Emerging Threat: Deployment & TSA Security

     Since September 11, 2001, aviation and aircraft security has been taken very seriously. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) defines risks as the potential for an adverse outcome that is assessed as a function of hazards/threats, vulnerabilities, and consequences. (TSA, 2017) General Aviation (GA) operators and the Intelligence Community (IC) agree that using an aircraft to attack a specific target is the dominant threat to GA. (TSA, 2017) This includes lone operators or large businesses of foreign origins. (TSA, 2017) 

    8 actions are used to make an emerging threat happen regarding General Aviation, and the one I would like to touch on is Deployment, the final acting point of a terrorist action. Deployment, put simply, is when individuals have gathered all necessary data, planned every route, and are now acting out their intended threat scenario. (TSA, 2017) An example of this would be the movie Carry-On (IMDB,2024), where the antagonist organizes his group of individuals at key points and acts out the penetration of the TSA's defenses to kill a specific individual on an airplane, all occurring at a particular time.

    The TSA has 6 layers of security, all of which can be used to prevent the deployment of a terrorist threat. (TSA, 2021) The first layer begins whenever a passenger makes an airline reservation. Whenever they do so, their information is processed to ensure they are not on any government watchlist. (TSA, 2021) The second layer is whenever passengers arrive at the airport. They are monitored by security cameras, patrolling law enforcement, and canines. (TSA, 2021) The third layer is a checkpoint, where passengers are identified and their boarding passes are checked. The fourth is a screening process, where, thanks to advancements in technology, passengers are screened, and their carry-ons are checked. (TSA, 2021) The fifth layer occurs when passengers are at the gates for their flights and where they can have unpredicted security measures implemented. (TSA, 2021) The final layer of security occurs while passengers are on their flights. Pilots can be armed, and cockpit doors are protected to prevent hijacking. Air marshals can also be deployed on flights, adding another layer of protection. (TSA, 2021)

    The effectiveness of the TSA's security layers lies mainly in its people. Like the Swiss Cheese Model (Traeger, 2024), multiple people can make numerous mistakes, all allowing a hazard to occur or, if coerced against better judgment, aiding in said hazard. Thankfully, armed pilots and enforced doors prevent potential hijacking scenarios on airplanes.

    A recommendation that would be very useful is to hire more trained personnel for TSA security and equip them with better equipment. While people can make mistakes, security personnel with multiple backups supporting them can catch threats more efficiently. An individual can be coerced into performing negative actions in a security environment. Still, if one or more people are trained to spot coworkers or passengers acting suspiciously on their training, then the risk that person can commit can be mitigated.

References

IMDB. (2024). Carry-On (2024) - IMDb. IMDb. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt21382296/fullcredits/

Traeger, S. (2024, May 13). Ultimate Guide to Swiss Cheese Model and Its Applications. Reliability.com. https://reliability.com/resources/guide-to-swiss-cheese-model-with-examples/

TSA. (2017). Security Guidelines for General Aviation Airport Operators and Users Information Publication A-001, Version 2. https://www.tsa.gov/sites/default/files/2017_ga_security_guidelines.pdf

TSA. (2021, May 19). Layers of Security | Transportation Security Administration. Www.tsa.gov. https://www.tsa.gov/news/press/factsheets/layers-security