**GAO-07-891R**                      Published: Jul 31, 2007. Publicly Released: Jul 31, 2007.                  

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## Highlights

Five years after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, concerns continue to be raised about the nation's system for protecting commercial aviation. Past disclosures of terrorists' plans for smuggling liquids onboard aircraft to construct a bomb in flight highlighted the continued need to examine this key aspect of homeland security. One layer of the aviation security system involves the ability of the federal government to respond to actual or potential security threats while a commercial aircraft is in flight. These security threats can include the following: (1) Passengers considered to be security risks to aviation are found to be onboard flights bound for or leaving the United States. (2) Situations develop while the aircraft is in flight--for example, a passenger becomes disruptive or acts suspiciously, a bomb threat is received, or an unidentified package is found onboard the aircraft. (3) A commercial aircraft transmits a signal designed to alert authorities that a hijacking is in process. Procedures for addressing these in-flight security threats involve a wide range of federal agencies and entities. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is responsible for taking much of the lead in responding to these incidents, and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) was established to ensure the security of all modes of transportation--including aviation. Responding to an in-flight threat, however, involves many agencies beyond DHS and TSA. Depending on the nature of the threat, managing and responding to in-flight threats can involve extensive coordination among more than 15 federal agencies and agency components, each with its own set of responsibilities that may influence the threat response. For example, another DHS component, Customs and Border Protection's (CBP) National Targeting Center (NTC), is responsible for comparing names and other identifying information of passengers onboard commercial aircraft flying to or from the United States with terrorist watch lists of persons considered to be potential security risks. If a passenger is determined to match an identity listed on a terrorist watch list, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), a Department of Justice (DOJ) agency, is often involved in conducting a risk assessment of the threat posed by that passenger while the flight is en route. Further, the Department of Transportation's (DOT) Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) becomes involved with in-flight threats as it monitors aircraft traffic entering into and operating within U.S. airspace to ensure safe operations, while the Department of Defense's (DOD) North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD)--a bi-national command established by agreement between the governments of the United States and Canada--becomes involved with the situation as it ensures the air sovereignty and air defense of U.S. airspace. Since these security incidents involve aircraft that are already in flight, timely and effective coordination among these agencies and components is paramount. Congress asked that we examine in-flight security threats and current federal efforts to respond collaboratively to them. In response, on February 28, 2007, we issued a classified report addressing the following questions: (1) What were the number and types of in-flight security incidents that occurred onboard commercial aircraft during 2005 that were reported to TSA, and to what extent did these threats result in aircraft being diverted? (2) What is the process that federal agencies follow to identify, assess, and respond to in-flight security threats? (3) To what extent did interagency coordination problems occur during 2005, if at all, and what steps did the involved agencies take to address any identified problems?

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## Topics

Homeland Security

Airport securityAviation securityFederal agenciesHomeland securityInteragency relationsSecurity threatsTerrorismPolicies and proceduresAircraftAviation