TSA's Anti-Hijacking Security Measures

 

The Transportation Security Administration is the key organization responsible for the safety of the passengers flying on commercial airlines. They use many layers of security to keep known and suspected threats from hijacking or threatening commercial flights. The first layer of security starts with intelligence. The TSA in combination with other federal agencies pre-screens passengers against a log of personnel with a history of terrorist activity or terrorist association. (TSA) If a potential hijacker makes it into the airport, the TSA has the pre-screening by Transportation Security Officers, VIPR teams, and Canine units screening all passengers for explosives or other substances that may threaten the safety of the flight. (TSA) I had the opportunity to assist in the training of these teams and canines when I was stationed in Little Rock. After some training, we acted like normal passengers but we had simulated explosive devices implanted in our luggage as a test for the TSA agents. The next day we had a backpack with a small amount of inert explosives and walked around the terminals to test the canine units and handlers. We had a 100% success rate at being stopped by the TSA agents and a 100% success rate of being tracked by the canines. This shows that the pre-screening and active security measures are effective at identifying and stopping potential threats.

In the very unlikely event that a threat made it onto the aircraft, the TSA has some final layers of security to prevent any threat scenario from escalating. These include the Federal Air Marshals, Flight Deck Officers, and Trained Flight Crew who are all trained to identify and neutralize these potential treats. (TSA) And as a final layer of security, most aircraft are equipped with hardened cockpit doors to deny these threats access to the cockpit keeping them from threatening the pilots or taking control of the aircraft. (TSA)

Inside Look: TSA Layers of Security. (2017, August). Transportation Security Administration.                             https://www.tsa.gov/blog/2017/08/01/inside-look-tsa-layers-security