Summary: The Transportation Security Administration

ABSTRACT
In many ways, air cargo security is more challenging than inspecting the passengers and baggage that board flights across the United States every day. Cargo frequently receives less examination than do people and baggage, even though they are often traveling on the same airplane. Critical activities that affect the inspection of air cargo happen away from the airport. Freight forwarders receive hundreds of small packages, bundle them into larger groups on pallets or in containers, then send the larger bunch for shipment on aircraft. These large packages, often in shrink wrap or containers, are difficult for inspectors to assess adequately. This paper will address the roles of the Transportation Security Administration and
During the months following the September 11 terrorist attacks, the TSA was given the responsibility for security screenings of all flights. New safety measures include locked cockpit doors, air marshals on many flights, several armed flight crews, and situational awareness of passengers (Transportation Security Administration home page). In November 2001, the Aviation and Transportation Security Act mandated that there would be improved screening and inspections of passengers and property, including cargo. The 9/11 Commission determined that more resources were needed to identify and track potentially dangerous cargo (United States Government Accountability Office, 2005).
The TSA has identified four objectives for securing air cargo:
1. enhance shipper and supply chain security,
2. identify elevated risk cargo through pre-screening,
3. identify technology for performing targeted air cargo inspections,
4. secure all-cargo aircraft through appropriate facility security measures
(Elias, 2007).

Initially, the TSA took an administrative role in securing cargo. Agents would establish programs for shippers. Then, they would screen participants in the supply chain, offering only limited oversight for compliance with the programs (Crowley,
This funding includes monies spent to secure aviation, maritime, land, and inter-modal transportation. Every year, TSA has a budget of $5 billion to screen passengers and their baggage. A budget of only $55 million is designated to screen cargo. This cargo is often found on the same airplanes as passengers. Less than 1% of TSA employees (approximately 300 agents) were assigned to screen air cargo in 2007 (Crowley, 2007). By the end of 2008, that number had increased to nearly 450, demonstrating the new emphasis being placed on the security of air cargo (Transportation Security Administration home page).
Inspect or Screen? Following the September 11 attacks in 2001, several legislative mandates called for either the “inspection” or “screening” of air cargo. While it does not appear that there is much difference in these words, the way they have been interpreted and implemented by the TSA is important (Crowley, 2007).
The “screening” process that is used by TSA includes reviewing all of the documents associated with the cargo passing through a checkpoint. Most cargo that is administratively screened is only assessed further based on specific risk factors, including who is shipping, where the shipment is going, and how it will get there. After determining which packages may pretense the largest threat, those packages are placed through the “inspection” process (Crowley,