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Transportation Security:
Issues for the 114th Congress
Bart Elias
Specialist in Aviation Policy
David Randall Peterman
Analyst in Transportation Policy
John Frittelli
Specialist in Transportation Policy
March 20, 2015
Congressional Research Service
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RL33512
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Tansportation Security: Issues for the 114th Congress
Summary
The nation’s air, land, and marine transportation systems are designed for accessibility and
efficiency, two characteristics that make them highly vulnerable to terrorist attack. While
hardening the transportation sector from terrorist attack is difficult, measures can be taken to
deter terrorists. The dilemma facing Congress is how best to construct and finance a system of
deterrence, protection, and response that effectively reduces the possibility and consequences of
another terrorist attack without unduly interfering with travel, commerce, and civil liberties.
Aviation security has been a major focus of transportation security policy since the terrorist
attacks of September 11, 2001. In the aftermath of these attacks, the 107th Congress moved
quickly to pass the Aviation and Transportation Security Act (ATSA; P.L. 107-71) creating the
Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and mandating a federalized workforce of security
screeners to inspect airline passengers and their baggage. Until recently, TSA applied relatively
uniform methods to screen airline passengers, focusing primarily on advances in screening
technology to improve security and efficiency. TSA has recently shifted away from this approach,
which assumes a uniform level of risk among all airline travelers, to risk-based screening
approaches that focus more intensely on passengers thought to pose elevated security risks.
Despite the extensive focus on aviation security over the past decade, a number of challenges
remain, including
• effectively screening passengers, baggage, and cargo for explosives threats;
• developing effective risk-based methods for screening passengers and others with
access to aircraft and sensitive areas;
• exploiting available intelligence information and watchlists to identify
individuals who pose potential threats to civil aviation;
• effectively responding to security threats at airports and screening checkpoints;
• developing effective strategies for addressing aircraft vulnerabilities to shoulder-
fired missiles and other standoff weapons; and
• addressing the potential security implications of unmanned aircraft operations.
Bombings of passenger trains in Europe and Asia in the past few years illustrate the vulnerability
of passenger rail systems to terrorist attacks. Passenger rail systems—primarily subway
systems—in the United States carry about five times as many passengers each day as do airlines,
over many thousands of miles of track, serving stations that are designed primarily for easy
access. Transit security issues of recent interest to Congress include the quality of TSA’s surface
transportation inspector program and the slow rate at which transit and rail security grants have
been expended.
Existing law mandates the scanning of all U.S.-bound maritime containers with non-intrusive
inspection equipment at overseas ports of loading by July 2012. This deadline was not met, in
part because foreign countries object to the costs of this screening and are dubious of the benefits.
Implementation of the Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) for port and
maritime workers also appears to be experiencing continuing difficulties.
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Contents
Introduction ...................................................................................................................................... 1
Aviation Security ............................................................................................................................. 1
Explosives Screening Strategy for the Aviation Domain ........................................................... 2
Risk-Based Passenger Screening ............................................................................................... 4
The Use of Terrorist Watchlists in the Aviation Domain ........................................................... 6
Security Response to Incidents at Screening Checkpoints ........................................................ 7
Mitigating the Threat of Shoulder-Fired Missiles to Civilian Aircraft ...................................... 7
Security Issues Regarding the Operation of Unmanned Aircraft .............................................. 9
Transit and Passenger Rail Security .............................................................................................. 11
Port and Maritime Security Issues ................................................................................................. 14
Container Scanning Requirement ............................................................................................ 14
Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) ....................................................... 15
Tables
Table 1. Congressional Funding for Transit Security Grants, FY2002-FY2015 ........................... 13
Contacts
Author Contact Information........................................................................................................... 16
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Introduction
The nation’s air, land, and marine transportation systems are designed for accessibility and
efficiency, two characteristics that make them vulnerable to attack. The difficulty and cost of
protecting the transportation sector from attack raises a core question for policymakers: how
much effort and resources to put toward protecting potential targets versus pursuing and fighting
terrorists. While hardening the transportation sector from terrorist attack is difficult, measures can
be taken to deter terrorists. The focus of debate is how best to construct and finance a system of
deterrence, protection, and response that effectively reduces the possibility and consequences of
another terrorist attack without unduly interfering with travel, commerce, and civil liberties.
For all modes of transportation, one can identify four principal policy objectives that would
support a system of deterrence and protection: (1) ensuring the trustworthiness of the passengers
and the cargo flowing through the system, (2) ensuring the trustworthiness of the transportation
workers who operate and service the vehicles, assist the passengers, or handle the cargo, (3)
ensuring the trustworthiness of the private companies that operate in the system, such as the
carriers, shippers, agents, and brokers, and (4) establishing a perimeter of security around
transportation facilities and vehicles in operation. The first three policy objectives are concerned
with preventing an attack from within a transportation system, such as occurred on September 11,
2001. The concern is that attackers could once again disguise themselves as legitimate passengers
(or shippers or workers) to get in position to launch an attack.
The fourth policy objective is concerned with preventing an attack from outside a transportation
system. For instance, terrorists could ram a bomb-laden speed boat into an oil tanker, as was done
in October 2002 to the French oil tanker Limberg, or they could fire a shoulder-fired missile at an
airplane taking off or landing, as was attempted in November 2002 against an Israeli charter jet in
Mombasa, Kenya. Achieving all four of these objectives is difficult, at best, and in some modes,
is practically impossible. Where limited options exist for preventing an attack, policymakers are
left with evaluating options for minimizing the consequences from an attack, without imposing
unduly burdensome requirements.
Aviation Security1
Following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Congress took swift action to create the Transportation
Security Administration (TSA), federalizing all airline passenger and baggage screening functions
and deploying significantly increased numbers of armed air marshals on commercial passenger
flights. To this day, the federalization of airport screening remains controversial. For example,
Representative Bill Shuster, chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee,
contended that, in hindsight, the decision to create TSA as a federal agency functionally
responsible for passenger and baggage screening was a “big mistake,” and that frontline screening
responsibilities should have been left in the hands of private security companies.2 While airports
have the option of opting out of federal screening, alternative private screening under TSA
contracts has been limited to 21 airports out of approximately 450 commercial passenger airports
1 This section was prepared by Bart Elias, Specialist in Aviation Policy.
2 Keith Laing, “GOP Chairman: TSA was a ‘big mistake,’” The Hill, March 18, 2015, http://thehill.com/policy/
transportation/236130-gop-rep-creating-tsa-was-a-mistake.
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where passenger screening is required.3 While Congress has sought to ensure that optional private
screening remains available for those airports that want to pursue this option, proposals seeking
more extensive reforms of passenger screening have not been extensively debated. Rather, the
aviation security legislation in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks has largely focused on specific
mandates to comprehensively screen for explosives and carry out background checks and threat
assessments.
Despite the extensive focus on aviation security for more than a decade, a number of challenges
remain, including
• effectively screening passengers, baggage, and cargo for explosives threats;
• developing effective risk-based methods for screening passengers and others with
access to aircraft and sensitive areas;
• exploiting available intelligence information and watchlists to identify
individuals who pose potential threats to civil aviation;
• effectively responding to security threats at airports and screening checkpoints;
• developing effective strategies for addressing aircraft vulnerabilities to shoulder-
fired missiles and other standoff weapons; and
• addressing the potential security implications of unmanned aircraft operations in
domestic airspace.
Explosives Screening Strategy for the Aviation Domain
Prior to the 9/11 attacks, explosives screening in the aviation domain was limited in scope and
focused on selective screening of checked baggage placed on international passenger flights.
Immediately following the 9/11 attacks, the Aviation and Transportation Security Act (ATSA; P.L.
107-71) mandated 100% screening of all checked baggage placed on domestic passenger flights
and on international passenger flights to and from the United States.
In addition, the Implementing the 9/11 Commission Recommendations Act of 2007 (P.L. 110-53)
mandated the physical screening of all cargo placed on passenger flights. Unlike passenger and
checked baggage screening, TSA does not routinely perform physical inspections of air cargo.
Rather, TSA satisfies this mandate through the Certified Cargo Screening Program. Under the
program, manufacturers, warehouses, distributors, freight forwarders, and shippers carry out
screening inspections using TSA-approved technologies and procedures both at airports and at
off-airport facilities in concert with certified supply-chain security measures and chain of custody
standards. Internationally, TSA works with other governments, international trade organizations,
and industry to assure that all U.S.-bound and domestic cargo carried aboard passenger aircraft
meet the requirements of the mandate.
Additionally, TSA works closely with Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to carry out risk-
based targeting of cargo shipments, including use of the CBP Advance Targeting System-Cargo
(ATS-C), which assigns risk-based scores to inbound air cargo shipments to identify shipments of
3 Transportation Security Administration, Screening Partnership Program, http://www.tsa.gov/stakeholders/screening-
partnership-program.
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elevated risk. Originally designed to combat drug smuggling, ATS-C has evolved and adapted
over the years, particularly in response to the October 2010 cargo aircraft bomb plot that
originated in Yemen, to assess shipments for explosives threats or other terrorism-related
activities.
Given the focus on the threats to aviation posed by explosives, a significant focus of TSA
acquisition efforts has been on explosives screening technologies. However, in 2014, Congress
found that TSA has continued to face numerous challenges in meeting key performance
requirements set for explosives detection, has only recently developed a technology investment
plan, and has not consistently implemented Department of Homeland Security (DHS) policy and
best practices for procurement.4 The Transportation Security Acquisition Reform Act (P.L. 113-
245) seeks to address these concerns by requiring a five-year technology investment plan, and to
increase accountability for acquisitions through formal justifications and certifications that
technology investments are cost-beneficial. The act also requires tighter inventory controls and
processes to ensure efficient utilization of procured technologies, as well as improvements in
setting and attaining goals for small-business contracting opportunities.
A major thrust of TSA’s acquisition and technology deployment strategy is improving the
capability to detect concealed explosives and bomb-making components carried by airline
passengers. On December 25, 2009, a passenger attempted to detonate an explosive device
concealed in his underwear aboard Northwest Airlines flight 253 during its approach to Detroit,
MI. Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula claimed responsibility. Al Qaeda and its various factions
have maintained a particular interest in attacking U.S.-bound airliners. Since 9/11, Al Qaeda has
also been linked to the Richard Reid shoe bombing incident aboard American Airlines flight 63
en route from Paris to Miami on December 22, 2001, a plot to bomb several trans-Atlantic flights
departing the United Kingdom for North America in 2006, and the October 2010 plot to detonate
explosives concealed in air cargo shipments bound for the United States.
In response to the Northwest Airlines flight 253 incident, the Obama Administration accelerated
deployment of Advanced Imaging Technology (AIT) whole body imaging (WBI) screening
devices and other technologies at passenger screening checkpoints. This deployment responds to
the 9/11 commission recommendation to improve the detection of explosives on passengers.5 In
addition to AIT, next generation screening technologies for airport screening checkpoints include
advanced technology X-ray systems for screening carry-on baggage, bottled liquids scanners, cast
and prosthesis imagers, shoe scanning devices, and portable explosives trace detection equipment.
The use of AIT has raised a number of policy questions. Privacy advocates have objected to the
intrusiveness of AIT, particularly if used for primary screening.6 To allay privacy concerns, TSA
eliminated the use of human analysis of AIT images, and does not store imagery. In place of
human image analysts, TSA has deployed automated threat detection capabilities using automated
targeting recognition (ATR) software. Another concern raised about AIT centered on the potential
medical risks posed by backscatter X-ray systems, but those systems are no longer in use for
4 See P.L. 113-245.
5 National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States, The 9/11 Commission Report, New York, NY: W.
W. Norton & Co., 2004.
6 See, e.g., American Civil Liberties Union. ACLU Backgrounder on Body Scanners and “Virtual Strip Searches,” New
York, NY, January 8, 2010.
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airport screening, and current millimeter wave systems emit nonionizing millimeter waves not
considered harmful.
Some have advocated for risk-based use of AIT, in coordination with the risk-based approaches to
passenger screening discussed below. Past legislative proposals have specifically sought to
prohibit the use of WBI technology for primary screening (see, e.g., H.R. 2200, 111th Congress),
although primary screening using AIT is now commonplace, at least at larger airports.
Checkpoints at many smaller airports, however, have not been furnished with AIT equipment and
other advanced checkpoint detection technologies. This raises questions about TSA’s long-range
plans to expand AIT to ensure more uniform approaches to explosives screening across all
categories of airports. Through FY2014, TSA had deployed about 750 AIT units, roughly 86% of
its projected full operating capability of 870 units. Full operating capability, once achieved, will
still leave many smaller airports without this capability. TSA plans to manage this risk to a large
extent through risk-based passenger screening measures, primarily through increased use of
voluntary passenger background checks under the PreCheck trusted traveler program. However,
this program, likewise, has not been rolled out at many smaller airports: currently, the program’s
incentive of expedited screening is offered at less than one-third of all commercial passenger
airports.
Risk-Based Passenger Screening
TSA has initiated a number of risk-based screening initiatives to focus its resources and apply
directed measures based on intelligence-driven assessments of security risk. These include a
trusted traveler program called PreCheck, modified screening procedures for children 12 and
under, and a program for expedited screening of known flight crew and cabin crew members.
Programs have also been developed for modified screening of elderly passengers similar to those
procedures put in place for children.
A cornerstone of TSA’s risk-based initiatives is the PreCheck program. PreCheck is TSA’s latest
version of a trusted traveler program that has been modeled after CBP programs such as Global
Entry, SENTRI, and NEXUS. Under the PreCheck program, participants vetted through a
background check process, as well as other passengers randomly selected and deemed to be low-
risk under a process known as “managed inclusion,” are processed through expedited screening
lanes where they can keep shoes on and keep liquids and laptops inside carry-on bags. As of
March 2015, PreCheck expedited screening lanes were available at more than 130 airports. The
cost of background checks under the PreCheck program is recovered through application fees of
$85 per passenger for a five-year membership. TSA’s goal is to process 50% of passengers
through PreCheck expedited screening lanes, thus reducing the need for standard security
screening lanes.
A predecessor test program, called the Registered Traveler program, which involved private
vendors that issued and scanned participants’ biometric credentials, was scrapped by TSA in 2009
because it failed to show a demonstrable security benefit. Although initial evaluations and
consumer response have suggested that PreCheck offers an effective, streamlined screening
process, some questions remain regarding whether PreCheck is fully effective in directing
security resources to unknown or elevated-risk travelers. While questions remain regarding the
security effectiveness of risk-based screening measures like PreCheck, these approaches have
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demonstrated improved screening efficiency, resulting in cost savings for TSA. TSA estimates
annual savings in screener workforce costs totaling $110 million as a result of risk-based
screening efficiencies.7
One concern raised over PreCheck, and the passenger screening process in general, is the public
dissemination of instructions, posted on Internet sites, detailing how to decipher boarding passes
to determine whether a passenger has been selected for expedited screening, standard screening,
or more thorough secondary screening. The lack of encryption and the limited capability TSA has
to authenticate boarding passes and travel documents could be exploited to attempt to avoid
detection of threat items by more extensive security measures. Other concerns raised over the
PreCheck program include the lack of biometric identity authentication and the extensive use of
managed inclusion to route travelers not enrolled in or vetted through the PreCheck program
through designated PreCheck expedited screening lanes based on random selection or
observations by Behavior Detection Officers (BDOs), canine explosives detection teams, or
explosives trace detection equipment. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that
TSA had not fully tested its managed inclusion practices, and recommended that TSA take steps
to ensure and document that testing of the program adheres to established evaluation design
practices.8
In addition to passenger screening, TSA, in coordination with participating airlines and labor
organizations representing airline pilots, has developed a known crewmember program to
expedite security screening of airline flight crews.9 In July 2012, TSA expanded the program to
include flight attendants.10
TSA has also developed a passenger behavior detection program to identify potential threats
based on observed behavioral characteristics. TSA initiated early tests of its Screening Passengers
by Observational Techniques (SPOT) program in 2003. By FY2012, the program deployed
almost 3,000 BDOs at 176 airports, at an annual cost of about $200 million. Despite its
significant expansion, questions remain regarding the effectiveness of the behavioral detection
program, and privacy advocates have cautioned that it could devolve into racial or ethnic
profiling of passengers despite concerted efforts to focus solely on behaviors rather than
individual passenger traits or characteristics. While some Members of Congress have sought to
shutter the program, Congress has not moved to do so. For example, H.Amdt. 127 (113th
Congress), an amendment to the FY2014 DHS appropriations measure that sought to eliminate
funding for the program, failed to pass a floor vote.36 Congress also has not taken specific action
to revamp the program, despite the concerns raised by GAO and the DHS Office of Inspector
General.11
7 Department of Homeland Security, Transportation Security Administration, Fiscal Year 2016 Congressional
Justification, Aviation Security.
8 U.S. Government Accountability Office, Aviation Security: Rapid Growth in Expedited Passenger Screening
Highlights Need to Plan Effective Security Assessments, GAO-15-150, December 2014.
9 See http://www.knowncrewmember.org/Pages/Home.aspx.
10 Transportation Security Administration, Press Release: U.S. Airline Flight Attendants to Get Expedited Airport
Screening in Second Stage of Known Crewmember Program, Friday, July 27, 2012, http://www.tsa.gov/press/releases/
2012/07/27/us-airline-flight-attendants-get-expedited-airport-screening-second-stage.
11 U.S. Government Accountability Office, Aviation Security: TSA Should Limit Future Funding for Behavior
Detection Activities, GAO-14-159, November 2013; Department of Homeland Security, Office of Inspector General,
Transportation Security Administration’s Screening of Passengers by Observation Techniques (Redacted), OIG-13-91,
Washington, DC, May 29, 2013; Department of Homeland Security, Statement of Charles K. Edwards, Deputy
(continued...)
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In the broad context of risk-based passenger screening, TSA policies and procedures regarding
prohibited items, including current limitations on the carriage of carry-on liquids, may also be
issues of particular interest for congressional oversight for the 114th Congress. In November 2014,
outgoing TSA Administrator John Pistole suggested that restrictions on liquids and gels should be
relaxed for PreCheck participants.12
The Use of Terrorist Watchlists in the Aviation Domain
The failed bombing attempt of Northwest Airlines flight 253 on December 25, 2009, raised policy
questions regarding the effective use of terrorist watchlists and intelligence information to
identify individuals who may pose a threat to aviation. Specific failings to include the bomber on
either the no-fly or selectee list, despite intelligence information suggesting that he posed a
security threat, prompted reviews of the intelligence analysis and terrorist watchlisting processes.
Adding to these concerns, on the evening of May 3, 2010, Faisal Shazad, a suspect in an
attempted car bombing in New York’s Times Square, was permitted to board an Emirates Airline
flight to Dubai at the John F. Kennedy International airport, even though his name had been
added to the no-fly list earlier in the day. He was subsequently identified, removed from the
aircraft, and arrested after the airline forwarded the final passenger manifest to CBP’s National
Targeting Center just prior to departure.13 Subsequently, TSA modified security directives to
require airlines to check passenger names against the no-fly list within two hours of being
electronically notified of an urgent update, instead of allowing 24 hours to recheck the list. The
event also accelerated the transfer of watchlist checks from the airlines to TSA under the Secure
Flight program.
By the end of November 2010, DHS announced that 100% of passengers flying to or from U.S.
airports are being vetted using the Secure Flight system.14 Secure Flight continues the no-fly and
selectee list practices of vetting passenger name records against a subset of the Terrorist
Screening Database (TSDB). On international flights, Secure Flight operates in coordination with
the use of watchlists by CBP’s National Targeting Center - Passenger, which relies on the
Advance Passenger Information System (APIS) and other tools to vet both inbound and outbound
passenger manifests. In addition to these systems, TSA also relies on risk-based analysis of
passenger data carried out by the airlines through use of the Computer-Assisted Passenger
Prescreening System (CAPPS). In January 2015, TSA gave notification that it would start
incorporating the results of CAPPS assessments, but not the underlying data used to make such
assessments, into Secure Flight, along with each passenger’s full name, date of birth and
PreCheck traveler number (if applicable). These data are used within the Secure Flight system to
perform risk-based analyses to determine whether passengers receive expedited, standard, or
enhanced screening at airport checkpoints.15
(...continued)
Inspector General, Before the United States House of Representatives, Committee on Homeland Security,
Subcommittee on Transportation Security, November 13, 2013.
12 Mary Forgione, “Existing TSA Director Wants to Ease Liquids Ban for Some Passengers,” Los Angeles Times,
November 17, 2014, http://www.latimes.com/travel/deals/la-trb-tsa-airport-screening-20141114-story.html.
13 Scott Shane, “Lapses Allowed Suspect to Board Plane,” New York Times, May 4, 2010.
14 Department of Homeland Security, “DHS Now Vetting 100 Percent of Passengers On Flights Within Or Bound For
U.S. Against Watchlists,” Press Release, November 30, 2010.
15 Department of Homeland Security, Transportation Security Administration, “Privacy Act of 1974; Department of
(continued...)
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Central issues surrounding the use of terrorist watchlists in the aviation domain that may be
considered during the 114th Congress include the speed with which watchlists are updated as new
intelligence information becomes available; the extent to which all information available to the
federal government is exploited to assess possible threats among passengers and airline and
airport workers; the ability to detect identity fraud or other attempts to circumvent terrorist
watchlist checks; the adequacy of established protocols for providing redress to individuals
improperly identified as potential threats; and the adequacy of coordination with international
partners.16
Security Response to Incidents at Screening Checkpoints
On November 1, 2013, a lone gunman targeting TSA employees fired several shots at a screening
checkpoint at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), killing one TSA screener and injuring
two other screeners and one airline passenger. The incident raised concerns about the ability of
TSA and airport security officials to mitigate and respond to such threats. In a detailed post-
incident action report, TSA identified several proposed actions to improve checkpoint security,
including enhanced active shooter incident training for screeners; better coordination and
dissemination of information regarding incidents; expansion and routine testing of alert
notification capabilities; and expanded law enforcement presence at checkpoints during peak
times. TSA did not recommend mandatory law enforcement presence at checkpoints, and did not
support proposals to arm certain TSA employees or provide screeners with bulletproof vests.
The Gerardo Hernandez Airport Security Act of 2015 (H.R. 720), named in honor of the TSA
screener killed in the LAX incident, addresses security incident response at airports. It would
mandate airports to put in place working plans for responding to security incidents including
terrorist attacks, active shooters, and incidents targeting passenger checkpoints. Such plans would
be required to include details on evacuation, unified incident command, testing and evaluation of
communications, time frames for law enforcement response, and joint exercises and training at
airports. Additionally, the bill would require TSA to create a mechanism for sharing information
among airports regarding best practices for airport security incident planning, management, and
training. The bill also would require TSA to identify ways to expand the availability of funding
for checkpoint screening law enforcement support through cost savings from improved
efficiencies.
Mitigating the Threat of Shoulder-Fired Missiles
to Civilian Aircraft
The threat to civilian aircraft posed by shoulder-fired missiles or other standoff weapons capable
of downing an airliner remains a vexing concern for aviation security specialists and
policymakers. The State Department has estimated that, since the 1970s, over 40 civilian aircraft
have been hit by shoulder-fired missiles, causing 25 crashes and more than 600 deaths. Most of
(...continued)
Homeland Security Transportation Security Administration-DHS/TSA-019 Secure Flight Records System of Records,”
80 Federal Register 233-239, January 5, 2015.
16 For additional information see CRS Report RL33645, Terrorist Watchlist Checks and Air Passenger Prescreening,
by William J. Krouse and Bart Elias, available upon request.
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these incidents involved small aircraft operated at low altitudes in areas of ongoing armed
conflicts, although some larger jets have also been destroyed. Notably, on April 6, 1994, an
executive jet carrying the presidents of Rwanda and Burundi was shot down while on approach to
Kigali, Rwanda, and on October 10, 1998, a Boeing 727 was destroyed by rebels in the
Democratic Republic of Congo. The dangers of operating civil aircraft in and near regions of
armed conflict has recently been a topic of particular concern following the July 17, 2014,
downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, a Boeing 777, over eastern Ukraine after being struck by
a much larger surface-to-air missile.
The terrorist threat posed by small man-portable shoulder-fired missiles was brought into the
spotlight soon after the 9/11 terrorist attacks by the November 2002 attempted downing of a
chartered Israeli airliner in Mombasa, Kenya, the first time such an event took place outside of a
conflict zone. In 2003, then Secretary of State Colin Powell remarked that there was “no threat
more serious to aviation.”17 Since then, Department of State and military initiatives seeking
bilateral cooperation and voluntary reductions of man-portable air defense systems (MANPADS)
stockpiles have reduced worldwide inventories by at least 32,500 missiles.18 Despite this
progress, such weapons may still be in the hands of potential terrorists. This threat, combined
with the limited capability to improve security beyond airport perimeters and to modify flight
paths, leaves civil aircraft vulnerable to missile attacks.
The most visible DHS initiative to address the threat was the multiyear Counter-MANPADS
program carried out by the DHS Science & Technology Directorate. The program concluded in
2009 with extensive operational and live-fire testing along with Federal Aviation Administration
(FAA) certification of two systems capable of protecting airliners against heat-seeking missiles.
The systems have not been operationally deployed on commercial airliners, however, due largely
to high acquisition and life-cycle costs. Some critics have also pointed out that the units do not
protect against the full range of potential weapons that pose a potential threat to civil airliners.
Proponents, however, argue that the systems do appear to provide effective protection against
what is likely the most menacing standoff threat to civil airliners: heat-seeking MANPADS.
Nonetheless, the airlines have not voluntarily invested in these systems for operational use, and
argue that the costs for such systems should be borne, at least in part, by the federal government.
Policy discussions have focused mostly on whether to fund the acquisition of limited numbers of
the units for use by the Civil Reserve Aviation Fleet, civilian airliners that can be called up to
transport troops and supplies for the military. Other approaches to protecting aircraft, including
ground-based missile countermeasures and escort planes or drones equipped with antimissile
technology, have been considered on a more limited basis, but these options face operational
challenges that may limit their effectiveness.
While MANPADS are mainly seen as a security threat to civil aviation overseas, a MANPADS
attack in the United States could have a considerable, long-lasting impact on the airline industry.
At the airport level, improving security and reducing the vulnerability of flight paths to potential
MANPADS attacks continues to pose unique challenges. While major U.S. airports have
conducted vulnerability studies, and many have partnered with federal, state, and local law
enforcement agencies to reduce vulnerabilities to some degree, these efforts face significant
challenges because of limited resources and large geographic areas where aircraft are vulnerable
17 Katie Drummond, “Where Have All the MANPADS Gone?,” Wired, February 22, 2010.
18 Ibid.; U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, MANPADS: Combating the Threat to Global
Aviation from Man-Portable Air Defense System, July 27, 2011, http://www.state.gov/t/pm/rls/fs/169139.htm.
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to attack. While considerable attention has been given to this issue in years past, considerable
vulnerabilities remain, and any terrorist attempts to exploit those vulnerabilities could quickly
escalate the threat of shoulder-fired missiles to a major national security priority.
Security Issues Regarding the Operation of Unmanned Aircraft19
Provisions in the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 (P.L. 112-95) require that FAA
take steps by the end of FY2015 to accommodate routine operation of unmanned aircraft systems
(UASs, widely referred to as “drones”) in domestic airspace. The operation of civilian UASs in
domestic airspace raises potential security risks, including the possibility that terrorists could use
a drone to carry out an attack against a ground target. It is also possible that drones themselves
could be targeted by terrorists or cybercriminals seeking to tap into sensor data transmissions or
to cause mayhem by hacking or jamming command and control signals.
Terrorists could potentially use drones to carry out small-scale attacks using explosives, or as
platforms for chemical, biological, or radiological attacks. In September 2011, the Federal Bureau
of Investigation disrupted a homegrown terrorist plot to attack the Pentagon and the Capitol with
large model aircraft packed with high explosives. The incident heightened concern about potential
terrorist attacks using unmanned aircraft. Widely publicized drone incidents, including an
unauthorized flight at a political rally in Dresden, Germany, in September 2013 that came in close
proximity to German Chancellor Angela Merkel; a January 2015 crash of a small drone on the
White House lawn in Washington, DC; and a series of unidentified drone flights over landmarks
and sensitive locations in Paris, France, in 2015, have raised additional concerns about security
threats posed by small unmanned aircraft. Domestically, there have been numerous reports of
drones flying in close proximity to airports and manned aircraft, in restricted airspace, and over
stadiums and outdoor events. The payload capacities of small unmanned aircraft would limit the
damage a terrorist attack using conventional explosives could inflict, but drone attacks using
chemical, biological, or radiological weapons could be more serious.
A recent FAA proposal for regulating small unmanned aircraft used for commercial purposes
would require TSA to carry out threat assessments of certificated operators as it does for civilian
pilots.20 However, this requirement would not apply to recreational users, who are already
permitted to operate small drones at low altitudes. Moreover, while FAA has issued general
guidance to law enforcement regarding unlawful UAS operations,21 it is not clear that law
enforcement agencies have sufficient training to respond to this emerging threat.22
Technology may help manage security threats posed by unmanned aircraft. Integrating tracking
mechanisms as well as incorporating “geo-fencing” capabilities, designed to prevent flights over
19 Prepared by Bart Elias, Specialist in Aviation Policy, belias@crs.loc.gov, 7-7771; Jeremiah Gertler, Specialist in
Military Aviation, jgertler@crs.loc.gov, 7-5107; and Richard M. Thompson II, Legislative Attorney,
rthompson@crs.loc.gov, 7-8449.
20 Federal Aviation Administration, “Operation and Certification of Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems; Proposed
Rule,” 80 Federal Register 9544-9590, February 23, 2015.
21 Federal Aviation Administration, Law Enforcement Guidance for Suspected Unauthorized UAS Operations,
http://www.faa.gov/uas/regulations_policies/media/FAA_UAS-PO_LEA_Guidance.pdf.
22 Statement of Chief Richard Beary, President of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, Subcommittee on
Oversight and Management Efficiency, Committee on Homeland Security, United States House of Representatives,
March 18, 2015.
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sensitive locations or in excess of certain altitude limits, into unmanned aircraft systems may help
curtail unauthorized flights.23
Routine operations of unmanned aircraft by homeland security and law enforcement agencies and
others may be vulnerable to jamming or hacking that could result in a crash or hostile takeover, as
command and control systems typically use unsecured radio frequencies. Some have
recommended that that unmanned aircraft systems be required to have spoof-resistant navigation
systems and not be solely reliant on signals from global positioning systems, which can be easily
jammed.24 While TSA has broad statutory authority to address a number of aviation security
issues, it has not formally addressed the potential security concerns arising from unmanned
aircraft operations in domestic airspace.
While unmanned aircraft may pose security risks, they are also a potential asset for homeland
security operations, particularly for CBP border surveillance. CBP currently employs a fleet of 10
modified Predator UASs, and has plans to acquire another 14, to augment its border-patrol
capabilities. Operating within specially designated airspace, these unarmed UASs patrol the
northern and southern land borders and the Gulf of Mexico to detect potential border violations
and monitor suspected drug trafficking, with UAS operators cuing manned responses when
appropriate. State and local governments have expressed interest in operating UASs for missions
as diverse as traffic patrol, surveillance, and event security. A small but growing number of state
and local agencies have acquired drones, some through federal grant programs, and have been
issued special authorizations by FAA to fly them. However, many federal, state, and local
agencies involved in law enforcement and homeland security appear to be awaiting more specific
guidance from FAA regarding the routine operation of public-use unmanned aircraft in domestic
airspace.
The introduction of drones into domestic surveillance operations presents a host of novel legal
issues related to an individual’s fundamental privacy interest protected under the Fourth
Amendment.25 To determine if certain government conduct constitutes a search or seizure under
that amendment, courts apply an array of tests (depending on the nature of the government
action), including the widely used reasonable expectation of privacy test. When applying these
tests to drone surveillance, a reviewing court will likely examine the location of the search, the
sophistication of the technology used, and society’s conception of privacy. For instance, while
individuals are accorded substantial protections against warrantless government intrusions into
their homes,26 the Fourth Amendment offers fewer restrictions upon government surveillance
occurring in public places,27 and even fewer at national borders.28 Likewise, drone surveillance
23 See, e.g., Todd Humphreys, “Statement on the Security Threat Posed by Unmanned Aerial Systems and Possible
Countermeasures,” Submitted to the Subcommittee on Oversight and Management Efficiency, House Committee on
Homeland Security, March 16, 2015.
24 Todd Humphreys, “Statement on the Vulnerability of Civil Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and Other Systems to Civil
GPS Spoofing,” Submitted to the Subcommittee on Oversight, Investigations, and Management of the House
Committee on Homeland Security, July 19, 2012; U.S. Government Accountability Office, “Unmanned Aircraft
Systems: Use in the National Airspace System and the Role of the Department of Homeland Security,” Statement of
Gerald L. Dillingham, Ph.D., Director, Physical Infrastructure Issues, Before the Subcommittee on Oversight,
Investigations, and Management, Committee on Homeland Security, House of Representatives, July 19, 2012, GAO-
12-889T.
25 See CRS Report R42701, Drones in Domestic Surveillance Operations: Fourth Amendment Implications and
Legislative Responses, by Richard M. Thompson II.
26 See Kyllo v. United States, 533 U.S. 27 (2001).
27 See California v. Ciraolo, 476 U.S. 207, 213 (“[W]hat a person knowingly exposes to the public ... is not a subject of
(continued...)
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conducted with relatively unsophisticated technology might be subjected to a lower level of
judicial scrutiny than investigations conducted with advanced technologies such as thermal
imaging or facial recognition. Several measures introduced in Congress would require
government agents to obtain warrants before using drones for domestic surveillance, but would
create exceptions for patrols of the national borders used to prevent or deter illegal entry and for
investigations of credible terrorist threats.29
Transit and Passenger Rail Security30
Bombings of passenger trains in Europe and Asia have illustrated the vulnerability of passenger
rail systems to terrorist attacks. Passenger rail systems—primarily subway systems—in the
United States carry about five times as many passengers each day as do airlines, over many
thousands of miles of track, serving stations that are designed primarily for easy access. The
increased security efforts around air travel have led to concerns that terrorists may turn their
attention to “softer” targets, such as transit or passenger rail. A key challenge Congress faces is
balancing the desire for increased rail passenger security with the efficient functioning of transit
systems, with the potential costs and damages of an attack, and with other federal priorities.
The volume of ridership and number of access points make it impractical to subject all rail
passengers to the type of screening all airline passengers undergo. Consequently, transit security
measures tend to emphasize managing the consequences of an attack. Nevertheless, steps have
been taken to try to reduce the risks, as well as the consequences, of an attack. These include
vulnerability assessments; emergency planning; emergency response training and drilling of
transit personnel (ideally in coordination with police, fire, and emergency medical personnel);
increasing the number of transit security personnel, installing video surveillance equipment in
vehicles and stations; and conducting random inspections of bags, platforms, and trains.
The challenges of securing rail passengers are dwarfed by the challenge of securing bus
passengers. There are some 76,000 buses carrying 19 million passengers each weekday in the
United States. Some transit systems have installed video cameras on their buses, but the number
and operation characteristics of transit buses make them all but impossible to secure.
The Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act of 2007 (P.L. 110-53), passed
by Congress on July 27, 2007, included provisions on passenger rail and transit security and
authorized $3.5 billion for FY2008-FY2011 for grants for public transportation security. The act
required public transportation agencies and railroads considered to be high-risk targets by DHS to
have security plans approved by DHS (§1405 and §1512). Other provisions required DHS to
conduct a name-based security background check and an immigration status check on all public
transportation and railroad frontline employees (§1414 and §1522), and gave DHS the authority
to regulate rail and transit employee security training standards (§1408 and §1517).
(...continued)
Fourth Amendment protection”) (quoting Katz v. United States, 389 U.S. 347, 351 (1967)).
28 See, e.g., United States v. Flores-Montano, 541 U.S. 149, 152 (2004) (“The Government’s interest in preventing the
entry of unwanted persons and effects is at its zenith at the international border”).
29 See, e.g., H.R. 1229, H.R. 1385, S. 635.
30 This section was prepared by David Randall Peterman, Analyst in Transportation Policy.
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In 2010 TSA completed a national threat assessment for transit and passenger rail, and in 2011
completed an updated transportation systems sector-specific plan, which established goals and
objectives for a secure transportation system. The three primary objectives for reducing risk in
transit are
• increase system resilience by protecting high-risk/high-consequence assets (i.e.,
critical tunnels, stations, and bridges);
• expand visible deterrence activities (i.e., canine teams, passenger screening
teams, and antiterrorism teams); and
• engage the public and transit operators in the counterterrorism mission.31
TSA surface transportation security inspectors conduct assessments of transit systems (and other
surface modes) through the agency’s Baseline Assessment for Security Enhancement (BASE)
program. The agency has also developed a security training and security exercise program for
transit (I-STEP), and its Visible Intermodal Prevention and Response (VIPR) teams conduct
operations with local law enforcement officials, including periodic patrols of transit and
passenger rail systems, to create “unpredictable visual deterrents.”
The House Committee on Homeland Security’s Subcommittee on Transportation Security held a
hearing in May 2012 to examine the surface transportation security inspector program. The
number of inspectors had increased from 175 in FY2008 to 404 in FY2011 (full-time
equivalents). Issues considered at the hearing included the lack of surface transportation expertise
among the inspectors, many of whom were promoted from screening passengers at airports; the
administrative challenge of having the surface inspectors managed by federal security directors
who are located at airports, and who themselves typically have no surface transportation
experience; and the security value of the tasks performed by surface inspectors.32 The number of
surface inspectors decreased to 300 (full-time equivalent positions) in FY2014 as a result of a
reduction in the number of VIPR surface inspectors.33
DHS provides grants for security improvements for public transit, passenger rail, and
occasionally other surface transportation modes under the Transit Security Grant Program. The
vast majority of the funding goes to public transit providers. CRS estimates that, on an inflation-
adjusted basis, funding for this program has declined 84% since 2009, when Congress allocated
$150 million in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, in addition to routine
appropriations (see Table 1).
31 Department of Homeland Security, Transportation Security Administration, Surface Transportation Security FY2016
Congressional [Budget] Justification, p. 11.
32 United States House of Representatives, Committee on Homeland Security, Subcommittee on Transportation
Security, Hearing on TSA’s Surface Inspection Program: Strengthening Security or Squandering Resources?, May 31,
2012, http://homeland.house.gov/hearing/subcommittee-hearing-tsa%E2%80%99s-surface-inspection-program-
strengthening-security-or-squandering.
33 Department of Homeland Security, Transportation Security Administration, Surface Transportation Security FY2014
Congressional [Budget] Justification, p. 18; FY2015 Congressional [Budget] Justification, p. 19.
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Table 1. Congressional Funding for Transit Security Grants, FY2002-FY2015
Appropriation
Appropriation
Fiscal Year
(millions of nominal dollars)
(millions of 2015 dollars)
2002 $63a 82
2003 65 83
2004 50 62
2005 108 131
2006 131 154
2007 251 287
2008 356 394
2009 498b 549
2010 253 275
2011 200 213
2012 88c 92
2013 84 86
2014 90 91
2015 87d 87
Source: FY2002: Department of Defense FY2002 Appropriations Act, P.L. 107-117; FY2003: FY2003 Emergency
Wartime Supplemental Appropriations Act, P.L. 108-11; FY2004: Department of Homeland Security FY2004
Appropriations Act, P.L. 108-90; FY2005-FY2011: U.S. Government Accountability Office, Homeland Security:
DHS Needs Better Project Information and Coordination among Four Overlapping Grant Programs, GAO-12-303,
February 2012, Table 1; FY2012-2014: DHS, Transit Security Grant Program annual funding opportunity
announcements; FY2015: P.L. 114-4.
Notes: The Transit Security Grant Program was formally established in FY2005; in FY2003-FY2004, grants were
made through the Urban Areas Security Initiative. Does not include funding provided for security grants for
intercity passenger rail (Amtrak), intercity bus service, and commercial trucking. Nominal dollar amounts
adjusted to constant 2015 dollars using the Total Non-defense column from Table 10: Gross Domestic Product
and Deflators Used in the Historical Tables: 1940-2020, published in the Historical Tables volume of the Budget
of the United States Government, Fiscal Year 2016 (http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/budget/Historicals).
a. Appropriated to Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority and the Federal Transit Administration.
b. Includes $150 million provided in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
c. Congress did not specify an amount for transit security grants, but provided a lump sum for state and local
grant programs, leaving funding allocations to the discretion of DHS.
d. Estimated by CRS; Congress provided $100 million for Public Transportation, Amtrak, and Over-the-Road
Bus Security grants, and specified that no less than $10 million was for Amtrak and no less than $3 million
was for bus grants (P.L. 114-4).
In a February 2012 report, GAO found potential for duplication among four DHS state and local
security grant programs with similar goals, one of which was the public transportation security
grant program.34 The Obama Administration has repeatedly proposed consolidating several of
these programs in annual budget requests. This proposal has not been supported by Congress in
the appropriations process to date, though appropriators have expressed concerns that grant
34 United States Governmental Accountability Office, Homeland Security: DHS Needs Better Project Information and
Coordination among Four Overlapping Grant Programs, GAO-12-303, February 2012.
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programs have not focused on areas of highest risk and that significant amounts of previously
appropriated funds have not yet been awarded to recipients.
Port and Maritime Security Issues35
The bulk of U.S. overseas trade is carried by ships and thus the economic consequences of a
maritime terrorist attack could be significant. A key challenge for U.S. policymakers is
prioritizing maritime security activities among a virtually unlimited number of potential attack
scenarios. There are far more potential attack scenarios than likely ones, and far more than could
be meaningfully addressed with limited counter-terrorism resources. Two port security initiatives
the 114th Congress will likely continue to examine are the 100% container scanning requirement
and the effectiveness of a port worker security card system.
Container Scanning Requirement
Section 1701 of the Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act of 2007 (P.L.
110-53) requires that all imported marine containers be scanned by nonintrusive imaging
equipment and radiation detection equipment at a foreign loading port by July 1, 2012, unless
DHS can demonstrate it is not feasible, in which case the deadline can be extended by two years
on a port-by-port basis. DHS has sought a blanket extension for all ports, citing numerous
challenges to implementing the 100% scanning requirement at overseas ports.36 In a letter
requesting renewal of the two-year extension, DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson stated,37
I have personally reviewed our current port security and DHS’s short term and long term
ability to comply with 100% scanning requirement. Following this review, I must report, in
all candor, that DHS’s ability to fully comply with this unfunded mandate of 100% scanning,
even in the long term, is highly improbable, hugely expensive, and in our judgment, not the
best use of taxpayer resources to meet this country’s port security and homeland security
needs.
Major U.S. trading partners oppose 100% scanning. The European Commission has determined
that 100% scanning is the wrong approach, favoring a multilayered risk management approach to
inspecting cargo.38 CBP has tested the feasibility of scanning all U.S.-bound containers at several
overseas ports39 and identified numerous operational, technical, logistical, financial, and
diplomatic obstacles,40 including opposition from host government officials.41 One-hundred
percent scanning conflicts with DHS’s general approach to risk management, which seeks to
35 This section was prepared by John Frittelli, Specialist in Transportation Policy.
36 Testimony of Janet Napolitano, Secretary of DHS, before the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation,
U.S. Senate, hearing “Transportation Security Challenges Post 9-11,” December 2, 2009.
37 Letter from DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson to Senator Carper, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Homeland
Security and Governmental Affairs, May 5, 2014.
38 European Commission Staff Working Paper, Secure Trade and 100% Scanning of Containers, February 2010,
http://ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/resources/documents/common/whats_new/sec_2010_131_en.pdf.
39 This test was conducted as per Section 231 of the SAFE Port Act (P.L. 109-347).
40 CBP, “Report to Congress on Integrated Scanning System Pilots (Security and Accountability for Every Port Act of
2006, §231),” http://www.apl.com/security/documents/sfi_finalreport.pdf.
41 Ibid., Appendix A.
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focus scarce inspection resources on the highest-risk containers. By scanning a smaller number of
containers, DHS may be able to devote additional resources to each individual scan. This
consideration is important because reviewing the scans is labor-intensive, and scanning fewer
containers may allow DHS to subject individual scans to greater scrutiny, and to maintain a lower
threshold for opening containers with questionable scanning images.
If illicit cargo is estimated to be limited to less than 1% of incoming containers, as CBP believes
to be the case, focusing enforcement on the likeliest containers may be the most effective
enforcement strategy. This approach would emphasize risk-based scanning along with investment
in CBP intelligence to improve targeting, and/or increase CBP personnel, which would allow
ports to conduct a larger number of targeted special enforcement operations.
Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC)
In January 2007, TSA and the Coast Guard issued a final rule implementing the Transportation
Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) at U.S. ports.42 Longshoremen, port truck drivers,
railroad workers, merchant mariners, and other workers at a port must apply for a TWIC card to
obtain unescorted access to secure areas of port facilities or vessels. The card was authorized
under the Maritime Transportation Security Act of 2002 (MTSA; §102 of P.L. 107-295). Since
October 2007, when TSA began issuing TWICs, about 2.9 million maritime workers have
obtained a card. The card must be renewed every five years.
TSA conducts a security threat assessment of each worker before issuing a card. The security
threat assessment uses the same procedures and standards established by TSA for truck drivers
carrying hazardous materials, including examination of the applicant’s criminal history,
immigration status, and possible links to terrorist activity to determine whether a worker poses a
security threat. A worker pays a fee of about $130 that is intended to cover the cost of
administering the cards. The card uses biometric technology for positive identification. Terminal
operators were to deploy card readers at the gates to their facilities, so that a worker’s fingerprint
template would be scanned each time he enters the port area and matched to the data on the card.
Finding a card reader that worked reliably in a harsh marine environment proved difficult. In
March 2013, the Coast Guard issued a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM)43 in which it
proposed requiring card readers only for facilities or vessels handling dangerous bulk
commodities (including barge fleeting areas) or facilities handling more than 1,000 passengers at
a time, as these are the areas the Coast Guard considers to be of higher risk. The Coast Guard
estimated that 38 U.S.-flag vessels and 352 facilities would be required to have card readers,
which equates to about 0.3% of the vessels and 16% of the facilities it regulates under MTSA.
Other vessels and facilities, including those handling containerized cargo, would continue to use
the TWIC as a “flash pass,” but the biometric data on the card would not be used to positively
identify the worker. The comment period for the NPRM closed on June 20, 2013. A final rule has
not yet been issued.44 Currently, the Coast Guard performs spot checks with hand-held biometric
readers while conducting port security inspections.
42 72 Federal Register, 3492-3604, January 25, 2007. Codified at 49 C.F.R. §1572.
43 78 Federal Register 17782, March 22, 2013.
44 Comments filed can be viewed at http://www.regulations.gov under docket # USCG-2007-28915.
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GAO audits have been highly critical of how the TWIC has been implemented. A 2013 audit
found that the results of a pilot test of card readers should not be relied upon for developing
regulations on card reader requirements because they were incomplete, inaccurate, and
unreliable.45 This audit was discussed at a hearing by the House Subcommittee on Government
Operations on May 9, 2013,46 and by the House Subcommittee on Border and Maritime Security
on June 18, 2013.47 Another 2013 GAO audit examined TSA’s Adjudication Center (which
performs security threat assessments on TWIC applicants and other transportation workers), and
recommended steps the agency could take to better measure the center’s performance.48 A 2011
audit found internal control weaknesses in the enrollment, background checking, and use of the
TWIC card at ports, which were said to undermine the effectiveness of the credential in screening
out unqualified individuals from obtaining access to port facilities.49
In July 2014, the House passed a bill (H.R. 3202, 113th Congress) requiring DHS to conduct a
comprehensive assessment of the benefits and costs of the TWIC card. This legislation was not
enacted.
Author Contact Information
Bart Elias
John Frittelli
Specialist in Aviation Policy
Specialist in Transportation Policy
belias@crs.loc.gov, 7-7771
jfrittelli@crs.loc.gov, 7-7033
David Randall Peterman
Analyst in Transportation Policy
dpeterman@crs.loc.gov, 7-3267
45 U.S. Government Accountability Office, Transportation Worker Identification Credential—Card Reader Pilot
Results Are Unreliable; Security Benefits Need to Be Reassessed, GAO-13-198, May 8, 2013.
46 U.S. Congress, House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, Subcommittee on Government Operations,
Federal Government Approaches to Issuing Biometric IDs, 113th Cong., 1st sess., May 9, 2013.
47 U.S. Congress, House Committee on Homeland Security, Subcommittee on Border and Maritime Security, Threat,
Risk and Vulnerability: the TWIC Program, 113th Cong., 1st sess., June 18, 2013.
48 U.S. Government Accountability Office, Transportation Security: Action Needed to Strengthen TSA’s Security
Threat Assessment Process, GAO-13-629, July 19, 2013.
49 U.S. Government Accountability Office, Transportation Worker Identification Credential—Internal Control
Weaknesses Need to Be Corrected to Help Achieve Security Objectives, May 2011, GAO-11-657.
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