Department of Homeland Security

Can Consolidating Intel Revolutionize Aviation Security?

With talk of Israeli style airport security frequently popping up in the media, on blogs and in regular conversations with travelers, I’d like to introduce you to an Israeli security firm that has both the technology and credentials to potentially eliminate significant gaps in aviation security. It is rare to find a company of any…

New TSA Directive For Christmas : Explosive Swabs of Sippy Cups

Just in time for Christmas, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has added a new directive to its front line playbook. This morning, the 23rd of December, the TSA began mandatory explosive trace detection (ETD) on all thermoses and insulated children’s’ sippy cups. While thermoses and sippy cups must be empty when passing through an airport…

“Two Men Enter Two Airports, One With A Rectal Bomb…” (this is not a typo)

As I have been digging deeper into the ineffectiveness of the Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) current security procedures in the face of the current threat assessments for a likely terrorist attack on a commercial airliner I have received quite few opinions on the situation at hand. It seems each assessment is more grim than the…

A TSA Analyst Speaks Out On Current Security Procedures

Yesterday I wrote about the Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) new enhanced pat downs being ineffective, providing commentary from a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) anti-terrorism expert. The DHS expert detailed how someone could potentially smuggle explosives through both the new whole-body-imaging scanners and discussed technology under development that could identify concealed items. After posting the…

Why TSA ‘Enhanced Pat Downs’ Are Not Effective

For the past few months the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has been testing the new ‘enhanced pat down’ at airports around the United States, before implementing this new security measure at every airport under its authority. The ‘enhanced pat down’ is in place primarily for airline travelers who choose to ‘opt out’ of being screened…

Was The Yemen Air Cargo Bomb Plot Intended To Fail? Possibly Yes

This past Friday, the 29th of October 2010, as details of a foiled plot to ship bombs via commercial cargo carriers I wrote about “Air Cargo Security Scares From Yemen, Shows Of Political Force & Real Potential Scenarios.”   As events have continued to unfold I have continued to receive some interesting commentary from people with…

Air Cargo Security Scares From Yemen, Shows Of Political Force & Real Potential Scenarios

As news unfolded earlier today that multiple packages with explosives made their way from Yemen to Dubai International Airport, in the UAE, and East Midland Airport, in the UK, air cargo security is once again moving to the forefront of the news. I won’t rehash the basics of this developing news story, what I will…

U.S. Federal Air Marshal Service Part II : Labour Issues

Tom Quinn, the former head of the Federal Air Marshal Service (FAMS) had once stated that “We’ve gotten it right,” in regard to how the Federal Air Marshal Service is being operated, however a number of Air Marshals do not believe it is being done right, from multiple points of view. For many the job…