TUI Airport Security Most Secure Areas After Security Updates Discussion

• A substantive comment should be approximately 300 words or more.
• Cite sources within your comment to support your statements.
• Include at least one reference, properly formatted, not just a link.

Response 1

Discussion-1 MOD-2 Airport Security

Scott

We may think of airports as one of the most secure areas after security updates post 9-11 but are they? TSA uses a multitude of screen processes to include pre-checks, metal detectors, baggage checks, pat downs and millimeter wave technology imagery (“Security Screening”, n.d.). I’m sure everyone has been in the uncomfortable position of getting patted down. Although it’s not ideal, we appreciate it to help secure our flights. I’ve been through airports with no customs checks to airports where my luggage and person were scrutinized. I’ve had a TSA agent become very concerned over seeing my official and personal passports. I had to deescalate the situation and explain that it’s normal to have two and his demeanor calmed once he confirmed with a colleague.

Security Newswire (2015) claims there were over 200 security incidents over a ten-year stretch with San Francisco International Airport having the most from 2004 to 2015. The most resent major breach was in Washington state. In 2018 a Horizon Air ground employee walked onto an Alaskan Air jet, took off from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, flew some dynamic flight patterns and crashed into a nearby Island off the coast (Marshall & Stewart, 2018). How does this happen that an individual and just board an aircraft and take off without being stopped in the act? This required all aircraft grounded and F-15’s scrabbled in response (Marshall & Stewart, 2018). This raises a lot of questions.

Grimm (2020) discusses the added capabilities and security improvements that biometrics, like facial recognition, can play for airports. He also states that although screening technologies have improved and been successful in airports, there has been no reduction in attacks against airports (Grimm, 2020). I think this is an important point. We should think of security in concentric circles by adding more layers the closer you get to the area with the most risk. From my experience, there’s not much security until you get to the security checks for access to the gates. This leaves an enormous gap from the parking lot to the airfield and finally to the front door. I believe more biometrics technology can reduce risk to the building, but what needs to be done to the exterior? Emplacing facial recognition technology at exterior choke points could help because a random police car or patrol isn’t enough. I’ve been to multiple airports where it appears, one with little effort could get onto the flight line. The airports have figured out security inside the building all the way to the aircraft, as stated by Grimm (2020) but more security layers are necessary to protect the exterior and airfield. As we have seen in history, it normally takes a major breach or incident to improve protocols. The question is, will this be at the expense of a catastrophic loss of life?

Scott

Reference:

Grimm, D. (2020, June 18). Using Facial Recognition: Improving Operations and Security in the Airport Setting.Security Today. Retrieved from: https://securitytoday.com/articles/2020/06/18/Usin…

Marshall, A. and Stewart, J. (2018, August 11). Stealing a Plane is Not Easy, So How Did it Happen in Seattle?. Wired. Retrieved from: https://www.wired.com/story/seattle-stolen-plane-i…

More Than 200 Airport Security Breaches in Last 10 Years. (2015, April 10). Security Newswire. Retrieved from: https://www.securitymagazine.com/articles/86263-mo…

Security Screening. (n.d). Transportation Security Administration/TSA. Retrieved from: https://www.tsa.gov/travel/security-screening

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RESPONSE 2

Airport Security

Michael

Airport security is conducted by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). The security starts long before a passenger reaches the terminal. Through a program called Secure Flight, passengers are screened against trusted lists of both low risk and elevated risk passengers. The information is forwarded to airlines and TSA officials. This information is used to use enhanced screening techniques or even deny boarding (TSA.gov, n. d.).

Familiar to travelers, the screening of passengers, carry-on and checked baggage occurs prior to entering a secure airport terminal. Passengers can be screen through millimeter wave technology and standard metal detectors or a physical pat down of the person. Carry-on bags are screened by x-ray and visual means for explosives and other hazardous items. Checked luggage is screened through x-ray and other detection methods, and if necessary, TSA agents can physically inspect the contents of any piece of luggage (TSA.gov, n. d).

Some airports, such as Baltimore/Washington International and Tampa International Airport are using a new Credential Authentication Technology (CAT). With the new CAT, TSA security screeners can validate a form of ID and the flight status of any passenger in real-time. This enables the agents to quickly identify fraudulent pieces of identification and cross reference the passenger against prescreened lists (SecurityToday, 2020).

One of the main resources of security at airports is the travelling public. TSA and airport management depend on the public reporting unattended bags and suspicious activity. In 2017, a report of an unattended bag at the Los Angeles Airport triggered the response of a K-9 unit. Initial indications from dog pointed to the bags containing explosives. The Tom Bradley Terminal was closed and traffic blocked for nearly an hour. All passengers were rerouted through a different terminal. After the bomb squad reduced the threat, terminal activity resumed (Patch, 2017)

I think the weakest link in airport security is the area just before the TSA security. People are free to move in and out of that portion of the terminal with all their bags. Anyone on with intent on detonating an explosive device could do it during peak travel hours at a major airport and inflict massive casualties and create panic.

Michael

Reference

TSA.gov. (n. d.) Security Screening. Retrieved from https://www.tsa.gov/travel/security-screening.

Security Today. (2020, August 14). TSA at BWI and Tampa airports get new Credential Authentication Technology. Retrieved from https://securitytoday.com/articles/2020/08/14/tsa-at-bwi-and-tampa-airports-gets-new-credential-authentication.aspx?admgarea=ht.airport.

Patch. (2017, December 26). LAX terminal shutdown by bomb squad investigation. Retrieved from https://patch.com/california/hollywood/lax-terminal-shut-down-bomb-squad.

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RESPONSE 3

Airport Security by TSA

Andrew

Today’s airport security is performed by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). Their current tactics include unpredictable measures which are obvious to travelers and also done behind the scenes. TSA starts vetting travelers before they even arrive to the airport for their scheduled flight, and keep tabs on them until they exit the terminal at their destination. As threats change with the times, so must TSA’s procedures. TSA heavily relies on civilian (traveler) help to perform their mission (ex: travelers reporting unattended baggage throughout terminals) (TSA, N.D.).

In a New York Times article published on August 10, 2020, it was reported that although there has been a drastic reduction in traveler numbers, due to Coronavirus, making their way through airports, the number of guns illegally found in luggage has tripled from July 2019 to July 2020. This July found an astonishing 15.3 guns per 1 million travelers as compared to 5.1 guns per 1 million travelers last July. This may not seem very high, but when relating that to the 75% drop in passenger travel, the TSA has called this “particularly alarming.” To make things even worse, TSA has claimed that 80% of these illegally transported guns are loaded. This increase in firearms being illegally found in luggage may be attributed to the large increase of firearm sales since the start of the Coronavirus pandemic. When an illegal firearm is found in carry-on luggage, local law enforcement officers remove the traveler from the line and process the incident. This fortunately does not warrant a lock down through standard procedures (Fazio, 2020).

Through my own many personal travels through airports for official military travel, I have found that TSA Pre Check could be a weak point for overall airport security. When you go through TSA Pre, you do not have to take of your shoes. Individuals who want to put in the effort to get illegal/prohibited items through airport security can easily manipulate shoes to house such items. TSA Pre is a service for those who have been vetted, such as government officials with a security clearance. Just has recent history has shown that some with a Top Secret security clearance can still do wrong and steal and/or sell secrets and other sensitive information, it would not be too far fetched to imaging a similar individual to try to sneak something through their shoe sole. I also feel that the departure drop off curb could be another weak point for airport security as car bombs can have a wide blast radius if the right bomb is placed inside of it.

ANDREW

Reference:

Fazio, Marie. (2020). Fewer Airline Passengers, but a Higher Rate of Illegal Guns in Carry-On Bags. Accessed September 8, 2020 from https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/10/us/tsa-firearms.html

Transportation Security Administration (TSA). (N.D.). Security Screening. Accessed September 8, 2020 from https://www.tsa.gov/travel/security-screening

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Module 2 – Background

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (DHS)

Required Reading

Bomb threat standoff card (2017). DHS. Retrieved from

Burkett, J. W. (2009). Command and control: Command and control of military forces in the homeland, Center for Army Lessons Learned Newsletter, 10(16). Retrieved from: http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/rep…[Review Parallel Command and Duel-Status Command]

Department of Defense support to domestic incidents (2009). Center for Army Lessons Learned Newsletter,10(16), Retrieved from: http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/rep…

Improvised explosive device (IED) safe standoff distance cheat sheet (N. D.). Homeland Security Digital Library. Retrieved from https://www.hsdl.org/?abstract&did=440775

Mission of Department of Homeland Security (2013). Retrieved from: http://www.dhs.gov/our-mission

Summary of terrorism threat to the US Homeland (2019). National Terrorism Advisory System, DHS. Retrieved from https://www.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/ntas/alert…

Required Websites

Airport and Aviation Security, Homeland Security Today. https://www.hstoday.us/subject-matter-areas/airpor…

Department of Homeland Security. http://www.dhs.gov/

National Counterterrorism Center. https://www.dni.gov/index.php/nctc-home

U. S. Northern Command. http://www.northcom.mil/Home.aspx

Required Video

Homeland Security Mobile Terrorist Screening Center (2010). Retrieved from

ATTACHMENTS