-Caveat Lector-
This is simply rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. Secretary
Minolta should be fired and replaced with someone who will facilitate, rather
than hinder, getting pilots armed so they can defend the plane. Customs and
Immigration are also crucial links in our defense that are understaffed. -
JR
Feds Beefing Up Air Marshal
PlanWASHINGTON, Sept.
2, 2003The Bush
administration is shuffling its homeland security operation to make available
more armed agents for airliner protection. According to a plan unveiled
Tuesday, the reorganization will combine the federal air marshal's program with
the customs and immigration security programs so agents in both can be
cross-trained and used for aviation security, officials said. Homeland
Security Secretary Tom Ridge outlined the reorganization in a speech to the
American Enterprise Institute. "This realignment offers a sweeping gain
of additional armed law enforcement officials who will be able to provide a
'surge capacity' during increased threat periods or in the event of a terrorist
attack," Ridge said in remarks prepared for a speech Tuesday to the American
Enterprise Institute in Washington. "Importantly, with this single move
we will be able to deploy more than 5,000 additional armed federal law
enforcement agents to the skies," he said. Earlier this year, the
administration came under criticism from lawmakers when it was learned the
Transportation Security Administration wanted to cut 20 percent of its funding
for the air marshal's program to plug other budget holes. Lawmakers
vowed to block any such funding cuts. The reorganization plan is aimed
at giving the Homeland Security Department more flexibility in the way it uses
its armed customs and aviation security agents. The number of air
marshals is classified. In a news release, the department said its
reorganization will "make available more than 5,000 additional armed federal law
enforcement agents to the skies." As part of the changes, the Federal
Air Marshal's program will be moved from the Transportation Security
Administration to Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The immigration
and customs agents and the air marshals will be cross-trained so they all can be
deployed "to help disrupt aviation security-related threats" if necessary, the
department said. The changes "will significantly increase the number of
federal law enforcement agents available
providing a surge capacity during
increased threat periods or in event of a terrorist attack," it said. In
the 1970s, when teams of "sky marshals" were first created to thwart hijackings,
they originally also were part of the U.S. Customs Service. In its
reorganization the Homeland Security Department also will:
Consolidate three different border inspections into one where a single
"primary inspector" will handle immigration, customs and agricultural checks.
If a question arises about a traveler, a "secondary inspection" will be
conducted by another agent. The consolidation will allow more agents to be
deployed for the more precise secondary inspections "targeting our resources
toward those passengers with suspicious indictors," the department said.
Establish a network of secure communications between the department and
the states, including secure video-conferencing and telephone lines to be used
for sharing information about terrorist threats.
Make it easier for states to obtain anti-terrorist and security grants.
The department will ask Congress to centralize the grant application process,
which now is spread across numerous agencies, under one agency.The
changes to the sky marshal program are the latest moves in Homeland Security's
efforts to adjust security programs to meet threats and budget reality.
In May, the government announced plans to eliminate 3,000 more airport
screening jobs by the end of September. The cuts, coupled with 3,000 others
announced in March, amount to about 11 percent of the 55,600 screeners employed.
The moves will save the Transportation Security Administration an estimated $280
million, director James Loy said. In June, the government said some
federal air marshals have been placed on administrative leave because they may
have lied on their job applications. Separately, some air screeners were found
to have gotten their jobs despite botched background checks. Last week,
some pilots complained that the government's training program to arm commercial
airline pilots is failing discouraging them from signing up by requiring
background and psychological checks, ordering pilots to carry guns in lockboxes
and holding the training at a single remote site. The government
contends the program is now at full capacity and it expects to train all
qualified pilots who volunteer to carry guns within a year. In July, the
TSA announced that removing shoes at airport metal detectors will be optional.
Months before tha
