USA Cargo Security Slammed

     Homeland Security Inspector General Richard Skinner, a career U.S. government audit officer made public a report yesterday (Thursday September 6) saying that the TSA (air cargo) system "increases the opportunities (to put) explosives, incendiaries and other dangerous devices on passenger aircraft."
     It seems like every year since 9/11, the run up to that terrible day in America includes press reports of some new impending security problem.
     This year in America the subject is air cargo.
     USA Today, the top national newspaper in America on Friday September 7 ran a lead front-page story above the fold with the headline:
     “Report Blasts TSA Air Cargo Security.”
     “The Transportation Security Administration's program for keeping bombs out of airplane cargo holds is riddled with holes that leave passenger planes vulnerable to attack, a government investigation shows,” USA Today trumpeted.
     “TSA has too few cargo inspectors, an ineffective database to track violations and vague regulations for screening cargo being put on passenger planes, the Homeland Security Department inspector general said in a report released Thursday,” the story continued.
     "The report is a blistering, scalding indictment of TSA," said Rep. Ed Markey, D-Mass.
     So if the headline mentioning blast didn’t get your attention, alongside the story USA Today ran a graph counting up a daily air cargo throughput in USA of 7,500 tons of cargo kept in storage areas, and “moved under passenger cabins that also hold luggage.”
     “Airlines typically lease a portion of their cargo holds to freight companies, and last year earned $4.4 billion from cargo operations, according to the Air Transport Association, an airline trade group,” USA Today said.
     Finally more than half way through the story we learn that the Homeland Security Inspector General’s report is actually nothing new, and in fact had been circulated to many government leaders, industry and other interested parties as early as May 2007, nearly five months ago.
     But for some strange reason the HS IG report was not released to the public until six days before the sixth anniversary of 9/11.
     For his part, Dave Brooks, President of American Airlines Cargo Division is having none of it.

     “This (USA Today) story is typical of the sloppy and hysterical retail reporting of air cargo issues that has unnecessarily prolonged the debate over what rational air cargo programs should look like.
     “"Report Blasts Air Cargo Security" – on the front page??—Come on—the level of cargo screening on passenger aircraft has never been higher.
     “TSA inspectors are everywhere, every day, in cargo facilities, forwarders’ warehouses, on the ramps, even checking shippers.
     “Non-compliers are shuttered.
     “I haven’t read the report, and the TSA can speak for itself, but I understand it’s (the USA Today story) based on old data and significant improvement has been made since.
     “Why is there never any ink on why the security rules are different for cargo aircraft?
     “Or for trucks?
     “Or trains?
     “Or boats?
     “But you can’t blame the media for the recent, utterly incredulous comments made by Congressman Markey, and the subsequent spin-off editorials and pontificating that the TSA is trying to pull a fast one with a Certified Shipper Program, a concept provided for in the law that Markey was in the room helping to write, and that hasn’t even been developed yet.
     “This is THE ONLY part of the 9/11 legislation on cargo security that made any sense—apply multi-layered screening where it is most efficient and effective in the supply chain.”

     As we go to press, response to the USA Today story from readers on the newspaper’s own website ranges from resignation to President Bush Iraq War bashing, with few informed opinions and more than a little consternation at the prospect of unscreened cargo riding below deck.
     For the record, TSA told USA Today that it agreed with the inspector general's conclusions and said it has made improvements since the report's findings (that were as mentioned released and circulated privately in May).
     The response of Rep. Markey is predictable.
     The Massachusetts politician who signed off on that landmark Homeland Security Bill less that two months ago calling it a great start, has also built a national political career slamming airline and airport security for some time now.
     "They were legitimate criticisms," said John Sammon, a TSA assistant administrator.
     "Things are not the same today as they were back then," Sammon added.
     To whatever extent popular media extends an image of an air cargo industry where not enough is being done about security concerns more than a few transportation people.
     Sources acknowledge that charges of air cargo security shortfall carry an onerous weight as anything seems possible post 9/11, but the effort to clamp down on air cargo security remains at highest priority.
     Yesterday in testimony that USA Today completely overlooked in their article, Secretary Michael Chertoff before the House Committee on Homeland Security reassured lawmakers and the shipping and traveling public saying:
     “Our concern about passenger planes is not limited to the problem of dangerous people boarding them.
     “We are also focused on the risk of dangerous cargo entering them.
     “Last year, we issued a new air cargo regulation that mandates 100% inspection of passenger parcels that are presented at airport counters.
     “We also put in place stricter inspection requirements for air cargo shippers and indirect carriers.
     “In the next fiscal year, we plan to invest $56 million to fund 300 air cargo inspectors, K9 teams and technology which will allow us to track carriers, shippers, and support risk-based air cargo screening across the entire supply chain.”
     Also of more than casual interest will be a report from that widely publicized
     Air Cargo Explosives Detection Pilot Program that TSA spent more than $30 million on last year at this time.
     The pilot program at SFO and two other USA air cargo gateways was mounted to understand better the technological and operational issues associated with explosives detection for air cargo by testing equipment while developing concepts of operations for screening air cargo.
Geoffrey