Security and Federal, State, and Local Agencies The struggle against terrorism is a truly national struggle. Federal, State, and local government agencies, as well as the private sector must work seamlessly together. Having the right system of communication - content, process, and infrastructure - is critical to bridging the existing gaps between the Federal, State, and local governments, as well as the private sector. Effective communications systems will greatly assist our officials at all levels to protect and defend against future terrorist attacks, and to effectively manage incidents whenever they should occur. To help meet these needs, the Administration implemented a uniform national threat advisory system to inform Federal agencies, State and local officials, as well as the private sector, of terrorist threats and appropriate protective actions. The President’s Budget for fiscal year 2003 supports this effort by funding the development and implementation of secure information systems to streamline the dissemination of critical homeland security information. In meeting its transportation security mission, TSA plans to place heavy reliance on the new Transportation Security Oversight Board composed of representatives from the Departments of Justice, Defense, and Treasury, the Central Intelligence Agency, the National Security Council, and the Office of Homeland Security. In addition, TSA separately is working in coordination with the Office of Homeland Security on a regular basis as it works to roll out its security program. We also are working with the States, airport authorities, and local governments as TSA transitions to a fully Federal workforce of screeners and law enforcement personnel. In addition, we will be working with States and localities on the ground at airports through the newly appointed Federal Security Directors. These FSDs are the strong front-line managers who will bring Federal authority directly to the point of service, the airport. Secretary Mineta swore in the first contingent of FSDs on March 13. In addition, TSA is working with the States, airport authorities, and local agencies as it rolls out pilot programs to test its security procedures. For instance, TSA is working with the State of Maryland to use Baltimore-Washington International Airport as a site to study airport security operations, test TSA deployment techniques and technology, and begin to train senior managers for TSA. Establishment of Priorities for Additional Counterterrorism Efforts Congress has, in large part, given the Department specific guidance on its security priorities for transportation. From the date of enactment of the ATSA, the Secretary has focused our efforts intensively on complying with or exceeding the deadlines established in the new law. As Secretary Mineta has stated, we consider the law’s tight deadlines as promises made to the American people, and we will do everything possible to keep these promises. Secretary Mineta has given those of us in DOT a simple mandate with regard to these deadlines: let’s figure out how to meet them, because they are not negotiable. TSA has hired the first of tens of thousands of new employees to screen passengers and baggage at 429 airports nationwide, so that we can certify to Congress on November 19 of this year that we have complied with the Act’s requirement to carry out all passenger screening with Federal personnel. We also are working to ensure that all checked baggage is screened by explosives detection technology by December 31, 2002. Cargo screening in all modes of transportation is another area that is integral to transportation security and that requires our focused attention as we choose among competing demands for available funds. Air cargo, in particular, is a critical part of the commercial supply chain and an important contributor to the economics of the civil aviation system. As TSA moves forward in meeting its legislative mandate to protect the entire airplane and its associated processes, air cargo security on passenger aircraft has taken on a heightened level of focus. This focus includes new approaches as well as accelerating the efforts and prototypes that FAA had been pursuing prior to the creation of TSA. Another area that the Department recognizes as crucial in our fight against terrorism is the protection of our critical infrastructure, including our cyber infrastructure. DOT is coordinating with the major components of the transportation sector to ensure the protection of the nation’s critical infrastructure. This effort includes working with the Critical Infrastructure Assurance Office (CIAO) in the Department of Commerce to assess critical physical and technological assets and their interdependencies on other components of the critical infrastructure such as telecommunications. In addition, a major effort to upgrade the Department’s information technology security program is underway. This will include installing new security devices, monthly vulnerability testing of the infrastructure, and the implementation of better intrusion detection capabilities. We have also significantly increased the training of executives and staff as well as computer support personnel on security requirements. TSA will, of course, have a major role in this intradepartmental effort. Additional Steps to Protect the U.S. from Future Attacks. September 11 taught us that our enemies are willing to die to attack us, and that means that we must successfully screen all baggage and cargo on a passenger flight. Screening all checked baggage and cargo is therefore among our highest priorities. We are looking at a wide variety of innovative approaches using technology, different ways to run the check-in process, and procurement strategies that can get us to that goal. The TSA, on behalf of DOT, is charged with security for all modes of transportation, and a focus on aviation must not slow the TSA’s pace in addressing the security needs of other transportation modes. Across every mode, we must continue to develop measures to increase the protection of critical transportation assets, addressing cargo as well as passenger transportation. We will maintain a commitment to measure performance relentlessly, building a security organization that provides world-class security, and world-class customer service, to those who travel. The new security system will be robust and redundant, and we will be relentless in our search for improvements. It is better today than yesterday; and it will be better still tomorrow. This concludes my statement. I will be glad to answer any questions.
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