Congress will have its hands full dealing with a multitude of policy issues raised by the October discovery of explosive printer bombs destined for U.S.-bound, all-cargo aircraft, the Congressional Research Service (CRS) says in a December report.
A key conflict is whether the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) can rely on risk-based strategies as alternatives to 100% cargo screening and inspection. TSA and the air cargo industry argue that risk-based approaches are adequate to the security task. Congress, in its first mandated cargo security procedure, pressed for 100% screening of cargo placed on passenger aircraft.
The policy debate is likely to focus on how Congress will charge the TSA to treat in-bound international cargo shipments on cargo and passenger aircraft that are not screened. The agency is working with international cargo operators to increase the screening of cargo on passenger aircraft, but the 100% level may not be possible until August 2013.
TSA and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection are relying on risk-based targeting of shipments in the interim. These include application of the Known Shipper Program that has amassed a database of millions of shippers approved to place cargo on passenger aircraft. In addition, industry has recommended the following: Use of enhanced targeting of shipments based on Customs’ experience with the Automated Targeting System, more uses of explosive trace detection technology, increasing deployment of canine teams, and improving security through a supply chain approach.
TSA has developed a risk-based rating system and scheduling tool that aid cargo inspections outside the U.S. The agency also has 10 international cargo transportation security inspectors at field offices in Los Angeles, Dallas, Miami and Frankfurt. An additional eight TSA representatives are working with 240 foreign passenger and all-cargo air carriers that operate flights to the U.S. And, the agency has trained more than 500 canine teams now in place at 78 airports, and it has 150 of its own canine teams at the 20 busiest airports.
The problem with a 100% security screening mandate is cost. The Congressional Budget Office estimates a $250 million cost in the first year and $650 million per year for the following five years to implement the mandate for 100% baggage screening on passenger aircraft. The CRS report estimates that the mandate could cost more than $700 million just in the first year and perhaps as high as several billion dollars annually.
The report suggests that Congress may look into the adequacy of the TSA’s Certified Cargo Screening Program under which third parties are certified to screen shipments at factories, warehouses, logistics centers and cargo consolidation facilities. The agency’s plan is to screen as many shipments as possible prior to their arrival at airports and to avoid a log jam. As of late August, more than 1,000 facilities were certified; but only 400 shippers were among them. Much expansion is expected for FY2011.
Other issues include costs and benefits of blast-resistant cargo containers, the use of private screeners rather than TSA employees, and the need for a technology that is capable of screening cargo loaded in containers or on pallets.
“Neutron beam technologies offer a potential solution, allowing automated explosives detection capabilities of containerized and palletized cargo,” according to the report. A neutron beam unit was installed at Houston’s George Bush International Airport in 2005 for $8 million, but the program was later suspended. “However, the high cost and large footprint of the machines have been significant deterrents to their use.”
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