Aviation Security: Flight and Cabin Crew Member Security Training
Strengthened, but Better Planning and Internal Controls Needed
(06-SEP-05, GAO-05-781).
Training flight and cabin crew members to handle potential
threats against domestic aircraft is an important element in
securing our nation's aviation system. The responsibility for
ensuring that crew members are prepared to handle these threats
is a shared responsibility between the private sector--air
carriers--and the federal government, primarily the
Transportation Security Administration (TSA). This report
addresses (1) actions TSA has taken to develop guidance and
standards for flight and cabin crew member security training and
to measure the effectiveness of the training, (2) how TSA ensures
domestic air carriers comply with the training guidance and
standards, and (3) efforts TSA has taken to develop and assess
the effectiveness of its voluntary self-defense training program.
-------------------------Indexing Terms-------------------------
REPORTNUM: GAO-05-781
ACCNO: A35717
TITLE: Aviation Security: Flight and Cabin Crew Member Security
Training Strengthened, but Better Planning and Internal Controls
Needed
DATE: 09/06/2005
SUBJECT: Air transportation
Aviation security
Counterterrorism
Employee training
Flight crews
Performance measures
Standards
Strategic planning
Terrorism
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GAO-05-781
United States Government Accountability Office
GAO
Report to Congressional Requesters
September 2005
AVIATION SECURITY
Flight and Cabin Crew Member Security Training Strengthened, but Better Planning
and Internal Controls Needed
GAO-05-781
[IMG]
September 2005
AVIATION SECURITY
Flight and Cabin Crew Member Security Training Strengthened, but Better
Planning and Internal Controls Needed
What GAO Found
Since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, TSA enhanced guidance
and standards for flight and cabin crew member security training with
input from stakeholders. Specifically, TSA revised the guidance and
standards to include additional training elements required by law and to
improve the organization and clarity of the guidance and standards. Some
stakeholders we interviewed and our own review generally found that the
revised guidance and standards improved upon previous versions in terms of
organization and clarity of the information provided. However, some
stakeholders identified concerns about, for example, the reasonableness of
applying parts of the guidance and standards to both flight and cabin crew
members and the difficulty in implementing some of the standards without
additional information or training tools from TSA. Additionally, TSA has
not established strategic goals and performance measures for assessing the
effectiveness of the training because it considers its role in the
training program as regulatory. In this regard, TSA views the individual
air carriers as responsible for establishing performance goals and
measures for their training programs, but has not required them to do so.
Without goals and measures, TSA and air carriers will be limited in their
ability to fully assess accomplishments and target associated
improvements.
TSA recently took steps to strengthen its efforts to oversee air carriers'
flight and cabin crew security training to ensure they are complying with
the required guidance and standards. For example, in January 2005, TSA
added staff with expertise in designing training programs to review air
carriers' crew member security training curriculums and developed a
standard form for staff to use to conduct their reviews. However, TSA
lacks adequate controls for monitoring and reviewing air carriers' crew
member security training, including written procedures for conducting and
documenting these reviews. TSA plans to develop written procedures, but
has not established a timeframe for completing this effort.
TSA has developed an advanced voluntary self-defense training program with
input from stakeholders and implemented the program in December 2004, as
required by law. However, stakeholders and our own analysis identified
concerns about the training design and delivery, such as the lack of
recurrent training and the lack of a realistic training environment. Also,
TSA has not yet established performance measures for the program or
established a time frame for evaluating the program's effectiveness.
United States Government Accountability Office
Contents
Letter
Results in Brief
Background
TSA Has Enhanced Guidance and Standards for Flight and Cabin
Crew Security Training with Input from Stakeholders, but Better Planning
Is Needed
Recent Progress Made to Strengthen Oversight of Flight and Cabin Crew
Member Security Training Program, but Weaknesses Remain
TSA Developed and Implemented Crew Member Self-Defense Training, but Has
Not Established Performance Measures or Evaluated Training Effectiveness
Conclusions
Recommendations
Agency Comments and Our Evaluation
1
3 8
15
20
26 35 36 37
Appendix I Objectives, Scope, and Methodology
Appendix IITSA's Deployment of an Advanced Voluntary Crew Member
Self-Defense Training from December 2004 through September 2005, as of
July 2005
Appendix IIIComments from the Department of Homeland Security
Appendix IV GAO Contact and Staff Acknowledgments
Tables
Table 1: List of Basic Crew Member Security Training Elements Required By
Law 13 Table 2: List of Advanced Voluntary Crew Member Self-Defense
Training Elements Required By Law 14
Page i GAO-05-781 Aviation Security
Table 3: Summary of Stakeholders' Concerns on TSA's Prototype Advanced
Voluntary Self-Defense Training and Actions Taken by TSA in Response to
the Concerns 29
Table 4: Crew Member Participation in Advanced Voluntary Crew Member
Self-Defense Training from December 2004 through June 2005 30
Figure
Figure 1: Number of Domestic Air Carriers by Carrier Group and Percentage
of Passengers Flown Domestically by Carrier Group
Abbreviations
ATSA Aviation and Transportation Security Act
DHS Department of Homeland Security
DOD Department of Defense
DOT Department of Transportation
FAA Federal Aviation Administration
FAMS Federal Air Marshal Service
FBI Federal Bureau of Investigation
GPRA Government Performance and Results Act
OMB Office of Management and Budget
TSA Transportation Security Administration
Vision 100 Vision100-Century of Aviation Reauthorization Act
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Page ii GAO-05-781 Aviation Security
United States Government Accountability Office Washington, DC 20548
September 6, 2005
The Honorable Daniel K. Inouye
Co-Chairman
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
United States Senate
The Honorable John D. Rockefeller, IV
Ranking Minority Member
Subcommittee on Aviation
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
United States Senate
Training flight and cabin crew members (pilots and flight attendants) to
handle potential threats against domestic commercial aircraft is an
important element in securing our nation's aviation system. These flight
and cabin crew members play a key role in ensuring the security of
commercial aircraft and the safety of airline passengers and are the last
line of defense in the event of an attempted terrorist attack onboard a
commercial aircraft. The responsibility for ensuring that flight and cabin
crew members are prepared to respond to these threats is a shared
responsibility between the private sector-air carriers-and the federal
government, primarily the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).
In an effort to strengthen aviation security, title 49 of the United
States
Code, section 44918, requires that air carriers develop and deliver a
basic
security training program for flight and cabin crew members in
accordance with training elements prescribed in the law. The law also
requires that TSA monitor and periodically review air carriers' training
programs to ensure they adequately prepare crew members for potential
threat conditions. Furthermore, the law requires TSA to develop and
provide an advanced voluntary self-defense training program for flight and
cabin crew members. Although there has not been another successful
terrorist attack against commercial aircraft in the United States since
September 11, 2001, concerns remain about whether flight and cabin crew
members are prepared to handle a potential hijacking and other threats to
commercial aircraft.
To determine the progress TSA has made in developing and monitoring
flight and cabin crew security training, we examined TSA's efforts to
develop guidance and standards for air carriers' flight and cabin crew
security training, monitor air carriers' compliance with the guidance and
standards, and develop and deliver advanced voluntary self-defense
training for crew members. Specifically, this report addresses the
following questions: (1) What actions has TSA taken to develop guidance
and standards for flight and cabin crew security training and to measure
the effectiveness of the training? (2) How does TSA ensure domestic air
carriers comply with required training guidance and standards? (3) What
efforts has TSA taken to develop, implement, and measure the effectiveness
of advanced voluntary self-defense training for flight and cabin crew
members?
In conducting our work, we reviewed TSA and Federal Aviation
Administration (FAA) documentation related to flight and cabin crew member
security training guidance and standards and advanced voluntary crew
member self-defense training. The security training guidance provides
detailed guidance from which air carriers must develop their flight and
cabin crew security training programs. The security training standards set
forth the specific requirements for crew member security training, such as
the training elements that must be included in air carriers' basic and
recurrent (refresher) crew member security training programs. We also
interviewed officials from 19 domestic air carriers, 2 air carrier
associations, and 6 crew member labor organizations regarding security
training guidance and standards, and advanced voluntary self-defense
training.1 We selected domestic air carriers based on whether they were
currently offering initial and/or recurrent security training2 and on the
size of the air carrier in an effort to include a mixture of various
domestic air carriers and air carriers of varying sizes. The size of an
air carrier is based on the annual operating revenues and the number of
revenue passenger boardings. We visited 8 of these air carriers to observe
their training and to
1Foreign air carriers operating to and from the United States are not
regulated under the mandates of the Aircraft Operator Security Program
(under which domestic air carriers operate) but are subject to the
security requirements of 49 C.F.R. part 1546. Foreign air carriers
operating under part 1546 must maintain a security program that TSA
accepts as providing passengers a level of protection similar to the level
of protection provided by U.S. air carriers serving the same airports. See
49 U.S.C. S: 44906. Further, foreign air carriers must abide by the
standards and recommended practices established by the International Civil
Aviation Organization, which adopted expanded security training
requirements for crew members in March 2002 that are similar to those
found in the Aviation and Transportation Security Act (ATSA), Pub. L. No.
107-71, S: 107, 115 Stat. 611, 610-11 (2001).
2Initial security training is provided to newly hired flight and cabin
crew members as well as crew members returning from a leave of absence of
more than 3 years. Recurrent security training is annual refresher
training provided to all flight and cabin crew members.
interview flight and cabin crew members about the training. Because we
selected a nonprobability sample of domestic air carriers, the information
we obtained from these interviews and visits cannot be generalized to all
domestic air carriers. We also observed two sessions of TSA's advanced
voluntary crew member self-defense training. Information obtained from our
interviews and visits cannot be generalized to all air carriers and
stakeholders. Additionally, we interviewed officials responsible for
developing security training guidance and standards and reviewing air
carriers security training programs at TSA headquarters. We also
interviewed officials at the FAA; Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI);
Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Federal Air Marshal Service
(FAMS); Department of Defense (DOD); crew member labor organizations; and
associations representing air carriers to obtain information on their
involvement in the development of crew member security training guidance
and standards and advanced voluntary crew member self-defense training. A
more detailed description of our scope and methodology is contained in
appendix I.
We conducted our work from June 2004 through August 2005 in accordance
with generally accepted government auditing standards.
Building on the legislatively mandated guidance developed by FAA in
January 2002 and corresponding standards, TSA enhanced guidance and
standards for flight and cabin crew member security training with input
from various stakeholders. However, TSA has not established strategic
goals and performance measures for assessing the effectiveness of crew
member security training, nor required air carriers to do so. TSA
officials stated that they revised the guidance and standards for two main
reasons. First, the law, as amended by the Vision 100--Century of Aviation
Reauthorization Act (Vision 100), enacted in December 2003, required that
air carriers include additional training elements in their basic crew
member security training programs to prepare flight and cabin crew
Results in Brief
members for potential threat conditions.3 Second, TSA determined that the
guidance and standards needed to be better organized and to more clearly
define security training elements, in part due to feedback from air
carriers, flight and cabin crew member labor organizations, and
associations representing air carriers. Some stakeholders stated and our
own review found that the organization of the previous security training
standards were difficult to follow and lacked clarity in some areas. For
example, the previous guidance did not define what constitutes
life-threatening behavior, whereas the revised guidance provides both a
definition of this behavior and examples. Although the revised guidance
and standards were an improvement over the previous versions in terms of
organization and clarity, some stakeholders identified concerns about the
reasonableness of applying parts of the guidance and standards to both
flight and cabin crew members, difficulty in implementing some of the
standards without additional information or training tools from TSA, and
the vagueness of some of the guidance and standards. For example, some of
the training standards remain generalized to both flight attendants and
pilots, rather than targeted to their specific job functions in responding
to a security threat. Additionally, TSA has not established strategic
goals and performance measures for the flight and cabin crew member
security training program. The Government Performance and Results Act
(GPRA) of 1993 requires, among other things, that agencies use
outcome-oriented goals and measures that assess results of a program or
activity compared to its intended purpose. TSA training officials stated
that they decided not to develop strategic goals or performance measures
for flight and cabin crew security training because the officials view
their role in the training program as regulatory-that is, monitoring air
carriers' compliance with the training guidance and standards established
by TSA. In this regard, officials stated that it is the individual air
carriers' responsibility to establish performance goals and measures
specific to their security
349 U.S.C. S: 44918. The Aviation and Transportation Security Act (ATSA),
enacted in November 2001, created the Transportation Security
Administration (TSA) and mandated the Federal Aviation Administration
(FAA) to develop a detailed guidance for a scheduled passenger air carrier
flight and cabin crew member training program. FAA continued to be
responsible for overseeing flight and cabin crew members' security
training until TSA assumed that responsibility pursuant to ATSA.
Subsequently, the Vision 100-Century of Aviation Reauthorization Act
(Vision 100), enacted in December 2003, revised the basic security
training program requirements and mandated that TSA develop and implement
an advanced voluntary self-defense training program for crew members. Pub.
L. No. 108-176, S: 603, 117 Stat. 2490, 2563-65. Together, these acts
mandated actions for TSA, FAA, and air carriers to strengthen flight and
cabin crew security training under S: 44918, including the development of
security training guidance and standards.
training programs. However, without overall strategic goals developed by
TSA, air carriers do not have a framework from which to develop their
individual performance goals and measures. Further, TSA has not explicitly
required air carriers to develop performance goals and measures or
provided air carriers with guidance and standards for doing so. The
absence of performance goals and measures for flight and cabin crew
security training limits the ability of TSA and air carriers to fully
assess the accomplishments of the flight and cabin crew member security
training program in adequately training crew members, and to target
appropriate improvements.
Although TSA has recently taken steps to strengthen its efforts to oversee
air carriers' flight and cabin crew security training to ensure carriers
are complying with required guidance and standards, TSA lacks adequate
internal controls for monitoring and reviewing air carriers' flight and
cabin crew member security training. The law requires TSA to monitor and
periodically review air carriers' security training to ensure that the
training is adequately preparing crew members for potential threat
conditions. The law also requires TSA to consider complaints from crew
members in determining when to review an air carriers' crew member
security training program. Further, the Comptroller General's Standards
for Internal Control in the Federal Government, which describes the
minimum level of quality acceptable for internal controls in government
and the basis against which internal controls should be evaluated, calls
for, among other things, that controls generally be designed to assure
that ongoing monitoring occurs during the course of normal operations,
transactions and other significant events be documented clearly, and
documentation be readily available for examination.4 TSA has recently
taken several steps to strengthen its review of air carriers' crew member
security training curriculum, including (1) adding staff with expertise in
designing training programs to review the overall design of the air
carriers' crew member security training curriculums, rather than solely
ensuring that each of the training elements is discussed in the training
curriculums; (2) developing a standard form for TSA inspectors and
training staff to use to conduct and document their reviews of air carrier
security training curriculums to ensure training requirements stated in
the revised security training standards are included in the air carriers'
security training and to enhance consistency in the review process; (3)
requiring air carriers to obtain
4GAO, Internal Control: Standards for Internal Control in the Federal
Government, GAO/AIMD-00-21.3.1 (Washington, D.C.: November 1999).
written participant feedback at the end of flight and cabin crew member
security training to capture information on participants' overall
satisfaction with the training; and (4) reorganizing the inspection staff
into a newly created Office of Compliance and issuing position
announcements to fill vacant TSA inspector positions, which should allow
for greater monitoring of air carriers' flight and cabin crew security
training programs. Although TSA made these recent improvements, the agency
lacks adequate internal controls for monitoring and reviewing air
carriers' crew member security training. Specifically, TSA does not have
written procedures for (1) completing the standard form used by TSA
inspectors and training staff in reviewing air carriers' flight and cabin
crew security training curriculum; (2) conducting and documenting
observations of air carriers' classroom delivery of flight and cabin crew
security training-a function performed by TSA inspectors-and selecting the
air carriers to visit; (3) ensuring that air carriers track flight and
cabin crew members' completion of required security training; and (4)
considering flight and cabin crew members' written feedback on security
training and securityrelated complaints from flight and cabin crew members
in determining when to review air carriers' flight and cabin crew security
training. TSA officials stated that they plan to develop a handbook that
documents procedures for TSA inspectors to use in reviewing air carriers'
flight and cabin crew members security training as well as guidance for
the training staff to use during their reviews. However, officials stated
that they have not established a time frame for completing these efforts.
Until TSA documents procedures for monitoring and reviewing air carriers'
flight and cabin crew member security training, TSA will continue to lack
a structure that provides reasonable assurance that TSA inspectors and
training staff are performing thorough assessments of air carriers'
security training.
TSA has developed an advanced voluntary self-defense training program for
flight and cabin crew members with input from key stakeholders and
implemented the program in December 2004 as required by law. However, some
stakeholders and our own analysis identified concerns about the training
design and delivery, and TSA has not yet developed performance measures
for the program or established a time frame for evaluating the program's
overall effectiveness. In developing the advanced voluntary selfdefense
training program, TSA consulted with law enforcement experts,
the Federal Air Marshal Service,5 air carriers, air carrier associations,
crew member labor organizations, and other subject matter experts and
selfdefense experts. TSA also piloted the training course in five cities
and made refinements to the course based on feedback from participants.
For example, training participants stated that the course included too
much lecture time and that the training course was too long, particularly
given that crew members must attend the training on their own time and
must pay for their travel, lodging, and meals. In response, TSA increased
the amount of hands-on training and shortened the training program from 4
days to 3 days. During the first 7 months of the training program,
participation in the training was relatively low, with only 474 flight and
cabin crew members (39 percent of total capacity) attending the training.
TSA officials attributed the low participation to crew members having a
difficult time obtaining 3 consecutive days of leave to attend the
training. Although TSA incorporated some stakeholder input into the course
design, some stakeholders, including individuals identified as experts by
TSA, and our own analysis identified several concerns regarding the
training design and delivery, such as the lack of recurrent training, the
lack of a realistic setting in which to conduct the training, and
instructors' lack of knowledge of crew members' actual work environment.
Our prior human capital work has found that in implementing a training
program, an agency should ensure that implementation involves effective
and efficient delivery of training6-that is, the training should be
conducted in a setting that approximates the participants' working
conditions and be taught by individuals who are knowledgeable about the
subject matter and work environment. Furthermore, TSA has not yet
developed performance measures for the program or established a time frame
for evaluating the program's overall effectiveness. TSA training officials
stated that although they recognize the importance of measuring the
effectiveness of the selfdefense training program, they have not been able
to undertake this effort due to resource constraints within which they are
operating and numerous internal process improvements currently under way
in TSA. Without performance measures and an evaluation of the program's
effectiveness, TSA will not have meaningful information from which to
determine
5The Federal Air Marshal Service provides air security and promotes public
confidence in our nation's civil aviation system through the deployment of
Federal Air Marshals who are specially trained civil aviation security
specialists that are deployed onboard aircraft to protect passengers,
crew, and aircraft from terrorist activities on both domestic and
international flights.
6GAO, Human Capital: A Guide for Assessing Strategic Training and
Development Efforts in the Federal Government, GAO-04-546G (Washington,
D.C.: March 2004).
whether the voluntary training program is achieving its intended results
and to make any needed improvements.
To assist TSA in further strengthening its flight and cabin crew security
training program and to provide the tools necessary to monitor the
delivery and accomplishments of the training, we are making a number of
recommendations to the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security
(DHS). These recommendations include directing the Assistant Secretary,
Transportation Security Administration, to develop a framework from which
to assess the accomplishments of flight and cabin crew member security
training, including establishing strategic goals for the training;
developing guidance for air carriers to use in establishing performance
goals and measures for their individual training programs; and reviewing
air carriers' goals and measures as part of its monitoring efforts. We are
also recommending that the Assistant Secretary, Transportation Security
Administration, strengthen internal controls for monitoring and reviewing
air carriers' flight and cabin crew member security training programs and
for documenting the results of its monitoring efforts; and establish
performance measures for the advanced voluntary crew member self-defense
training program and a time frame for evaluating the effectiveness of the
training.
We provided a draft of this report to the Department of Homeland Security
for its review and comment. DHS, in its written comments, generally
concurred with the findings and recommendations in the report, and agreed
that efforts to implement our recommendations are critical to a successful
flight and cabin crew member security training program. DHS described some
actions TSA has taken or planned to take to implement these
recommendations. For example, DHS stated that TSA has begun to establish
strategic goals for the flight and cabin crew member security training
program. DHS also stated that TSA is in the process of developing a
monitoring plan, to the extent that resources permit, and a handbook for
reviewing air carriers' flight and cabin crew member security training
programs. Additionally, DHS stated that TSA is currently working with the
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to establish performance measures
for use in OMB's Performance Assessment Rating Tool for TSA's flight
security training. The full text of DHS's comments is included in appendix
III.
Background After the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the
President signed the Aviation and Transportation Security Act (ATSA) into
law on November 19, 2001, with the primary goal of strengthening the
security of the nation's
aviation system. ATSA created TSA as the agency responsible for securing
all modes of transportation, including aviation.7 The President also
issued the National Strategy for Homeland Security in July 2002. The
National Strategy for Homeland Security sets forth a plan to strengthen
homeland security through the cooperation of federal, state, local, and
private-sector organizations in various areas. The National Strategy for
Homeland Security aligns and focuses homeland security functions into six
critical mission areas: (1) intelligence and warning, (2) border and
transportation security, (3) domestic counterterrorism, (4) protecting
critical infrastructures and key assets, (5) defending against
catastrophic threats, and (6) emergency preparedness and response. A theme
of the national strategy is that homeland security is a shared
responsibility among these stakeholders, not solely the responsibility of
the federal government. In the case of flight and cabin crew member
security training, air carriers and TSA both play an important role. Air
carriers are responsible for developing and delivering security training
programs for their crew members. TSA (and previously FAA) is responsible
for developing the guidance and standards that air carriers are to use to
design and deliver their security training and for monitoring air
carriers' flight and cabin crew member security training programs for
compliance with the guidance and standards.8 If TSA finds an air carrier
to be noncompliant with developing and conducting the required flight and
cabin crew member security training, TSA has a range of actions it can
take, including imposing fines, and in extreme circumstances, force the
air carrier to shut down its operations.
The Bureau of Transportation Statistics reported that 105 domestic
passenger air carriers were operating in the United States in 2004. Of the
7ATSA created TSA as an agency within the Department of Transportation
(DOT). The Homeland Security Act of 2002, Pub. L. No. 107-296, 116 Stat.
2135, signed into law on November 25, 2002, transferred TSA from the DOT
to the new Department of Homeland Security. FAA continued to be
responsible for overseeing flight and cabin crew members' security
training until TSA assumed that responsibility pursuant to ATSA. On or
about February 17, 2002, TSA assumed responsibility for flight and cabin
crew members' security training. Initially, however, TSA was neither
staffed nor organized to meet that responsibility on that date.
Accordingly, while TSA "ramped up" its operations FAA's Office of Aviation
Security, while being largely absorbed into TSA, continued to assist TSA
in its new roles as regulator and overseer.
8The flight and cabin crew security training implemented by air carriers
pursuant to their security programs, the corresponding guidance and
standards, and the related oversight discussed in this report are the
responsibility of TSA, and not of FAA, which is responsible for approved
training programs required under 14 C.F.R. part 121.
105 air carriers, 12 (11 percent) are major air carriers that carried over
76 percent of the passengers in 2004. With a few exceptions for small
aircraft, every commercial flight in the United States has at least two
flight crew members and one cabin crew member onboard. These crew members
are viewed as the last line of defense in what TSA describes as its
layered security system, which includes perimeter security (e.g., airport
security fencing), 100 percent passenger and checked baggage screening,
hardened flight deck doors, armed federal air marshals, and armed pilots.9
Figure 1 provides the number of domestic air carriers by carrier group
(major, national, and regional) and the percentage of passengers flown
domestically by carrier group during fiscal year 2004.10
9Pilots (commercial, charter, and all cargo aircraft) who volunteer to
participate in the Federal Flight Deck Officers Program are trained and
armed to protect the aircraft cockpit. The pilots are deputized as federal
flight deck officers.
10The Bureau of Transportation Statistics defines major carriers as those
with over $1 billion in annual operating revenues, national carriers as
those with $100 million to $1 billion in annual operating revenues, and
regional (large and medium air carriers) as those with up to $100 million
in annual operating revenues.
Figure 1: Number of Domestic Air Carriers by Carrier Group and Percentage
of Passengers Flown Domestically by Carrier Group
Major
National
Regional
Source: GAO analysis of Bureau of Transportation Statistics data.
Federal guidance for air carriers to use to develop their flight and cabin
crew security training programs has been in place for over 20 years. FAA
developed the crew member security training guidance, referred to as
Common Strategy I, in the early 1980's in response to numerous hijacking
incidents in the late 1970's. Common Strategy I generally instructed air
carriers to develop training programs that called for flight and cabin
crew members to cooperate with threatening passengers or hijackers and
slow compliance with their demands. Based on this guidance, FAA also
developed corresponding security training standards that set forth the
requirements for flight and cabin crew member security training. Air
carriers were required to incorporate the guidance and standards into
their security training programs. FAA principal security inspectors and
principal operations inspectors were responsible for monitoring air
carriers' compliance with the security training standards. The nature of
the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, however, demonstrated that
the philosophy of Common Strategy I-to cooperate with hijackers-was flawed
as it presumed that hijackers would not use aircraft as weapons of mass
destruction.
Following the events of September 11, 2001, section 107 of ATSA required
FAA, in consultation with TSA and other stakeholders, to develop detailed
guidance for flight and cabin crew security training programs within 60
days after the enactment of the act. FAA developed and issued security
training guidance, in accordance with the requirements of ATSA, on January
19, 2002. In February 2002, TSA assumed responsibility for monitoring air
carriers' security training for United States passenger air carriers and
the air carrier security inspections function was transferred from FAA to
TSA.11
Following the enactment of ATSA, the President signed into law two acts
that amended the flight and cabin crew training requirements codified at
title 49 of the U.S. Code, section 44918-the Homeland Security Act of 2002
and Vision 100. The Homeland Security Act, enacted on November 25, 2002,
amended the law by, among other things, mandating that, if TSA updated
training guidance, it must issue a rule to include elements of selfdefense
in the training programs.12 Vision 100, subsequently enacted on December
12, 2003, amended the flight and cabin crew security training law in its
entirety to require that
o air carriers providing scheduled passenger air transportation carry
out a training program that addresses the 10 elements listed in table 1;
o TSA approve the air carrier's training programs;
o TSA, in consultation with FAA, monitor air carrier training programs
and periodically review an air carrier's training program to ensure the
program is adequately preparing crew members for potential threat
conditions;
o TSA, in consultation with FAA, order air carriers to modify training
programs to reflect new or different security threats; and
o TSA develop and provide an advanced voluntary self-defense training
program to provide both classroom and effective hands-on training in, at
least, the six training elements listed in table 2.
11TSA currently oversees about 84 air carriers. Bureau of Transportation
Statistics data show that there were 105 commercial passenger air carriers
in fiscal year 2004. TSA officials stated that this difference of 21 air
carriers may be due to air carriers merging or going out of business.
12TSA, however, took no action pursuant to S: 1403 of the Homeland
Security Act. TSA maintained the standards prescribed by ATSA until the
passage of Vision 100, which prompted TSA to revise crew member security
training guidance and standards.
Table 1 lists the minimum training elements required by law, as enacted by
ATSA and as amended by Vision 100, for basic crew member security
training.
Table 1: List of Basic Crew Member Security Training Elements Required By
Law Legislative requirements for crew member security training ATSA Vision
100
Determination of the seriousness of any occurrence o o
Crew communication and coordination o o
Appropriate responses to defend oneself o o
Use of protective devices assigned to crew members o o
Psychology of terrorists to cope with hijacker behavior o o
and
passenger responses
(Live) situational training exercises regarding various o o
threat
conditions
Flight deck procedures or aircraft maneuvers to defend o o
the aircraft
Recognizing suspicious activities o
The proper commands to give passengers and attackers o
The proper conduct of a cabin search, including explosive o
device
recognition
Source: ATSA and Vision 100.
Table 2 lists the training elements that TSA must include in an advanced
voluntary self-defense training program for flight and cabin crew members
under the law, as amended by Vision 100.
Table 2: List of Advanced Voluntary Crew Member Self-Defense Training
Elements Required By Law
Legislative requirements for crew member security training
Deterring a passenger who might present a threat
Advanced control, striking, and restraint techniques
Training to defend oneself against edged or contact weapons
Methods to subdue and restrain an attacker
Use of available items aboard the aircraft for self-defense
Appropriate and effective responses to defend oneself including the use of
force against an attacker
Source: Vision 100.
Over the years, our work on best practices in training has found that
generally high-performing organizations follow certain key steps in
developing and measuring the effectiveness of training programs.13 These
steps include
o planning-developing a strategic approach that establishes priorities
and leverages investments in training to achieve agency results and
identify the competencies-commonly referred to as knowledge, skills,
abilities, and behaviors-needed to achieve organizational missions and
goals, and measure the extent to which their employees possess these
competencies;
o design and development-identifying specific initiatives that the
agency will use, along with other strategies, to include individual and
organizational performance;
o implementation-ensuring effective and efficient delivery of training
opportunities in an environment that supports learning and change; and
o evaluation-assessing the extent to which training efforts contribute
to improved performance and results.
13GAO-04-546G and GAO, Human Capital: Selected Agencies' Experiences and
Lessons Learned in Designing Training and Development Program, GAO-04-291
(Washington, D.C.: January 30, 2004).
TSA Has Enhanced Guidance and Standards for Flight and Cabin Crew Security
Training with Input from Stakeholders, but Better Planning Is Needed
TSA Enhanced Flight and Cabin Crew Member Security Training Guidance and
Standards with Input from Stakeholders, but Stakeholders Continue to Have
Concerns