Aviation Security

In the 2 years since passage of the Aviation and Transportation Security Act (ATSA), the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has primarily focused its efforts on improving aviation security through enhanced passenger and baggage screening. The act also contained provisions directing TSA to take actions to improve the security of airport perimeters, access controls, and airport workers. GAO was asked to assess TSA's efforts to: (1) evaluate the security of airport perimeters and the controls that limit access into secured airport areas, (2) help airports implement and enhance perimeter security and access controls by providing them funding and technical guidance, and (3) implement measures to reduce the potential security risks posed by airport workers.

TSA has begun evaluating the security of airport perimeters and the controls that limit access into secured airport areas. Specifically, TSA is conducting compliance inspections and vulnerability assessments at selected airports. These evaluations--though not complete--have identified perimeter and access control security concerns. While TSA officials acknowledged that conducting these airport security evaluations is essential to identifying additional perimeter and access control security measures and prioritizing their implementation, the agency has not determined how the results will be used to make improvements to the entire commercial airport system. TSA has helped some airport operators enhance perimeter and access control security by providing funds for security equipment, such as electronic surveillance systems. TSA has also begun efforts to evaluate the effectiveness of security-related technologies, such as biometric identification systems. However, TSA has not begun to gather data on airport operators' historical funding of security projects and current needs to aid the agency in setting funding priorities. Nor has TSA developed a plan for implementing new technologies or balancing the costs and effectiveness of these technologies with the security needs of individual airport operators and the commercial airport system as a whole. TSA has taken some steps to reduce the potential security risks posed by airport workers. However, TSA had elected not to fully address all related ATSA requirements. In particular, TSA does not require fingerprint-based criminal history checks and security awareness training for all airport workers, as called for in ATSA. Further, TSA has not required airport vendors to develop security programs, another ATSA requirement. TSA said expanding these efforts would require a time-consuming rulemaking process and impose additional costs on airport operators. Finally, although not required by ATSA, TSA has not developed a plan detailing when and how it intends to address these challenges.

Recommendations

Our recommendations from this work are listed below with a Contact for more information. Status will change from "In process" to "Open," "Closed - implemented," or "Closed - not implemented" based on our follow up work.

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