November 18, 2002 11:00 AM - Remarks for the Honorable Norman Y. Mineta Secretary of Transportation TSA Anniversary Event Washington, D.C.

Tom, thank you for that kind introduction.

Last Fall, President Bush turned to an extraordinary leader to head the new Office of Homeland Security, Tom Ridge.  Tom has done an outstanding job since his start, just over a year ago.  There will be much more to do in the days ahead.  

Tom, I am grateful for your friendship and strong support of the important security mission of the Department of Transportation.  

One year ago, President Bush stood in this room and signed the Aviation and Transportation Security Act.  With a stroke of the pen, the Transportation Security Administration was created.  

At the time of signing, America was still suffering from a widespread fear of flying.  A half a mile from here, burnt walls at the Pentagon were a visible reminder of 9/11.  

At airports throughout the country, long lines of nervous Americans watched as screeners ill-equipped for the new wartime reality struggled to check passengers.  National Guard troops patrolled our airports.  The press and the public wondered if adequate security could ever be restored.  

President Bush sent legislation to Congress proposing creation of the Transportation Security Administration.  Congress soon passed TSA legislation.  The President's signature set in motion the largest peacetime mobilization in our Nation's history.  

Yet on this morning one year ago, the TSA was nothing more than a piece of paper.  

Our mandate:  stand up a fully operational agency, conducting passenger screening with extensively trained new federal employees at every airport -- in one year.  And much more.  

Well, we did it.  Tomorrow morning, TSA's new federal passenger screeners will be on duty at every airport in America.  

Today I have two objectives.  First, give the American people a one-year report on our success.  Second, outline the considerable work that TSA still has ahead in the year to come.  

So, how did we do it?  

First, we set a clear goal:  achieve world-class security and world-class customer service.  Failure regarding either one would be failure, period.  

After the legislation was signed, we assumed command of the aviation security system.  DOT had already begun to build a new Federal Air Marshal program to protect commercial aircraft.  We recruited and deployed a force with several thousands new TSA Air Marshals by July -- on time and on budget.  

As last year's holiday season approached, the National Guard was deployed at passenger screening checkpoints.  Later, we negotiated contracts with state and local law enforcement agencies nationwide to do that work.  In February, we assumed direct oversight for passenger screening, previously supervised by the airlines.  We set rigorous new training standards for airport screeners.  We required positive passenger bag match screening.

In short, we quickly moved to operate and improve the old system, while we designed and deployed the new federal work force.  

Meanwhile, we began to hire the TSA staff.  By March, we had trained the first of 158 federal airport security directors.  These include former Navy carrier commanders, big city police chiefs, business executives and other distinguished military and law enforcement officers.  A tremendously capable cadre of American leaders.  

Baltimore-Washington International Airport became a test-bed, where we experimented with passenger flow and screening technology to provide a template for the massive rollout that would begin in earnest in July.  I am grateful for the support of Maryland's transportation leaders, especially John Porcari, Beverley Swaim-Staley, and Paul Wiedefeld.  

TSA received over 1.4 million applications for some 53,000 screening positions.  Over 314,000 people went through our assessment center review, with 117,000 successfully completing the battery of tests and background screening requirements.  

We did most of the rollout in a very short time.  In fact, ninety percent of the screener hiring has occurred since July -- at a pace of over 3,300 per week.  

Shortly after passage of the TSA legislation, I told President Bush that the task of meeting today's deadline would be "monumental, but doable."   The American can-do spirit always prevails, and it did here too.  

From top to bottom, the entire organization has this spirit.  Admiral Jim Loy is an outstanding leader at TSA -- a friend and patriot who will guide TSA with a steady hand in the months ahead.  It is important also to thank TSA's first leader, John Magaw, who made many important contributions to TSA.  

 Together, Jim and John recruited a superb management team and an outstanding screener work force that works tirelessly.  Many of these were hand --picked executives from across the federal government.  Several members of that TSA team are here -- Steve McHale, Ralph Basham and others, but most are characteristically out taking on the next challenge.  

To our aviation industry partners -- association executives, airline and airport leaders, we have relied on you to make this happen.  You have provided good counsel, fair criticism, and a steady commitment to partnership.

To conclude this one-year status report, I want to say a word about the indispensable role that the private sector has played in TSA's success.  

Before the TSA legislation passed, we assembled a small group of executives to help us think outside the normal government ways of doing business.  Led by an outstanding executive with deep transportation and government experience, Kip Hawley, this team has now mostly returned to their previous jobs.  Two that I'd like to mention today have ongoing and crucial roles:  Cliff Hardt from FedEx leads the entire deployment effort, and Randy Null from Intel leads the explosive detection screening roll-out.  

In addition, we decided early that TSA simply could not recruit and train a team large enough to do certain tasks that together make up the core fieldwork for screener deployment.  

Thus we did quick, comprehensive and fully open procurements, that added six terrific private sector firms to the larger TSA team:   NCS Pearson for screener recruitment;   Lockheed Martin for screener training;   Boeing-Siemens for explosive detection deployment and maintenance;   Lockheed Martin for roll-out coordination and checkpoint construction;   Unisys to manage deployment of core IT tools;   and VF Solutions to get the right uniforms to the right people at the right time.  Each of these firms -- and many others who have helped along the way -- made it possible to reach this one-year anniversary successfully.

So, on behalf of President Bush, Vice President Cheney, and a grateful Nation, I thank you for your service to our country.  

The second topic I wanted to touch upon briefly is the vital work that TSA still has ahead in the year to come.  I'd like to highlight four priorities for TSA:  

1.      Manage the peak holiday travel season well;

2.      Meet the 12/31 baggage screening deadline;

3.      Carry out an effective transition to the Department of Homeland Security;   and

4.      Innovate and improve, working with all transportation modes.  

Each merits at least a quick word.  

First, the busy travel holiday season is near.  I want to call attention to a new initiative that TSA is sponsoring, with the cooperation of the aviation industry.  This effort is intended to convey tips for holiday travel that will allow passengers to make their way through required security measures more efficiently.  As we rollout the new TSA workforce during the holidays, we must keep a focus on customer service and security.  

 Second, a word about TSA's next big statutory goal, which is to deliver advanced technology and people to do 100 percent baggage screening by December 31, 2002.  That is our toughest and most expensive goal.  Adequate resources remain a key to doing this job right.  

Here's the plan.  By 12/31 we will have the permanent bag screening solution in place at over 400 airports.  We are working furiously to refine construction, hiring and training details.  

I am pleased to announce that as of this week, TSA will have delivered to support 100 percent baggage screening at almost half of the nation's 429 airports.  At about 100 airports we have already met the 12/31 deadline -- TSA is screening all bags, all flights, each day.  That is good progress, and you will be seeing more of it in the days ahead.  

At a handful of the nation's largest airports, we now expect to implement enhanced interim solutions by year's end, while we complete construction of the permanent solution, mostly during the first half of 2003.  

These interim solutions may make airport lobbies a bit more crowded, less elegant, more labor-intensive, but we will screen bags in an effective, secure manner.  And without unreasonable delays.  

In most places where interim solutions are needed, 100 percent screening with electronic tools will be possible.  In a few airports, we will have to augment automated systems with other congressionally authorized techniques to cover some bags.  But even in those places, electronic tools will provide most of the screening.  

The bottom line:  we can get baggage screening done, and done well.  

Two final points.  Last week the House has approved creation of the Department of Homeland Security, as requested by the President.  I sincerely hope the Senate will act quickly to adopt the House-passed measure.  

If the rumors are true, the country will have a superb candidate to head this important agency.  My entire DOT team is committed to preparing for a smooth transition to the DHS.  We plan to hand over an effective TSA to the new DHS Secretary early next year.  

Lastly, we are proud that we have met so many deadlines, but we are not resting.  TSA must focus on continuous security improvement -- across all transportation modes.  There is a simple, and profoundly sobering reason why: the threat is real.  

President Bush has continually reminded the nation that we are at war against a determined enemy.  But the creation of TSA shows that America is equally determined.  

Thank you for coming.  Travel safely, travel smart.  God bless you, and God bless America.