Hearing of the Transportation and Protective Security Subcommittee of the House Homeland Security Committee - Opening Statement of Rep. Thompson, Hearing on Securing Air Cargo: Industry Perspectives
Hearing
DHS Secretary John Kelly has described the threat to aviation as "sophisticated" and
"very real." I concur with Secretary Kelly's assessment of the aviation threat. That
said, the demands of the ever-evolving threat environment demand that TSA not only
give significant attention to passenger screening but also be vigilant about other
aviation security threats--such as those related to air cargo.
The threat to air cargo came into full view in 2010 when Al Qaeda in the Arabian
Peninsula (AQAP) designed a plot in which explosives hidden within printer cartridges
were to be detonated on US bound aircraft. If successful, this plot would have killed
innocent people and caused catastrophic economic disruption.
As AQAP explained in its online magazine, Inspire, "It is such a good bargain . . . to
spread fear amongst the enemy and keep him on his toes in exchange of a few
months of work and a few thousand bucks."
Well before the 2010 AQAP air cargo plot, Congress recognized the need to bolster
air cargo security. Next week will mark the tenth anniversary of the enactment of the
Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act of 2007, legislation I
authored that then-President George W. Bush signed into law. A key provision of this
comprehensive homeland security law was a mandate that all cargo on domestic and
international inbound passenger planes be screened.
TSA and the stakeholder community deserve a lot of credit for coming together to
develop an approach to implementation that, since 2012, has kept air passengers
secure from the threat of a cargo-based explosion. While I have been pleased with all
that was done to achieve the mandate, more must be done.
It is my hope that today's hearing will be a part of an ongoing conversation that will
help us identify opportunities where TSA can work better with cargo stakeholders to
further enhance security and operations.
Source