February 2008
Armed and worried
14.6% Turnover rate for TSA officers is almost four times the federal average.
As part of the response to the terror threat, the federal air marshal service expanded from 33 to thousands of marshals and
was transferred from the FAA to the TSA. But the transition did not go smoothly, according to a 2005 GAO report. Over the
next two years the marshal service was transferred two more times, then was sent back again to the TSA.
The service also tried unsuccessfully to develop a "surge" capability with customs and immigration agents trained to work as air marshals when needed. The auditors warn that without changes in career development and advancement, the force could face "a decline in employee morale and an increase in attrition rates."
That has happened, experts say. While the exact number of marshals is classified, a report on the Airline Pilots Security Alliance Web site says,"The current air marshal force, 2,200 officers working in teams, protects only 5 to 10 percent of daily flights, if that." The alliance says that's down from a peak of 4,000.
"Everyone thinks there are enough air marshals on the planes, and there are not," says P. Jeffrey Black, an air marshal and whistle-blower who testified before the House Judiciary Committee in 2004.
An incident onboard a Northwest Airlines flight in June 2004 in which 13 Middle Eastern men in a musical group acted suspiciously prompted an inspector general's probe. The full report, not made public, provides these details:"During the flight, the men again acted suspiciously. Several of the men changed seats, congregated in the aisles, and arose when the fasten seat belt sign was turned on; one passenger moved quickly up the aisle toward the cockpit and, at the last moment, entered the first class lavatory. The passenger remained in the lavatory for about 20 minutes." Another man carried a large McDonald's restaurant bag into a lavatory and made a thumbs-up signal to another man upon returning to his seat.
An FBI check indicated that the musical group's promoter had been involved in a similar incident in January 2004. "No other derogatory information was received, and all 13 of the men were released," the report says, although visas for 12 of the passengers expired weeks before the flight. Twelve of the men had left the country by mid-July; the FBI started its investigation later that month, after another passenger wrote an article about her experience on the flight and appeared on television.
The federal report cited marshals' problems in communicating with the cockpit and confusion over which federal agency had authority.
To complement the air marshals, the government allows crew members to become Federal Flight Deck Officers and to carry guns in the cockpit. But an inspector general's report in 2006 stated "more needs to be accomplished to maximize the use of FFDOs on international and domestic flights." The ranks are thin: Only an estimated 8 to 10 percent of domestic flights have an armed crew member in the cockpit.
Mackett, of the Airline Pilots Security Alliance, sees arming pilots as an unobtrusive system that uses current resources. But he says that the TSA is "grudgingly tolerating" the program. He says airlines aren't required to pay for the voluntary training, and some won't provide time off.
Kayser, the TSA spokesman, says "procedures must be followed to maintain the high standards of any law enforcement professional."
While the U.S. has made significant efforts in aviation security since 2001, many experts cite El Al Israel Airlines as the benchmark for aviation security, with double cockpit doors and more extensive passenger and baggage screening.
Consumers Union, the nonprofit publisher of Consumer Reports, believes the government should close the gaps in security by instituting more effective screening measures, creating a second cockpit barrier, and improving training of TSA officers, and providing more help for federal air marshals and flight crew members.
"It is clear that the TSA continues to struggle with the implementation of fundamental security measures," says Rep. Edward J. Markey, D-Mass., of the House Homeland Security Committee. "Congress will need to keep shining a spotlight on TSA operations and provide the resources and training needed for TSA employees to perform their difficult jobs."
The service also tried unsuccessfully to develop a "surge" capability with customs and immigration agents trained to work as air marshals when needed. The auditors warn that without changes in career development and advancement, the force could face "a decline in employee morale and an increase in attrition rates."
That has happened, experts say. While the exact number of marshals is classified, a report on the Airline Pilots Security Alliance Web site says,"The current air marshal force, 2,200 officers working in teams, protects only 5 to 10 percent of daily flights, if that." The alliance says that's down from a peak of 4,000.
"Everyone thinks there are enough air marshals on the planes, and there are not," says P. Jeffrey Black, an air marshal and whistle-blower who testified before the House Judiciary Committee in 2004.
An incident onboard a Northwest Airlines flight in June 2004 in which 13 Middle Eastern men in a musical group acted suspiciously prompted an inspector general's probe. The full report, not made public, provides these details:"During the flight, the men again acted suspiciously. Several of the men changed seats, congregated in the aisles, and arose when the fasten seat belt sign was turned on; one passenger moved quickly up the aisle toward the cockpit and, at the last moment, entered the first class lavatory. The passenger remained in the lavatory for about 20 minutes." Another man carried a large McDonald's restaurant bag into a lavatory and made a thumbs-up signal to another man upon returning to his seat.
An FBI check indicated that the musical group's promoter had been involved in a similar incident in January 2004. "No other derogatory information was received, and all 13 of the men were released," the report says, although visas for 12 of the passengers expired weeks before the flight. Twelve of the men had left the country by mid-July; the FBI started its investigation later that month, after another passenger wrote an article about her experience on the flight and appeared on television.
The federal report cited marshals' problems in communicating with the cockpit and confusion over which federal agency had authority.
To complement the air marshals, the government allows crew members to become Federal Flight Deck Officers and to carry guns in the cockpit. But an inspector general's report in 2006 stated "more needs to be accomplished to maximize the use of FFDOs on international and domestic flights." The ranks are thin: Only an estimated 8 to 10 percent of domestic flights have an armed crew member in the cockpit.
Mackett, of the Airline Pilots Security Alliance, sees arming pilots as an unobtrusive system that uses current resources. But he says that the TSA is "grudgingly tolerating" the program. He says airlines aren't required to pay for the voluntary training, and some won't provide time off.
Kayser, the TSA spokesman, says "procedures must be followed to maintain the high standards of any law enforcement professional."
While the U.S. has made significant efforts in aviation security since 2001, many experts cite El Al Israel Airlines as the benchmark for aviation security, with double cockpit doors and more extensive passenger and baggage screening.
Consumers Union, the nonprofit publisher of Consumer Reports, believes the government should close the gaps in security by instituting more effective screening measures, creating a second cockpit barrier, and improving training of TSA officers, and providing more help for federal air marshals and flight crew members.
"It is clear that the TSA continues to struggle with the implementation of fundamental security measures," says Rep. Edward J. Markey, D-Mass., of the House Homeland Security Committee. "Congress will need to keep shining a spotlight on TSA operations and provide the resources and training needed for TSA employees to perform their difficult jobs."
