Aviation Security: The 34,000-Foot Perspective
The ever-flexible agile and nimble terrorist actor against a system of rules, regulations, privacy concerns….
This week alone AAA expects 3.6 million Americans to travel by air to their holiday destinations. As our focus and attention remains on #ISIS and #ParisAttacks, let’s not forget that Russian Metrojet Flight 9268 was brought down on October 31 with a improvised explosive device killing 224 people. Russian authorities confirmed that it was in fact a bomb on November 21 and as of yet, it is still unclear if the U.S. has issued a formal acknowledgement that the Metrojet disaster was a terrorist attack.
Aviation security, just as every aspect of security across the #HLS spectrum is not a simple problem. No matter how either side of the public and political debate balk at airport security measures in the U.S., aviation security is a complex problem that will never have a perfect fix. It will not be technology, it will not be intelligence, and it will not be the government. So what are these complexities?
The moment you purchase your ticket, you become a part of a global transportation network of people, companies, countries, borders, and assets (airports, airplanes, runways, cargo, etc.). There are alone over 400 commercial airports within the United States and over 200 last points of departure inbound to the United States. This does not include the thousands of private and general aviation airfields. From that final click to purchase the ticket, you become a part of a network with hundreds of companies, thousands of airplanes, and millions of people around the globe.
The ever-flexible agile and nimble terrorist actor against a system of rules, regulations, privacy concerns, and 190 United Nations recognized nations with varying aviation security regulations. As much as technology and procedures have evolved across the aviation security environment, it competes (as does every HLS capability) with an actor not bound by procurement rules and public responsibilities. Gaps and known vulnerabilities to include non-metallic threat items and the insider threat issues continue to permeate globally. A paradigm of technological insufficiency combined with the human psychological aspect of security and trust, matched with the large scope of the global transportation network ensure that aviation security will be a continual target with failures and successes on both sides.
A well-designed, multi-layered security system, compromised by the imperfect assumptions of human trust.
Our biggest security capability is the individual, both the individual security worker and the individual passenger. A recent article by my colleague Gregg Favre discussed the human psychology of “trust” in security. Gregg wrote, “A well-designed, multi-layered security system, compromised by the imperfect assumptions of human trust.” The human factor within aviation security needs to be improved by agencies across the globe.
Technology only takes us so far and procedures in place to be carried out by officers should be executed without regard to passenger frustration, rationale, or attempts to circumvent the system. At the same time, passengers should be aware of other travelers and be prepared for the security procedures in advance to avoid increasing their own frustration levels. Personal responsibility and preparedness goes a long way to increasing security and not creating unnecessary gaps.
So… pack your bags accordingly, arrive at the airport early, and why not even wish our security officers a “Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah” or whatever your preference may be, to those who also wear blue to keep you and your family safe over the holiday season.
Dominique Tarpey is a transportation security manager with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. You can follow her on Twitter: @dtarp525.
She is part of The White Hat Syndicate, a Medium account launched on October 26 that aims to publish thought-provoking articles about cutting-edge homeland security topics. The six authors come from a diverse array of professional and personal backgrounds: legal, fire, environmental health, federal transportation security, and law enforcement.
The Syndicate invites you to engage us in conversation, either here on Medium or via Twitter. We look forward to the discussion.
The opinions and ideas expressed in this article are that of the author alone, and although a current employee of DHS and the U.S. Transportation Security Administration, the ideas represented above are not those of TSA, DHS, or the United States government.
