Aviation security : TSA has enhanced its explosives detection requirements for checked baggage, but additional screening actions are needed : report to congressional requesters.

Format:

Book

Government document

Author/Creator:

United States. Government Accountability Office

Contributor:

Lord, Stephen M.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

United States. Transportation Security Administration--Rules and practice--Evaluation.

United States.

United States. Transportation Security Administration.

Airports--Baggage handling--Security measures--United States--Evaluation.

Airports.

Explosives--Detection.

Explosives.

Genre:

Rules and practice.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (ii, 59 pages) : illustrations

Other Title:

TSA has enhanced its explosives detection requirements for checked baggage, but additional screening actions are needed

Place of Publication:

[Washington, DC] : U.S. Govt. Accountability Office, [2011]

Summary:

Explosives represent a continuing threat to aviation security. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA), within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), seeks to ensure through the Electronic Baggage Screening Program (EBSP) that checked-baggage-screening technology is capable of detecting explosives. Generally, the explosives detection system (EDS) is used in conjunction with explosives trace detection (ETD) machines to identify and resolve threats in checked baggage. As requested, GAO assessed the extent to which: (1) TSA revised explosives detection requirements and deployed technology to meet those requirements, and (2) TSA's approach to the current EDS acquisition meets best practices for schedules and cost estimates and includes plans for potential upgrades of deployed EDSs. GAO analyzed EDS requirements, compared the EDS acquisition schedule against GAO best practices, and interviewed DHS officials. This is a public version of a sensitive report that GAO issued in May 2011. GAO recommends that TSA, among other things, develop a plan to ensure that new machines, as well as those machines currently deployed in airports, will be operated at the levels in established requirements, collect explosives data before initiating new procurements, and develop a reliable schedule for the EBSP. DHS concurred with all of GAO's recommendations and has initiated actions to implement them.

Contents:

Letter

Background

Appendix I. Objectives, scope, and methodology

Appendix II. Department of Homeland Security efforts to conduct computer modeling to establish a tier of the explosives detection requirements for the explosives detection system

Appendix III. GAO's assessment of the extent to which the electronic baggage- screening-program schedule meets established best practices

Appendix IV. Comments from the Department of Homeland Security

Appendix V. GAO contact and staff acknowledgments

Table 1. Implementation of best practices in electronic-baggage-screening program schedule as of December 2010

Table 2. Assessment of the extent to which the electronic baggage-screening-program schedule meets best practices

Figures

Abbreviations.

Notes:

Title from cover screen (viewed on July 19, 2011).

"July 2011."

Includes bibliographical references.

"GAO-11-740."

OCLC:

741711477