-4 MY FIRST RECOMMENDATION IS THAT THE FAA SHOULD CONCENTRATE ITS OWN SECURITY RESOURCES WHERE THEY ARE NEEDED MOST. CONGRESS SUBSTANTIALLY INCREASED FAA'S BUDGET FOR SECURITY FOLLOWING THE TERRORIST HIJACKING OF A TWA JETLINER IN THE MEDITERRANEAN THREE AND A HALF YEARS AGO. FAA SUBSEQUENTLY HIRED MORE AIR MARSHALS AND SECURITY INSPECTORS, THEREBY DOUBLING THE SIZE OF ITS SECURITY WORKFORCE. IN DECEMBER, FAA ANNOUNCED PLANS TO FURTHER INCREASE ITS SECURITY WORKFORCE BY 35% OVER THE NEXT 20 MONTHS. THAT WILL ADD ABOUT 120 MORE AVIATION SECURITY EXPERTS TO FAA. THOSE ARE WELCOME MOVES, BUT I MUST CAUTION THAT THEY WILL DO LITTLE TO ENHANCE THE SAFETY OF THE TRAVELING PUBLIC UNLESS THESE EXPERT RESOURCES ARE DEPLOYED IN AREAS WHERE THE THREAT OF TERRORISM IS GREATEST MIDDLE EAST AND THE FAR EAST., SPECIFICALLY TO EUROPE, THE I AM NOT SUGGESTING THAT THE FAA ABANDON ITS SECURITY RESPONSIBILITIES AT DOMESTIC AIRPORTS BUT I AM SUGGESTING THAT IT MUST ASSIGN MORE OF ITS SECURITY PEOPLE TO GROUND DUTIES IN SUPPORT OF AIRLINE SECURITY ACTIVITIES AT HIGH RISK AIRPORTS OVERSEAS. MY SECOND SECURITY RELATED RECOMMENDATION IS THAT THE GOVERNMENT MUST SPEED THE DEVELOPMENT AND COMMERCIAL APPLICATION OF EMERGING NEW TECHNOLOGIES THAT DETECT HIDDEN EXPLOSIVES. FAA HAS HAD PROMISING RESULTS IN RECENT TESTS OF EQUIPMENT DESIGNED TO DETECT VAPORS EMITTED BY EXPLOSIVES. IT ALSO HAS ACHIEVED SIGNIFICANT BREAKTHROUGHS IN THE DEVELOPMENT 5 OF THERMAL NEUTRON ANALYSIS, A PROCESS WHICH BOMBARDS BAGGAGE AND CARGO WITH NEUTRONS AND THAT APPEARS CAPABLE OF DETECTING ALL KNOWN EXPLOSIVES IN THE QUANTITIES NECESSARY TO BRING DOWN A COMMERCIAL AIRCRAFT. FAA RECENTLY ANNOUNCED IT WILL BUY SIX THERMAL NEUTRON UNITED STATES, SHOULD BE AIRLIFTED TO EUROPE AS SOON AS IN ADDITION, THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD HELP NURTURE THESE NEW SCREENING TECHNOLOGIES TO MATURITY BY PROVIDING SEED MONEY FOR THE FIRST INDUSTRY BUY OF STATE-OF-THE-ART EQUIPMENT. FAA PROVIDED FUNDS TO THE AIRLINES IN THE EARLY SEVENTIES TO SPEED THE DEPLOYMENT OF EFFECTIVE METAL DETECTORS AT U.S. AIRPORTS. FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE NOW IS EVEN MORE APPROPRIATE, AND URGENTLY NEEDED, IN MEETING TODAY'S FAR MORE DANGEROUS THREAT OF TERRORISM. ATA HAS DEVELOPED A PRELIMINARY ESTIMATE OF THE EXPLOSIVES DETECTION EQUIPMENT REQUIREMENTS TO SUPPORT U.S. AIRLINE OPERATIONS AT HIGH-THREAT FOREIGN AIRPORTS AS WELL AS À PRELIMINARY ESTIMATE OF THE COSTS INVOLED. A DETAILED BREAKDOWN OF THESE ESTIMATES IS ATTACHED TO THIS STATEMENT. -6 IN SUMMARY, OUR PRELIMINARY ESTIMATE IS THAT 66 THERMAL NEUTRON ANALYSIS UNITS AND 171 VAPOR DETECTION UNITS ARE NEEDED TO MEET THE SECURITY REQUIREMENTS OF EIGHT U.S. AIRLINES AT_45 HIGH-THREAT AIRPORTS IN EUROPE, THE MIDDLE EAST AND THE FAR EAST. COSTS ARE ESTIMATED AT $49,500,000 FOR THE THERMAL NEUTRON ANALYSIS UNITS AND $17,100,000 FOR THE VAPOR DETECTION UNITS, FOR A TOTAL PRELIMINARY COST ESTIMATE OF $66,600,000. WE BELIEVE THAT FEDERAL FUNDING FOR THIS EQUIPMENT IS JUSTIFIED AND WARRANTED. FEDERAL FUNDING COULD BE PROVIDED BY MEANS OF A SPECIAL APPROPRIATION FROM THE AVIATION TRUST FUND FOR THIS PURPOSE. MY THIRD RECOMMENDATION IS THAT THE UNITED STATES ACCELERATE EFFORTS TO STRENGTHEN INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENTS ON AIRLINE AND AIRPORT SECURITY. THE INTERNATIONAL CIVIL AVIATION ORGANIZATION HAS MADE CONSIDERABLE PROGRESS IN THAT DIRECTION TOUGHER SECURITY STANDARDS AND RECOMMENDED PRACTICES FOR ALL NATIONS. IT SHOULD BE GIVEN THE RESOURCES IT NEEDS TO EVALUATE SECURITY PROGRAMS AROUND THE WORLD AND THE AUTHORITY TO IMPOSE SANCTIONS AGAINST NATIONS THAT FAIL TO LIVE UP TO ESTABLISHED THE SPECIAL ICAO COUNCIL MEETING CONVENED LAST STANDARDS. MONTH AT THE REQUEST OF THE U.S. AND U.K. GOVERNMENTS WAS A WHILE I AM ON THE SUBJECT OF INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENTS, 7 WOULD ALSO LIKE TO URGE PROMPT CONSIDERATION BY THE U.S. SENATE OF THE MONTREAL PROTOCOLS. THAT AGREEMENT, TOGETHER WITH A SUPPLEMENTAL COMPENSATION PLAN MEETING CRITERIA SPECIFIED BY THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH, WILL ASSURE SWIFT, FAIR AND FULL COMPENSATION FOR DAMAGES SUFFERED BY INNOCENT VICTIMS OF TERRORIST ATTACKS ON COMMERCIAL AVIATION. UNDER THE CURRENT REGIME, ESTABLISHED BY THE WARSAW CONVENTION, CLAIMANTS FACE YEARS OF COSTLY AND AGONIZING LITIGATION WHEN ATTEMPTING TO BREAK TREATY-IMPOSED LIMITS OF LIABILITY. MY FOURTH AND FINAL RECOMMENDATION IS ONE THAT WILL HELP ENSURE U.S. TRAVELERS THE PROTECTION THEY DESERVE UNTIL THE TOUGH INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS I JUST MENTIONED ARE IN PLACE. IT IS THAT FAA IMPOSE THE SAME SECURITY REQUIREMENTS ON FOREIGN CARRIERS SERVING THE UNITED STATES AS IT IMPOSES ON U.S. THE CARRIERS. ON DECEMBER 29, 1988, FAA MANDATED HEIGHTENED SECURITY MEASURES FOR U.S. AIRLINES SERVING WESTERN EUROPE, MIDDLE EAST AND THE FAR EAST. THOSE SAME SECURITY STEPS WERE NOT REQUIRED OF FOREIGN AIR CARRIERS SERVING THE U.S. FROM THE SAME HIGH-THREAT AIRPORTS. WE BELIEVE IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT FAA IMPOSE THE SAME HEIGHTENED SECURITY MEASURES ON FOREIGN CARRIERS SERVING THE U.S. THAT THEY IMPOSED ON U.S. CARRIERS IN THE WAKE OF THE PAN AM CRASH. THE FACT THAT FOREIGN CARRIERS DO NOT OPERATE UNDER THE SAME SECURITY RULES IS, I THINK, AN OBVIOUS FLAW IN FAA'S CURRENT SECURITY PROGRAM. SOME 50% OF U.S. CITIZENS TRAVELING ABROAD FLY WITH FOREIGN CARRIERS, SO BEEFING UP SECURITY ONLY FOR U.S. CARRIERS WOULD BE LIKE HAVING POLICE PATROLS ONLY ON ODD NUMBERED STREETS. U.S. CARRIERS FULLY SUPPORT THE ADDITIONAL SECURITY MEASURES ORDERED BY THE FAA FOLLOWING THE FLIGHT 103 TRAGEDY. BUT IF THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT IS SERIOUS ABOUT THE SAFETY OF AMERICAN TRAVELERS IT MUST IMPOSE THE SAME REQUIREMENTS ON FOREIGN AIRLINES SERVING THE U.S. FROM THE SAME HIGH-THREAT FOREIGN AIRPORTS. AN OBJECTIVE ANALYSIS OF THE INCIDENTS IN WHICH EXPLOSIONS HAVE OCCURRED ONBOARD CIVIL AVIATION AIRCRAFT SINCE 1983 CONFIRMS THAT ALL OF CIVIL AVIATION OF ALL FLAGS, NOT JUST THE U.S. FLAG ARE THE TARGET. 573 OF THE DEATHS RESULTING FROM THESE BOMBS STEMMED FROM DEVICES PLACED ABOARD AIRLINES OF OTHER NATIONALITIES, WHEREAS 274 IS THE FACT THAT LAST YEAR THERE WERE ONLY 2 U.S. AIRLINE HIJACKINGS COMPARED TO 13 HIJACKINGS OF FOREIGN AIR CARRIERS DURING THAT SAME YEAR. I SHOULD NOTE THAT FORMER FAA ADMINISTRATOR MCARTOR WROTE TO HIS COUNTERPARTS IN EUROPE, THE MIDDLE EAST AND THE FAR EAST URGING TIGHTER SECURITY MEASURES. THAT WAS A STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION, BUT IT DOES NOT GO FAR ENOUGH. FOREIGN AIRLINES WITH SERVICE TO THE UNITED STATES SHOULD BE LEGALLY BOUND TO COMPLY WITH U.S. SECURITY REGULATIONS. |