In the recent years practically in all corners of the world terrorist activity that is intended to become a global threat has dramatically increased. The most attractive objects for terrorists are vehicles being the very vulnerable. The terrorist attacks on transport are usually accompanied by a large number of victims, paralyzing the activities in the most important spheres of economy and destabilizing the situation in the society. Most often the attacks occur at the air transport entailing the greatest number of victims and representing a minimal threat to the terrorists. The terrible attacks of September 11, 2001, have dramatically changed the air travel. Since those events the U.S. government has spent billions on various technologies, established bunches of new rules and turned flying into more complicated procedure than it used to be.
It goes without saying that the transportation security administration has played a huge role in standing and facing the Terrorism threat that threatens U.S airport security and the aviation security in general. It is worth mentioning that Transportation Security Administration has prevented many terrorist attacks on a nation-wide scale not only in the US. TSA effect is noticeable and, without doubts, has changed the terrorist plans from attacking aviation security. That is why I decided to focus on the main aspects of TSA effects on the aviation security.
The U.S. Congress passed the Aviation and Transportation Security Act on November 19, 2001, in the wake of the September 11 terrorist attacks. The act established the TSA and placed it in the Transportation Department, charging it with hiring security screeners at some 450 commercial airports within one year (AllGov.com, 2015). On December 10, 2001 President Bush appointed John Magaw for the position of the TSA first administrator. Then on March 9, 2003 the TSA was moved to the Department of Homeland Security. Its main function was connected to the development of special policies to protect the whole U.S. transportation system, especially in airport security and to prevent an aircraft hijacking.
The TSA headquarters is located in Arlington, Virginia, but the questions concerning its new headquarters remain the top of the recent discussion. It is still argued whether The U.S. Transportation Security Administration should move to Victory Center in Alexandria. It is believed that this dispute will be settled until 2020.
Nowadays, Peter Neffenger leads this organization and “is responsible for a workforce of approximately 60,000 employees charged with protecting U.S. transportation systems and the traveling public” (The Department of Homeland Security, 2016). It is also stated that he exercises authority, direction and control over the TSA under the direction of the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. The Deputy Administrator who is known to be Huban A. Gowadia gives the Administrator a helping hand in all issues on the agenda. Among other employees one can find Transportation Security Officers often referred to as screeners or agents in airports. “They screen people and property and control entry and exit points in airports and also watch several areas before and beyond checkpoints” (Aviation Security, 2008, p.3). According to Mike Ahlers (2011), TSOs carry no weapons, and are not permitted to use force, nor do they have the power to arrest. Another organ is known as the Federal Air Marshal Service consisting of federal “sky marshals”, who conducts protection, detection and assessment of all activities at airports and other transportation systems. National Explosives Detection Canine Teams prepare dogs and handlers to find dangerous materials, thus preventing serious explosions while the Office of Law Enforcement provides an advanced self-defense course to cabin crewmembers. The Office of Security Policy has to develop effective security policies to eliminate the possible risk of catastrophic terrorist attacks. According the historian Michael Smith (2011, p. 4), “by the end of 2002, TSA had hired, trained, and deployed nearly 60,000 employees”. Among them can be found veterans, lawyers, doctors, business owners, recent graduates, retirees, and other groups of Americans strive to provide security for the whole nation. It is interesting to note that the organization functions with their joint efforts.
According to the Study and the Report to Congress on Civil Aviation Security Responsibilities and Funding (2012, p. 57), “TSA has received around $5.7 billion in mandatory and discretionary appropriations, which—together with spending authority from offsetting collections—gives the agency an annual budget of more than $7.6 billion”. It is also stated that among other activities Aviation Security spends the lion’s share of this budget on passenger- and baggage-screening operations, screener salaries and benefits and contracts with private screeners. Before those fatal events on the day of 9/11, the airlines themselves paid for and carried out passenger- and baggage-security screening. Now under current legislation collections raised with the help of air-carrier and aviation-passenger security fees are equal to the sum of money of $2 billion.
Talking about the effects of TSA on aviation security, I would like to point out that as a high performing counterterrorism organization, it has been trying to provide the most effective transportation security. Lately the use of enhanced screening procedures has been controversal, as the “enhanced techniques” continue to mislead the workers. Although the leadership has repeatedly emphasized the incredibly reliable system of the TSA checks at airports aimed at preventing acts of terrorism, in fact, careless agency employees missed the man with a fake bomb in 67 cases out of 70. Even when the equipment signaled an alarm, service staff did not check suspicious passengers. According to David Graham (2015), “an internal investigation of the Transportation Security Administration revealed security failures at dozens of the nation’s busiest airports”. It is estimated that the toughest transportation security system failed in 95% of cases to prevent a possible terrorist attack.
Still the Transportation Security Administration contributes a lot to secure passengers. It is calculated that “more than 1.8 million passengers have received expedited TSA screening through special security lanes since October 2011” (The Department of Homeland Security, 2016). Firstly, it requires passengers to show a valid ID at the security checkpoint before boarding their flight. Passengers failing to submit their ID may still be allowed to fly if their identity is alternatively verified. Then passenger names are compared against a special list of suspected terrorists who are not allowed to board. Secondly, all passengers are screened at an airport security checkpoint to ensure they do not carry prohibited items such as sharp objects, guns or other weapons, mechanic tools, flammable liquids, chemicals and other liquids in large volumes. Thirdly, officers proceed to bode screening with the help of backscatter X-ray scanners and millimeter wave scanners machines. “Passengers are directed to hold their hands above their heads for a few seconds while front and back images are created” (Michael Grabell, 2013). As a rule small yellow boxes are placed on areas of the body requiring additional screening. Sometimes due to some health concerns full body scanners are blamed for causing harm because of radiation produced by X-rays. However, a lot of scientists argue that the screening machines are rather safe.
A CBS telephone poll of 1137 people published on November 15, 2010 found that 81% percent of those polled approved TSA's use of full-body scans (Poll 4, 2010). It is also calculated that the majority of Americans favored the full-body X-ray scanners. According to Hugo Martin ( 2010) a poll conducted by the Frequent Business Traveler organization in 2012 found “that 56% of frequent fliers were not satisfied with the job the TSA was doing ().
In the last decades, people have been actively using violence to create fair among civilians in order to attain various goals of political, religious or ideological origin. Despite living in a modern civilization, the peace diplomacy cannot still prevent groups of offenders from coercing innocent citizens. Sharon Weinberger (2010) states that “the challenge of improving international cooperation in the fight against such crimes is currently one of the most pressing in the activities of law enforcement agencies of developed countries”. Modern crime has acquired a qualitatively new forms, increased its mercenary orientation, significantly increased the number of crimes that have international connections, found a growing number of international criminal gangs. For the purpose of creating an effective system to oppose international crime states are developing a variety of forms and methods of cooperation, constantly improving the legal framework with the help of joint actions. The international community is constantly making adjustments to the strategy and tactics of the struggle against international crime and the Transportation Security Administration is not an exception. I am inclined to believe that terrorism has itself made the TSA get better and improve. In order to provide an airport security the organization has taken a range of various measures such as video surveillance at the airport, in the offices, technical hangars, office buildings and terminals; perimeter monitoring of an airport; multilevel differentiation of employees on the territory of the airport who access a buildings, facilities and premises; recording employee time; monitoring of all events in the distributed objects from the central guard post; vehicles control with automatic public rooms; recording of all actions and command dispatchers and flight managers in sync with the sound; fire alarms in all areas with the withdrawal of the central security checkpoint; introduction of modern technology of aviation security; registration and introduction of the system: implementation of international standards, rules and in the safety procedures.
I suppose that an idea to establish a precise operations management system and airport resources. For example, resource management is an important tool in the administration of any system and directly affect the effectiveness of the use of different means and quality of services. Access to the airport personnel and other operational flight information is an essential element of the various production processes at the airport. According to the TSA's Administration Coordination of Mass Transit Security Programs (2010), the main objective of the system is Airport Operational Database storage collected, processed and other information related to airport operations, whether the flight data, schedule data on building management and others. RMS-system (Resource Management System) allows you to automatically distribute with optimum precision parking of aircraft, buses, tractors, planting agents, passengers and air traffic controllers on the organization of maintenance of aircraft. Implementation of this system will reduce the time service of aircraft and the number of flight delays, improve production safety. The commercial attractiveness and competitive benefits of the aforesaid policies are based on human resources, equipment and material movement. The aviation and industrial safety are with the high level of efficiency.
According to American psychologists, even the threat of a terrorist act leads to destabilization in the society, so suspects try to achieve their goals not in particular by committing terrorist acts but with the help of a constant threat. The feeling that such attacks could happen again can cause panic, fear and insecurity. Thus, the imminent danger of terrorism makes authorities involve for the combat all military and civilian structures. The psychological impact of terrorist acts on the society is so great that panic and fear can provoke popular unrest to affect international relations.
Modern terrorism appears to be a series of different terrorist acts, directed against a variety of people and objects thoroughly prepared by well-organized and qualified personnel. It looks like terrorism has become a negative sign of a civilized society. The number of such groups increases their destructive activity by becoming more active and dangerous. Even the mass media plays along to their hands, pumping the atmosphere of fear in the international community. In addition to that, the problem of piracy in the air gradually blurs the lines between domestic and international terrorism and no country is able to deal with this social phenomenon alone. That is why I believe that such a noble mission of the Transportation Security Administration should not remain unnoticed. The TSA always relies on such values as integrity, innovation, team spirit, hard work and professionalism in its work. The new risk-based and intelligence-driven approach to aviation security is gradually evolving and is establishing TSA as a high performing counterterrorism agency. “Today, nearly 51,000 Transportation Security Officers, Transportation Security Inspectors, and Behavior Detection Officers serve on the frontlines at more than 450 U.S. airports” (The Department of Homeland Security, 2016).
References
Budget.House.Gov( 2013). Retrieved from http://budget.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=364049
David A. Graham (2015). The TSA Doesn't Work—and Never Has. The Atlantic. Retrieved from http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/06/the-tsa-doesnt-work-and-maybe-it-doesnt-matter/394673/
TSA's Administration Coordination of Mass Transit Security Programs (2010). Washington DC. OIG-08-66
The Department of Homeland Security (2016). Transportation Security Administration. Retrieved from https://www.tsa.gov/about/tsa-leadership
The FederalAviation Administration to the United States (2012). Study and Report to Congress on Civil Aviation Security Responsibilities and Funding. Washington, DC 20591
Ahlers, Mike M. (December 9, 2011). Bill would strip TSA officers of badges in reaction to alleged strip searches. CNN. Retrieved from http://edition.cnn.com/2011/12/09/politics/tsa-badges/
Grabell, Michael (October 19, 2012). TSA Removes X-Ray Body Scanners From Major Airports. Pro Publica. Retrieved from https://www.propublica.org/article/tsa-removes-x-ray-body-scanners-from-major-airports
United States Government Accountability Office (2008). AVIATION SECURIT. Washington DC. GAO-08-456T
Martin, Hugo (September 11, 2012). Many frequent travelers say TSA is doing poor job. Los Angeles Times.
Techdirty. Guy Who Created The TSA Says It's Failed, And It's Time To Dismantle It. Retrieved from https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20110913/10465415931/guy-who-created-tsa-says-its-failed-its-time-to-dismantle-it.shtml
Michael P.C. Smith (2011). September 11 and the Transportation Security Administration. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
Poll: 4 in 5 Support Full-Body Airport Scanners, CBS News, November 15, 2010. Retrieved from http://www.cbsnews.com/news/cbs-news-poll-11-15-10/
Martin, Hugo (2010). Poll finds 61% oppose new airport security measures, Los Angeles Times. Retrieved from http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/money_co/2010/11/new-poll-says-61-oppose-new-airport-security-measures.html
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