June 18 2002 - Remarks for The Honorable John W. Magaw Under Secretary of Transportation for Security at the International Conference and Exhibition on Aviation Security - Washington DC

INTRODUCTION

Thank you Minister Raday for that kind introduction and for inviting me to participate in this important conference.

Just as "Secured Skies" is addressing the global terrorism threat it makes sense that global planning must be our common goal.

I also appreciate the opportunity to have talked earlier today with Minister of Transportation Sneh and we discussed areas of mutual concern involving transportation security and our two countries.

I extend greetings to both of you from Secretary of Transportation Norman Mineta.

I applaud Israel's efforts and those of this group to address the threat of global terrorism and its impact on aviation around the world.

As the former Director of the United States Secret Service I have had the honor of developing many positive relationships with your law enforcement and security organizations.

We in the United States must continue to learn from you -- and other experienced terrorism experts -- who have been dealing with the threat-and the reality-of terrorism for many years. September 11 was not an isolated event.

We will not forget September 11 and we cannot relax and assume we can go about business as usual. We are still at risk. In 2002:

• On January 23 Wall Street Journal writer Daniel Pearl was kidnapped and subsequently murdered.
• On March 17 a church was bombed in Islamabad.
• On May 8 a car bombing occurred outside of the Karachi Sheraton hotel
• On June 14 a car bombing took place outside of the U.S. Consulate in Karachi.

Just this morning a suicide bomber attacked a bus in Israel killing 19 people including several students.

I commend the willingness of the Israeli government the aviation industry academia and others involved in this conference to meet the global challenges of terrorism.

This morning I would like to

• Discuss the impact of the recent attacks on the transportation infrastructure of the United States
• Provide an overview of the continuing threat to the various transportation modes including aviation and
• Describe steps we are taking to enhance transportation security especially in the aviation arena.

We hope that our efforts will be helpful to other countries in dealing effectively with this most important worldwide problem. As we enhance our homeland security we will enhance global security. We must learn from each other and continue to collaborate in sharing information and lessons learned.

IMPACT OF SEPTEMBER 11

In the immediate aftermath of the September 11 attacks aviation security became a paramount national concern in the United States and around the world.

The attacks were not an aviation failure but a national security failure. We must focus on the risks because terrorists will attack the weakest point.

In responding to the attacks President Bush made it clear that the war on terrorism is being waged both at home and abroad.

Last January the President stated three immediate goals for America in the wake of the fall attacks. These are:

• Winning the war on terrorism at home and abroad
• Protecting our homeland and
• Reviving the economy

Abroad the response of the United States and its allies has been swift and focused and continues to this day. We are appreciative and grateful for all the support that has been provided from around the world.

At home our efforts have focused on bringing the nation back to "business as usual."

We must be vigilant as we build a "new normalcy" that involves increased security measures to protect our critical national assets including all transportation systems.

TRANSPORTATION THREATS

Our transportation infrastructure presents a number of areas that are "vulnerable" to threats from terrorists:

• Vehicles used to deliver conventional bombs
  
  We saw this in the first World Trade Center attack in 1994 and in Oklahoma City in 1995. Just last week the car bombing of the U.S. Consulate in Karachi Pakistan. Also the 1983 truck bombings of the U.S. Embassy and U.S. Marine Barracks in Beirut; the Khobar Towers bombing in Saudi Arabia in 1996; and the East Africa embassy bombings in 1998.
• Vehicles transporting hazardous materials used as a weapon or to transport explosives for later use
  We are aware of the possibility that terrorists may try to obtain a commercial driver's license in order to transport hazardous materials. We need to maintain tighter control of who is driving these vehicles.
• Urban mass transit systems
  The Tokyo subway was the target for a sarin gas attack in 1995 as was the Paris subway that same year. The London Underground has also been the target of several terrorist attacks.
• Bridges railroads and tunnels.
  In the United States terrorists plotted to blow up the Lincoln and Holland Tunnels in New York in 1993.
• Ships including military and cruise vessels concern us as possible targets.
  The Achille Lauro cruise ship was seized on the Mediterranean in 1985 and the USS Cole off Yemen was bombed in 2000.
• Port facilities fuel processing and receiving facilities.
  Shipping containers and oil tankers can be targets or serve as a means to transport and store terrorist weapons.

In light of these threats we have established the Transportation Security Intelligence Service (TSIS) to monitor threat activity relative to all transportation modes and synthesize and analyze information and intelligence to support the security of these modes.

AVIATION SECURITY

Civil aviation remains a prime target because of the disruption and profoundly traumatizing effect an aviation-related attack has on the public.

In the area of aviation security the aircraft its passengers crew and cargo must be protected.

The new focus for aviation security encompasses components of the aviation system not previously regulated from a security perspective such as general aviation and all-cargo aircraft.

Our goal is to enhance security measures while minimizing the disruption for travelers and the economy.

AVIATION AND TRANSPORTATION SECURITY ACT

To focus the need for government involvement in this area Congress quickly developed and passed the Aviation and Transportation Security Act. President Bush signed it into law on November 19 2001.

This Act created the Transportation Security Administration within the Department of Transportation.

The law makes for the first time security for all modes of transportation a responsibility of the federal government. This includes the responsibility for aviation maritime surface rail and pipeline security.

TSA has several critical deadlines to meet by the end of 2002. These include the following

• By November 19 we are to screen all passengers and property with a federal screener workforce at our airports.
• By December 31 we are to implement one-hundred-percent screening of all checked baggage for explosives.

PASSENGER AND BAGGAGE SCREENING

With some 420 million passengers and 900 million bags processed per year the scope of the aviation screening requirement in the United States is huge.

The end-of-the-year mandate directs us to have in place a federalized workforce that will require as many as 54 000 security screeners (for both passengers and baggage). The full organization may total 65 000 people.

In support of this effort we have already hired and trained several hundred screener- trainers who are moving out to train screeners around the country.

We are reviewing the available screening technology equipment including walk-through metal detectors hand-held metal detectors threat image projection capabilities and explosives detection technology to develop the best configuration of the equipment to support the needs of each airport during the nationwide transition.

As more research and development goes into screening technology better and smaller units will come on line and replace the older technology.

SCREENING FOR EXPLOSIVES

Our biggest challenge may be the requirement to screen all checked baggage for explosives.

TSA is required to ensure that all U.S. airports have sufficient explosive detection systems to screen all checked baggage no later than December 31 of this year.

To meet the end-of-year requirement we will use a combination of detection capabilities along with strict protocols for baggage screening.

We are using two kinds of detection systems. One type is the explosives detection systems--EDS-being used to screen checked bags at those airports where the use of EDS is feasible. Approximately 1 100 systems will be deployed prior to December 31.

The other method is explosives trace detection-ETD-machines that will be used in low-activity situations or where airport space or structural limitations prohibit EDS installation. Some 4 000 to 5 000 ETD systems will be utilized for baggage screening.

In conjunction with this effort we recently completed a connecting bag matching exercise in Chicago showing that it can help in tightening up the bag matching process and add another element to strengthen security.

The exercise showed that this procedure would also help airlines by reducing lost baggage costs.

These deadlines represent major challenges and Secretary Mineta and I are firmly committed to meeting them. There is no doubt in my mind that they will be met.

LAW ENFORCEMENT ACTIVITES

Law enforcement is a major part of the TSA mission.

TSA is blending technology law enforcement and regulatory compliance to create a new level of excellence in security implemented with the highest degree of excellence in customer service.

This includes oversight for passenger and baggage screening at airports and aircraft security on the ground and in the skies:

• Some 192 Federal Security Directors (FSDs) will supervise all of the screening and law enforcement workforce involving 429 airports around the country.
  These directors from law enforcement the military and other areas in the private sector have experience in managing complex organizations and are responsible for conducting airport risk assessments overseeing screeners supervising law enforcement activities and implementing security planning in coordination with airport authorities.
• Other uniformed and plain clothes law enforcement officers criminal investigators and support staff are being hired and trained in security operations at airports and related facilities.
• A greatly increased number of Federal Air Marshals (FAMs) are being recruited trained and deployed to provide security in the skies.

Based on my experience at ATF which is a regulatory agency I am keenly aware of the need to balance regulatory compliance with the concerns of the industry about unduly impacting the bottom line.

If you have seen one airport then you have only seen one airport. Therefore we will share lessons learned and best practices from the airport community to enhance the overall airport infrastructure.

We are developing overlapping mutually reinforcing layers of security some readily visible to the public like screening stations while others are less visible such as using intelligence working undercover and applying state-of-the-art technology tools.

KEY AREAS OF INTEREST

I would like to touch on a number of other areas of interest to the security community.

One is cargo security on passenger planes. Air cargo must be just as secure as passengers and baggage. TSA is using the "known shipper" approach as a method to reduce the terrorist threat on passenger and ultimately cargo aircraft. This approach involves individual shipment authorization control shipment risk analysis and keeping an electronic audit trail for the cargo.

A second area is perimeter security. This involves a requirement to screen individuals goods property vehicles and equipment prior to entry into a secured area of an airport and at the fence lines.

To support this effort we are conducting pilot projects at more than 20 airports. We are looking at new innovative and deployable technologies to support this effort including the use of biometrics tailgate controls smart credentials and video surveillance.

TSA is also developing a standardized credentialing system to provide multiple levels of access to secure areas within the local airport facility infrastructure.

A third area that has drawn considerable attention recently is the use of weapons in the cockpit.

As the Under Secretary of Transportation for Security I rely each day on my 42 years of law enforcement training management and other experience to help guide the decisions of this agency.

My priority and that of Secretary Mineta and the entire Administration is to do everything we can to protect the lives of our nation's travelers and citizens and our transportation professionals.

Our job is to systematically reduce the availability of dangerous weaponry within our aviation system. And I can assure you we are doing just that.

We have reinforced the cockpit doors on our entire fleet of airliners.

On June 17 Secretary Norman Mineta announced that foreign airlines must install new flight deck doors on aircraft serving the United States by April 9 2003. This activity will involve 1 921 foreign airplanes that will need to be retrofitted.

In conjunction with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the airline industry we have developed a revised "Common Strategy" for aircraft security. The earlier strategy called for negotiating the demands of a hijacker in order to protect the passengers and land the plane.

The new strategy is focused on the priority for the pilot to keep the hardened cockpit door closed and to concentrate on flying and controlling the aircraft in order to return the aircraft its passengers and crewmembers safely to the ground.

With his or her expert skills a pilot has many options to maneuver the aircraft in such a manner as to create instability for those not in seat belts. Pardon my expression but the plane can be flown so that anyone not strapped in would have difficulty "finding their bottom with both hands " all the while being fully and safely controlled by the pilot.

To enhance aircraft security we also evaluating various ways to place cameras in the passenger cabin that can provide a pilot's "rearview mirror" on monitors in the cockpit.

After extensive review and input from numerous experts and organizations I have determined that the use of firearms aboard a U.S. aircraft must be limited to thoroughly trained members of the U.S. law enforcement community.

We are still evaluating the use of less-than-lethal weapons by pilots and possibly cabin members.

I am committed to do all we can to protect the lives of our passengers pilots and other crew members while maximizing the chances for a successful and safe resolution of any incident.

CLOSING

On June 6 the President announced his proposal to create a Department of Homeland Security with the primary mission of protecting the American homeland.

This action provides further emphasis from the highest levels that the global terrorism threat is all too real and will likely continue into the foreseeable future.

The President proposes placing several agencies- including the Immigration and Naturalization Service the Customs Service the Secret Service the Federal Emergency Management Agency the Coast Guard and the Transportation Security Administration-

into the new department.

We must and we will remain focused to meet all our ongoing security deadlines. TSA will enhance this new department and the reorganization will not disrupt our momentum in implementing security activities.

Secretary Mineta and I have pledged our full support to the President and to Governor Ridge in this effort.

Our vision is to continuously set the standard for excellence in transportation security through people processes and technologies.

As we continue to move forward in meeting these critical deadlines it is important that we continue to be serious about security but always mindful of preserving our basic freedoms including the freedom to travel throughout this nation and beyond.

The major challenge before us is to defeat the plans of would-be terrorists as we strive to do what is reasonable using common sense and supported by good intelligence.

Our goal is to sustain the confidence of the traveling public and keep the economy moving forward.

Each employee in our workforce will autograph every task with his or her "personal "signature of excellence"-a proud workforce that America can be proud of.

We need and appreciate the interest and support of the security community in helping us implement our responsibilities as we move forward.

Thanks again for inviting me to participate in this important forum.

I would be glad to address any questions.