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HAS TSA MET THE DEADLINE TO PROVIDE EXPEDITED SCREENING TO MILITARY SERVICE MEMBERS? 

HEARING 

BEFORE THE

SUBCOMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION 

SECURITY 

OF THE

COMMITTEE ON HOMELAND SECURITY 

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

ONE HUNDRED TWELFTH CONGRESS 

SECOND SESSION 

JULY 11, 2012 

Serial No. 112–104 

Printed for the use of the Committee on Homeland Security 

Available via the World Wide Web: http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/ 
(II) 

COMMITTEE ON HOMELAND SECURITY 

PETER T. KING, New York, Chairman 

LAMAR SMITH, Texas 

DANIEL E. LUNGREN, California 

MIKE ROGERS, Alabama 

MICHAEL T. MCCAUL, Texas 

GUS M. BILIRAKIS, Florida 

PAUL C. BROUN, Georgia 

CANDICE S. MILLER, Michigan 

TIM WALBERG, Michigan 

CHIP CRAVAACK, Minnesota 

JOE WALSH, Illinois 

PATRICK MEEHAN, Pennsylvania 

BEN QUAYLE, Arizona 

SCOTT RIGELL, Virginia 

BILLY LONG, Missouri 

JEFF DUNCAN, South Carolina 

TOM MARINO, Pennsylvania 

BLAKE FARENTHOLD, Texas 

ROBERT L. TURNER, New York 

BENNIE G. THOMPSON, Mississippi 

LORETTA SANCHEZ, California 

SHEILA JACKSON LEE, Texas 

HENRY CUELLAR, Texas 

YVETTE D. CLARKE, New York 

LAURA RICHARDSON, California 

DANNY K. DAVIS, Illinois 

BRIAN HIGGINS, New York 

CEDRIC L. RICHMOND, Louisiana 

HANSEN CLARKE, Michigan 

WILLIAM R. KEATING, Massachusetts 

KATHLEEN C. HOCHUL, New York 

JANICE HAHN, California 

RON BARBER, Arizona 

MICHAEL J. RUSSELL, Staff Director/Chief Counsel 

KERRY ANN WATKINS, Senior Policy Director 

MICHAEL S. TWINCHEK, Chief Clerk 

I. LANIER AVANT, Minority Staff Director 

SUBCOMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION SECURITY 

MIKE ROGERS, Alabama, Chairman 

DANIEL E. LUNGREN, California 

TIM WALBERG, Michigan 

CHIP CRAVAACK, Minnesota 

JOE WALSH, Illinois, Vice Chair 

ROBERT L. TURNER, New York 

PETER T. KING, New York (Ex Officio) 

SHEILA JACKSON LEE, Texas 

DANNY K. DAVIS, Illinois 

CEDRIC L. RICHMOND, Louisiana 

RON BARBER, Arizona 

BENNIE G. THOMPSON, Mississippi (Ex Officio) 

AMANDA PARIKH, Staff Director 

NATALIE NIXON, Deputy Chief Clerk 

VACANT, Minority Subcommittee Director 
(III) 

C O N T E N T S 

Page 

STATEMENTS

The Honorable Mike Rogers, a Representative in Congress From the State 

of Alabama, and Chairman, Subcommittee on Transportation Security ......... 1 

The Honorable Sheila Jackson Lee, a Representative in Congress From the 

State of Texas, and Ranking Member, Subcommittee on Transportation 

Security ................................................................................................................. 9 

The Honorable Chip Cravaack, a Representative in Congress From the State 

of Minnesota ......................................................................................................... 1 

WITNESSES

Mr. Christopher McLaughlin, Assistant Administrator for Security Operations, Transportation Security Administration, U.S. Department of Homeland Security: 

Oral Statement ..................................................................................................... 2 

Prepared Statement ............................................................................................. 4 

Mr. Todd M. Rosenblum, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense 

for Homeland Defense and Americas’ Security Affairs, U.S. Department 

of Defense: 

Oral Statement ..................................................................................................... 6 

Prepared Statement ............................................................................................. 7 

(1) 

HAS TSA MET THE DEADLINE TO PROVIDE 

EXPEDITED SCREENING TO MILITARY 

SERVICE MEMBERS? 

Wednesday, July 11, 2012 

U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, 

SUBCOMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION SECURITY, 

COMMITTEE ON HOMELAND SECURITY, 

Washington, DC. 

The subcommittee met, pursuant to call, at 2:00 p.m., in Room 

311, Cannon House Office Building, Hon. Mike Rogers [Chairman 

of the subcommittee] presiding. 

Present: Representatives Rogers, Walberg, Cravaack, Turner, 

Jackson Lee, and Barber. 

Mr. ROGERS. The Committee on Homeland Security Subcommittee on Transportation Security will come to order. The 

meeting today is to examine TSA’s implementation of Public Law 

112–86, the Risk-Based Security Screening for Members of the 

Armed Forces Act. I would like to thank everyone for being here, 

and thank our witnesses for taking the time to be here, and also 

to prepare your opening statements. I know it is not something 

that you just do automatically. So I appreciate that. 

Last May, my good friend from Mr. Minnesota, Mr. Cravaack, introduced a bill directing TSA, in consultation with the Department 

of Defense, to implement expedited screening procedures for members of the military traveling in uniform through U.S. airports. The 

bill made its way through regular order and was signed into law 

by the President in January. Today’s hearing is an opportunity to 

hear from TSA and DOD on what actions have been taken to meet 

the 6-month deadline in the law, which fell on July 2. I commend 

Mr. Cravaack for his leadership on this issue, for his distinguished 

service in the U.S. Navy, and his continued efforts to support our 

troops. 

At this time, I would like to yield the rest of my time for an 

opening statement to Mr. Cravaack for any comments he would 

like to make. 

Mr. CRAVAACK. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, while 

I am glad to see some of the preliminary steps that have been 

taken, I would like to refer to the legislation itself that was signed 

by the President. It reads, ‘‘Not later than 180 days after the date 

of enactment of this act, the Assistant Secretary shall—’’ now in 

military jargon that means will; there is no compromise—‘‘implement the plan required by this act.’’ One hundred eighty days after 

enactment was July 2 of this year. The bill didn’t restrict the plan 
2 

to three airports. It is tied to expedited security screening for all 

members of the Armed Forces at all times and all airports. We 

need to have this implemented wherever our servicemembers are 

flying. 

Just last week, I spoke to a servicemember returning from the 

battlefields in Afghanistan. The member was asked to strip search 

down to his—basically, his boots, T-shirt, and without a belt, holding up his britches, and in his stocking feet to go through security 

after returning back from defending our country. I spoke to another 

servicemember a few weeks before that. Same situation. 

We have spoken about the consistency of TSA procedures in earlier hearings, but this is now happening after the law was passed 

by Congress and signed by the President of the United States. 

I look forward to hearing from the witnesses about the failure of 

implementation of this plan, how it will be fully implemented, and 

who will be held accountable if it is not done in what this body considers a timely manner. I consider it in violation of the law. I look 

forward to hearing the corrective actions, and I do not have to remind you our troops deserve this. 

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And I yield back. 

Mr. ROGERS. I thank the gentleman. The Ranking Member is in 

another meeting, hearing right now. She is on her way. When she 

gets here, we will go to her opening statement. But in the mean 

time, we will go ahead and get our witnesses to summarize their 

opening statements. I would recommend to other Members that 

they can submit written statements for the record. 

Our first witness is Mr. Christopher McLaughlin. He is the assistant administrator for security operations at TSA. Prior to his 

employment to this position, Mr. McLaughlin was the federal security director at Denver International and Fort Collins-Loveland 

Airports. Before joining TSA in 2009, Mr. McLaughlin was senior 

director and director of station operations for Frontier Airlines. The 

Chairman now recognizes Mr. McLaughlin for 5 minutes to summarize his testimony. 

STATEMENT OF CHRISTOPHER MC LAUGHLIN, ASSISTANT ADMINISTRATOR FOR SECURITY OPERATIONS, TRANSPORTATION SECURITY ADMINISTRATION, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF 

HOMELAND SECURITY 

Mr. MCLAUGHLIN. Good afternoon, Chairman Rogers, distinguished Members of the subcommittee. Thank you for the opportunity to testify about the Transportation Security Administration’s 

efforts to implement the Risk-Based Security Screening for Members of the Armed Forces Act. 

As this subcommittee is aware, TSA is taking steps to employ 

risk-based, intelligence-driven measures to deter attacks and reduce vulnerabilities to our transportation systems. We have 

learned and continue to learn where and how we can modify procedures without compromising security, and we are transforming 

TSA as a result. Expediting screening for U.S. military personnel 

is part of TSA’s larger initiative to move away from the one-sizefits-all construct that was introduced after 9/11. 

With more than 10,000 veterans making up nearly 23 percent of 

our TSO workforce, TSA recognizes the trustworthiness of our serv-
3 

icemen and women. We know that they pose little risk to aviation 

security, and we are dedicated to doing everything we can to meet 

the needs of U.S. military personnel when they travel by air. 

TSA has met the requirements of the Risk-Based Security 

Screening for Members of the Armed Forces Act. At airport checkpoints Nation-wide, U.S. military personnel in uniform, whether 

traveling on official orders or not, are offered expedited screening, 

including the ability to leave shoes or boots on, as well as other 

screening courtesies that significantly reduce the likelihood that 

they will receive a patdown or other additional screening procedures. When military members do alarm, those alarms are resolved 

with modified, less invasive procedures. 

With regard to family members, they may obtain gate passes to 

accompany departing troops or to meet their loved ones when they 

come home. Additionally, in consultation with DOD, TSA now offers TSA PreCheck benefits to active-duty servicemen and women 

flying out of Reagan National and Seattle International Airports as 

part of an initial proof of concept. Of note with PreCheck, eligible 

servicemembers do not need to be in uniform or on official travel 

to take advantage of this initiative. 

This is currently a card-based system; however, TSA and the 

DOD are considering transitioning to a list-based model before implementation of this initiative. We believe this approach will best 

enable eligible servicemembers to receive expedited screening at all 

PreCheck airports system-wide. 

In addition to expedited screening efforts, I would like to take a 

moment to familiarize the subcommittee with other ways TSA is 

assisting our U.S. military personnel. Since February 2005, TSA 

has partnered with DOD and the military services to facilitate the 

screening of injured and wounded servicemembers. Without sacrificing security, TSA provides high-quality service to our injured 

military heroes as they travel through the Nation’s airports, including nearly 4,000 severely injured servicemembers during this year 

alone. Information about this initiative is posted on our public 

website. 

Federal security directors and their staff also provide any assistance that may be required when an honor guard detail escorts a 

fallen servicemember at an airport, such as escorting them through 

secured areas or cargo facilities, or facilitating expedited access to 

these areas. In May 2011, TSA implemented new procedures to reduce screening requirements for U.S. veterans and their escorts 

traveling on Honor Flight Network flights to Washington, DC to 

visit the war memorials that are dedicated to honor their service. 

TSA employees regularly go above and beyond their required duties to honor and support the military. Some examples include officers volunteering countless hours at their local USO to assist 

servicemembers and their families. At another airport, officers donated their time and materials and handcrafted several Quilts of 

Valor that were donated to hospitalized servicemembers. 

While these and countless other actions by TSA officers do not 

constitute official TSA initiatives, we are very proud of our workforce that dedicates extra effort to recognizing the service of our 

military personnel. 
4 

Finally, I want to thank Deputy Assistant Secretary Rosenblum 

and our other partners in the DOD. I appreciate the balance they 

have demonstrated through this collaborative effort. It is clear that 

they share our desire to expedite the travel experience for servicemen and women, while at the same time recognize that no one benefits if we make a move in haste that inadvertently compromises 

the freedom that our military has fought so hard to protect, particularly over the past 10 years. 

Chairman Rogers, the rest of the subcommittee, I thank you for 

the opportunity to appear before you today, and I look forward to 

taking your questions. 

[The prepared statement of Mr. McLaughlin follows:] 

PREPARED STATEMENT OF CHRISTOPHER MCLAUGHLIN

JULY 11, 2012 

Good morning Chairman Rogers, Ranking Member Jackson Lee, and distinguished Members of the subcommittee. Thank you for the opportunity to testify 

today about the efforts of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to implement the Risk-Based Security Screening for Members of the Armed Forces Act. 

As has been shared with this subcommittee in the past, we are taking a number 

of steps to employ risk-based, intelligence-driven measures to deter and prevent terrorist attacks and to reduce vulnerabilities to the Nation’s transportation systems. 

We’ve learned more about where and how we can modify procedures without compromising security, and we are transforming TSA and how it accomplishes its mission through risk-based security initiatives. Our efforts to expedite screening for 

U.S. Armed Forces personnel are part of this larger initiative to move away from 

the one-size-fits-all construct that was introduced after 9/11. 

THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE MILITARY SCREENING ACT

Signed into law on January 3, 2012, the Risk-Based Security Screening for Members of the Armed Forces Act calls for expedited security screening of uniformed 

members of the U.S. Armed Forces who present official orders for air travel. Specifically, the Act requires TSA, in consultation with the Department of Defense (DoD), 

to develop and implement a plan to provide expedited security screening services for 

a member of the U.S. Armed Forces and, to the extent possible, any accompanying 

family member, if the U.S. Armed Forces member, while in uniform, presents documentation indicating official orders for air transportation from a primary airport. In 

developing the plan, TSA is required to consider leveraging existing security screening models used to reduce passenger wait times; establish standard guidelines for 

screening military uniform items, including combat boots; and incorporate any new 

screening protocols into an existing trusted passenger program, credential, or system that uses biometric technology and other applicable technologies to verify the 

identity of individuals who travel by air. 

EXPEDITED SCREENING AVAILABLE TO U.S. ARMED FORCES

TSA recognizes that members of the U.S. Armed Forces, who are trusted to protect the security and values of America with their lives, pose a lower risk to aviation 

security. In fact, TSA is proud to count many uniformed service members among 

our employees. Over 10,000 veterans—or approximately 23 percent of the Transportation Security Officer (TSO) workforce—serve on TSA’s front line securing our Nation’s transportation sector, and they take pride in both their past and current service to our Nation. Our commitment to recruiting and hiring veterans continues, and 

TSA is working collaboratively with DoD, veterans groups, and other agencies towards that end. Similarly, TSA is dedicated to doing everything it can to accommodate members of our U.S. Armed Forces when they are traveling by air. 

TSA has long provided expedited screening for members of our military. At airport 

checkpoints Nation-wide, U.S. service personnel in uniform with proper identification, whether traveling on official orders or not, are not required to remove their 

shoes or boots unless they alarm our technology. Other screening courtesies that we 

extend to U.S. military personnel traveling in uniform reduce the likelihood that 

they will receive a pat-down or other additional screening. In addition, family members may obtain gate passes to accompany departing troops or meet their loved ones 
5 

when they come home. TSA also expedites screening for Honor Flight veterans, and 

partners with the DoD to expedite screening of wounded warriors. 

Additionally, as part of our intelligence-driven, risk-based approach to security, 

TSA now offers TSA PreCheckTM expedited screening benefits to military personnel 

(including active duty, National Guard, the Reserve Components, and active and reserve service members of the U.S. Coast Guard) at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and Seattle-Tacoma International Airport as part of an initial proof 

of concept. All U.S. Armed Forces service members who possess a valid Common Access Card (CAC) are eligible. Eligible service members may also use the TSA 

PreCheckTM lane by presenting their valid CAC to the TSA Travel Document Checker (TDC) along with their boarding pass. By scanning the CAC, the TSA TDC is 

able to verify the traveler’s status as a U.S. service member in good standing with 

DoD. Upon verification, service members may enjoy expedited screening benefits 

such as not being required to remove shoes, light outerwear/jackets, or belts, or to 

remove 3–1–1 compliant bags or laptops from carry-on bags. Eligible service members do not need to be in uniform or on official travel to take advantage of TSA 

PreCheckTM benefits. 

This initiative holds the potential to significantly enhance the travel experience 

for members of the U.S. Armed Forces at all participating airports. By expanding 

TSA PreCheckTM to members of the U.S. Armed Forces, TSA is able to focus its resources on higher-risk and unknown passengers. As always, TSA will continue to 

incorporate random and unpredictable security measures throughout the security 

process. 

As we move forward, TSA and DoD intend to transition from a military ID cardbased model towards a list-based boarding pass issuance model. With this approach, 

eligible service members will be issued a unique Known Traveler Number by DoD 

for use when traveling, consistent with other TSA PreCheckTM populations. Along 

with name, date of birth, and gender, the Known Traveler Number will be used 

when making an airline reservation to identify the service members as TSA 

PreCheckTM eligible travelers. TSA and DoD believe this approach will best enable 

eligible service members to receive expedited screening at all TSA PreCheckTM airports. Although there are a number of challenges with implementing a list-based 

model, TSA and DoD are working closely to determine next steps as well as time 

lines for screening members of the military through all TSA PreCheckTM lanes. 

ADDITIONAL INITIATIVES TO ASSIST MEMBERS OF THE ARMED FORCES

TSA employees regularly go above and beyond their required duties to honor and 

support the military. We are proud that our workforce dedicates extra effort to recognizing the service of military personnel. 

Since February 2005, TSA has partnered with DoD and the military services to 

facilitate the screening of injured and wounded service members through the Military Severely Injured Joint Support Operations Center program. Without sacrificing 

security standards, TSA is able to provide high-quality service to our injured military heroes as they travel through the Nation’s airports. Under the program, TSA 

has assisted nearly 4,000 severely injured service members during the current fiscal 

year, and we continue to promote awareness of the program through military hospitals, DoD, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, and other veterans’ support 

and service organizations. 

TSA Federal Security Directors and their staff also work closely with military and 

military-contracted personnel and airport operators to provide assistance that may 

be required when an Honor Guard Detail escorts a fallen service member at an airport, provides appropriate honors, and participates in the transfer of the deceased 

service member from the aircraft to the hearse, another aircraft, or other ground 

transportation. Air carriers have been instructed to provide a Secure Identification 

Display Area-badged escort to accompany the military or civilian escort and Honor 

Guard Detail to the aircraft while the service member’s remains are unloaded. TSA 

provides an escort in instances where an air carrier is unable to do so. When the 

escort or Honor Guard Detail arrive plane-side without previously undergoing 

checkpoint screening, TSA will make arrangements to screen the individuals at an 

appropriate location, such as the jetbridge, cargo facility, or secure area. 

In addition, the Honor Flight Network transports U.S. veterans and their escorts 

to Washington, DC, to visit the war memorials built and dedicated to honor their 

service. With the assistance of U.S. aircraft operators, the Honor Flight Network facilitates flights from around the Nation that arrive at airports in the National Capital Region (BWI, DCA, IAD). In May 2011, TSA implemented new procedures for 

passengers on Honor Flight Network flights. These new procedures reduce, but do 

not eliminate, screening requirements on Honor Flight Network flights. 
6 

TSA employees have devoted significant time and effort toward assisting military 

personnel, and a few examples include the following: • TSA personnel at Mobile Regional Airport (MOB) and Dothan Regional Airport 

in Alabama used their personal time to accomplish a project suggested by members of the Employee Advisory Council whereby they donated the materials for 

and hand-crafted seven unique ‘‘Quilts of Valor’’ that were presented to soldiers 

hospitalized at the Brooke Army Medical Center. • On two separate occasions, a Lead Transportation Security Officer (LTSO) at 

MOB discovered several service members settling in to sleep in the airport 

lobby after their flight was canceled. The LTSO and her family provided the soldiers with food and lodging, as well as transportation to and from the airport. • A TSA personnel member at Chicago O’Hare International Airport has been a 

United Service Organizations (USO) volunteer for the past 7 years, and was 

awarded the President Volunteer Service Award in 2008 by former President 

George W. Bush for volunteering 1,000 hours in 1 year at the USO. • TSA participated in the groundbreaking for a new USO facility opening this 

Fall at Tampa International Airport (TPA), which will be a welcome addition 

to the support provided to the thousands of military personnel and their families who travel through TPA monthly. These stories and dozens of others are 

reflective of TSA’s efforts to support the military both at and outside of the 

checkpoint. 

CONCLUSION

TSA will continue its efforts to enhance the travel experience for soldiers and 

their families throughout the United States. Chairman Rogers, Ranking Member 

Jackson Lee, I thank you for the opportunity to appear before you today, and I look 

forward to answering your questions. 

Mr. ROGERS. Thank you, Mr. McLaughlin. Our next witness is 

Mr. Todd Rosenblum. Mr. Rosenblum currently serves as the principal deputy assistant secretary of defense for Homeland Defense 

and Americas’ Security Affairs. Prior to his appointment, Mr. 

Rosenblum was deputy under secretary of intelligence for plans, 

policy, and performance management at the Department of Homeland Security from February 2009 to May 2011. He has more than 

20 years of political policy and legislative experience in National 

security affairs. 

The Chairman now recognizes Mr. Rosenblum for 5 minutes to 

summarize his testimony. 

STATEMENT OF TODD M. ROSENBLUM, PRINCIPAL DEPUTY 

ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF DEFENSE FOR HOMELAND DEFENSE AND AMERICAS’ SECURITY AFFAIRS, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE 

Mr. ROSENBLUM. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you, other 

distinguished Members of the subcommittee. I appreciate the opportunity to address you today on the partnership between the Department of Defense and the Transportation Security Administration on the expedited processing of U.S. military personnel through 

our Nation’s airports. In order to maximize the time for questions, 

my opening remarks will be brief, and I respectfully ask that my 

full statement be made a part of the record. 

Mr. ROGERS. It will. 

Mr. ROSENBLUM. Thank you. We are enormously grateful to the 

members of the U.S. Armed Forces for what they do at home and 

abroad for the Nation. Expedited screening is one small but tangible way of recognizing and thanking U.S. military personnel for 

their service and sacrifice to our Nation. We deeply appreciate our 

strong and active partnership with TSA on this matter, as we do 

the Members of this subcommittee. We appreciate TSA’s recogni-
7 

tion that members of the U.S. Armed Forces are entrusted to protect the security of this Nation with their lives, and therefore are 

eligible for expedited airport screening. 

TSA is responsible for the screening of all passengers at our Nation’s airports, and we support its leadership in this area. DOD and 

TSA have had a long history of working together to establish measures to expedite screening for U.S. military personnel. TSA has 

long expedited the screening process for Honor Flight veterans, and 

partners with DOD to expedite screening for Wounded Warriors 

and their families. Maximizing the travel experience of our Wounded Warriors and military families is well recognized and deeply appreciated by the Department of Defense. 

In November 2011, TSA and DOD began a pilot project to scan 

the CAC card of U.S. military personnel traveling from Monterey 

Peninsula Airport, California. Today, based on the results of that 

pilot, TSA is further enhancing the screening experience for our 

military by offering PreCheck, expedited screening benefits to U.S. 

military personnel at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport 

and Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. Expedited screening of 

U.S. military personnel at these airports is in a proof-of-concept 

phase, and we look forward to working with TSA in evaluating 

whether this program can be broadened to include appropriate civilian employees and others at the Department of Defense. 

DOD is fully committed to continuing its long-standing partnership with DHS, and TSA in particular, to strengthen aviation security, while significantly enhancing the travel experience whenever 

possible for our servicemembers. This is part of DOD’s broader 

partnership with DHS to strengthen already unprecedented levels 

of personnel, technology, and infrastructure committed to security 

around the country. 

As we continue to work with TSA on the expedited screening of 

DOD personnel, we want to ensure that TSA believes this program 

appropriately balances risk mitigation with overall aviation security. We support TSA’s deliberate, careful approach to managing 

risk. TSA has proven to be a terrific partner in this endeavor, and 

I see no reason why we will not succeed moving forward. 

Chairman Rogers, other distinguished Members of the subcommittee, I commend you for your leadership, continued interest, 

and support to our Nation’s aviation security and the U.S. Armed 

Forces. Thank you. 

[The prepared statement of Mr. Rosenblum follows:] 

PREPARED STATEMENT OF TODD M. ROSENBLUM

JULY 11, 2012 

Chairman Rogers, Ranking Member Jackson Lee, distinguished Members of the 

subcommittee: Thank you for the opportunity to address you today on the partnership between the Department of Defense (DoD) and the Department of Homeland 

Security’s (DHS’s) Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to process U.S. 

military personnel through the screening process more quickly. 

We are enormously grateful to the members of the U.S. Armed Forces for what 

they do at home and abroad for the Nation. Expediting screening is a small, but 

tangible way of recognizing and thanking U.S. military personnel for their service 

and sacrifice to our Nation. 

Programs such as this also have a practical benefit: They strengthen aviation security by separating out lower-risk travelers, such as members of the U.S. Armed 

Forces, thereby allowing TSA to focus its resources on those who present a higher 
8 

risk. We appreciate TSA’s recognition that members of the U.S. Armed Forces are 

entrusted to protect the security and values of U.S. citizens with their lives and, 

as such, pose little comparative risk to aviation security. 

Since its inception, TSA has worked in partnership with DoD to establish measures to expedite screening for U.S. military personnel. For example, U.S. military 

personnel in uniform with a military identification card are not required to remove 

their boots or shoes unless they set off an alarm. TSA expedites the screening process for Honor Flight veterans, and partners with DoD to expedite screening for 

wounded warriors and their families. The Honor Flight Network organization transports veterans to Washington, DC, to visit their war memorials. 

In November 2011, TSA and DoD began a pilot project to expand TSA’s 

PreCheckTM initiative to include U.S. military personnel traveling from Monterey 

Peninsula Airport, California. ‘‘Active duty’’ U.S. military personnel in good standing—whether in uniform or not—of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and 

Coast Guard, and ‘‘active drilling’’ members of the National Guard and Reserves departing on domestic flights from Monterey Peninsula Airport were allowed to 

present their valid ‘‘common access card’’ to the TSA Travel Document Checker in 

the TSA PreCheckTM lane for expedited screening. 

A ‘‘common access card’’ is a DoD-issued smart card that is used for identification 

and is machine-readable. This card contains information that can be verified 

through a central employment status database and is in compliance with Homeland 

Security Presidential Directive 12 (HSPD–12), ‘‘Policies for a Common Identification 

Standard for Federal Employees and Contractors’’ (August 27, 2004), which established a mandatory, U.S. Government-wide standard for secure and reliable forms 

of identification issued by the Federal Government to its employees and contractors. 

Pursuant to HSPD–12, prior to issuing a ‘‘common access card,’’ DoD verifies the 

identity of U.S. military personnel and screens their records against such databases 

as the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI’s) National Criminal Information Center (NCIC). By using databases such as the FBI’s NCIC, DoD is able to screen out 

applicants with criminal records, as well as known terrorists. In turn, these 

verification and screening steps provide a level of assurance to TSA that U.S. military personnel possessing a ‘‘common access card’’ do not pose an inherent threat 

to aviation security. 

Through an agreement with DoD, a TSA Travel Document Checker can scan a 

U.S. military member’s ‘‘common access card’’ using a special card reader and verify 

in real-time that travelers are members of the U.S. Armed Forces and in good 

standing with DoD. As there is no information storage capability on the equipment 

used to verify U.S. military personnel’s status, once their ‘‘common access card’’ is 

scanned and TSA determines whether the traveler is eligible for expedited screening, their personal information is automatically erased. 

I want to thank Congress for keeping up the momentum on this matter. Just 2 

months after Congress passed the Risk-Based Security Screening for Members of 

the Armed Forces Act (Public Law 112–86), TSA and DoD announced an initiative 

to expand TSA’s PreCheckTM initiative at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport to include ‘‘active duty’’ and ‘‘active drilling’’ members of the U.S. Armed 

Forces. 

Eligible service members do not need to be in uniform to take advantage of TSA 

PreCheckTM benefits, and family members ages 12 and under can process through 

expedited screening as well, as they already receive modified screening procedures 

at airports Nation-wide. 

Today, TSA also offers TSA PreCheckTM expedited screening benefits to U.S. military personnel at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. We look forward to working with TSA on the expansion 

of this program to other airports, as it becomes available. 

DoD is fully committed to continuing its long-standing partnership with DHS and 

TSA to strengthen aviation security while significantly enhancing the travel experience whenever possible for our service members. This is part of DoD’s broader partnership with DHS to strengthen already unprecedented levels of personnel, technology, and infrastructure committed to security around the country. 

Chairman Rogers, Ranking Member Jackson Lee, distinguished Members of the 

subcommittee: I commend you for your leadership, continued interest, and support 

to our Nation’s aviation security and the U.S. Armed Forces. I look forward to working with you in the future. 

Mr. ROGERS. Thank you, sir. Right on cue, we have time to recognize the Ranking Member, my friend and colleague from Texas, for 

any opening statement that she may have. 
9 

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Chairman, thank you very much. To the 

witnesses, again to acknowledge Mr. Barber for his presence here 

today and certainly Members that we join in with, Mr. Miller—Mr. 

Walberg, I apologize, I am looking. You are not Mr. Miller. 

Mr. WALBERG. We all look the same. 

Mr. ROGERS. Everybody from Michigan looks the same. 

Ms. JACKSON LEE. See, that was a good one. The great State of 

Michigan. Mr. Cravaack, of course, thank you for your leadership 

on this. I am pleased to be able to join with my colleagues in discussing an important issue that there should be no divide on, and 

that is can we move quickly for the expedited screening for our 

military servicemembers? 

There is not one of us that have gone through America’s airports 

and not felt a sense of pride, not boastful pride, but pride of respect 

as we watch men and women of the United States military leave 

for their overseas posts or come home to warm and welcoming families. It equally reminds us of those that have gone and that were 

not able to come home. 

I am pleased that TSA and the Department of Defense are joining us to discuss how the Federal Government can continue to 

make significant contributions to improve the lives of the men and 

women who serve and protect the United States of America. I have 

long championed intergovernmental collaboration, and I am 

pleased that today we will receive testimony about efforts underway to strengthen collaboration between DOD and DHS to support 

our servicemen and women. While it is important to pay tribute to 

those who serve in the military, our actions must also honor their 

sacrifice. 

Just as an aside, Mr. Chairman, just almost a year ago I passed 

legislation that had 419 votes to 0 that would welcome home—collaborate with our local communities to welcome home our returning combat veterans. We still have the opportunity to do that. We 

cannot waver on the front to ensure that our actions speak louder 

than our words. 

Today, I look forward to our dialogue regarding ways we can support our heroes by providing small, but necessary accommodations 

to our servicemembers and veterans as they pass through our Nation’s airports. It is also important to recognize TSA for its contributions to assisting our veterans. For example, Administrator 

Pistole worked with the Honor Flight Network, which is a system 

established to enable our veterans the opportunity to visit the Nation’s capital to tour their memorials, to ensure their screening was 

conducted in a dignified manner. We also know that many of our 

TSO officers, many of our supervisors, many of our heads of our 

various airports under TSA are in fact returning veterans or those 

who actively served just recently. 

Further, TSA has initiated the Wounded Warrior Program, 

which includes modified screening policies at the airport checkpoint 

to ensure that military personnel and veterans who are wounded 

when they answered their country’s call to duty are screened with 

the dignity and respect they deserve. 

Finally, I would be remiss if I failed to mention that veterans 

comprise about one-quarter of the TSA workforce, as I indicated 

earlier. At our hearing yesterday, we heard from the other side of 
10 

the aisle regarding their desire to cut the workforce by some 30 

percent. According to Mr. McLaughlin’s testimony, TSA employs 

over 10,000 veterans. One of the witnesses indicated that he was 

prepared to accept the leadership of the men and women on the 

ground, including Administrator Pistole, in the use of the manpower and woman power that they have. We all commit to it being 

efficient and, of course, effective. I would encourage my colleagues 

on the other side of the aisle to be mindful that a cut of 30 percent 

to the TSA workforce would result in 3,000 veterans who answered 

the call to duty following 9/11 being back on the streets looking for 

work. 

I hope that TSA’s implementation of these policies for the military and veterans signals its willingness to move forward toward 

the kind of commonsense screening practices that Democratic 

Members of the committee have long called for. I remain convinced 

that TSA can also institute screening practices that ensure the respectful treatment of all passengers—we have recently, of course, 

addressed the question of seniors and children under 12—but all 

treatment of passengers with disabilities without compromising security. 

I commend Administrator Pistole and his administration for 

these efforts to reexamine screening protocols. As such, I would like 

to take this opportunity, Mr. Chairman, to just mention 10 positive 

changes initiated by TSA at our checkpoints that have been enhanced by Administrator Pistole and the workforce of men and 

women committed to serving their country. 

Screening modifications for children under the age of 12, which 

ensure several non-intrusive steps are taken by TSOs while screening children at the checkpoint. 

No. 2, screening modifications for the elderly that allow TSOs to 

respectfully screen the elderly, particularly those who may rely on 

mobility devices such as wheelchairs and walkers. 

No. 3, screening modifications for passengers with certain medical conditions. This process allows passengers to communicate a 

sensitive medical condition that should be considered by a TSO 

during the screening process. 

No. 4, the establishment and expansion of expedited screening 

service known as PreCheck for passengers who voluntarily undergo 

a background check administered by DHS like our Chairman. 

No. 6, TSA has also implemented a risk-based screening initiative just known as the Known Crewmember Program, designed to 

serve pilots, upon verification of employment, with an expedited 

screening, and allowing TSOs to place greater emphasis on the unknown threats at the checkpoints. We look forward to flight crew 

having that ability. 

No. 6, modified screening procedures for military members traveling in uniform that honor our U.S. military personnel by allowing 

them to undergo flexible screening. We are here today to make sure 

that works. 

No. 7, TSA’s integrated use of PreCheck lanes by active military 

personnel when they are not in uniform. 

No. 8, TSA, in partnership with DOD, has instituted a Wounded 

Warrior Program where a severely injured servicemember, family 
11 

member, or other representative can contact the Federal Government and obtain assistance. 

No. 9, TSA has reduced screening requirements for Honor Flight 

Networks. 

No. 10, TSA continues to work on developing and deploying nonintrusive technology. 

So as our veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan return home, let’s 

work together to ensure that they truly have a welcome face, a welcome Nation, and a welcome respect for their service as they travel 

through the Nation’s airports. 

With that, Mr. Chairman, I yield back. 

Mr. ROGERS. I thank the gentlelady. The Chairman now recognizes himself for the first series of questions. 

Mr. McLaughlin, right now active-duty servicemembers can only 

use PreCheck at Reagan Airport and Seattle-Tacoma Airport. 

When will we expect these screening services and this option to be 

available at all PreCheck locations? 

Mr. MCLAUGHLIN. Thank you, sir. So currently in the last couple 

months we have been offering PreCheck for military members at 

Reagan, and more recently at Seattle. Just a couple weeks ago we 

opened a second concourse at Reagan National for active-duty military on the north pier at that airport. We are working with the 

DOD on what we think is the right solution, including a list-based 

way of interpreting the ID of the military man or woman. That is 

really what is driving our time line. We expect to move forward 

with full implementation to all PreCheck cities by the end of calendar year 2013, but we certainly are moving as quickly as we can 

to speed that process up wherever possible. 

Mr. ROGERS. Okay. Mr. Rosenblum, you know, one of the concerns that was raised when we first talked about this was the terrorist attack in Texas, where the major killed several of our soldiers, and he was obviously active-duty military. My understanding 

is that you all are taking some measures to make sure that not just 

anybody in the military, but people who have certain billets and 

have certain screening will be put into this pre-screen option. Can 

you tell me more about how that will work? 

Mr. ROSENBLUM. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I can go into it in 

a little bit of detail, but I am afraid part of the response will have 

to come in another closed setting or we will get back to you with 

it. 

Mr. ROGERS. That is completely fine. 

Mr. ROSENBLUM. As just, sort-of, a basic on the approach, is the 

relationship we have with TSA, is we are providing a system by 

which TSA is able to positively identify that the person who is coming to the airport is that person. There are requirements by which 

one has this what we call the CAC card in DOD. But there are also 

circumstances by which military personnel, if they are engaged in 

behaviors of concern in a general term, whether it is criminal, 

whether—it is for whatever circumstance, that would not necessarily preclude them from continuing to have their CAC card unless they are confined to their barracks, et cetera. We would be reliant, we of course defer to TSA, and I know that TSA has multiple 

layers to its screening process. So our role in this is to be able to 

provide information that confirms that the person who says who 
12 

they are at the airport is in fact that person. Then we rely on our 

colleagues at TSA with its other means to scrutinize individuals. 

Certainly military personnel, if there is information to indicate that 

they either should be sent to secondary for screening or should not 

be allowed on a plane, that would be based on TSA’s information. 

Mr. ROGERS. Okay. Thank you. Mr. Cravaack’s bill requires TSA 

to submit a report to Congress on its new screening procedures for 

our military personnel. We haven’t seen that report yet. When do 

you expect that to come to this committee, Mr. McLaughlin? 

Mr. MCLAUGHLIN. Sir, I reviewed a draft of that report actually 

on Monday of this week, and we expect to have that final draft 

issued here within the next 30 days. 

Mr. ROGERS. Great. Mr. Rosenblum, have you got any feedback 

from members of the military about how they feel about the opportunity to participate in this PreCheck program, or do they really 

know much about it yet? 

Mr. ROSENBLUM. First, where we have received feedback, the 

feedback is positive, and there truly is appreciation, both sort of at 

the departmental level this collaboration, as well as, Mr. Cravaack, 

for your leadership on this matter. I would say, though, in speaking in broader terms, we are still in an early phase in terms of 

marketing and awareness of the program. 

I had the opportunity to visit the TSA officials at Reagan National last week, and they were discussing with me the sort of rate 

of flow and awareness of personnel, military personnel at this 

point. There is clearly room for more awareness. That is something 

that we have to work on at the Department of Defense. We certainly expect that to occur over time. But there is absolutely appreciation to the clear benefit that our servicemen and women receive 

going through the PreCheck system. 

Mr. ROGERS. Great. Yesterday we had a hearing, we talked about 

the PreCheck program, and categories of people who should be 

added to it logically from a series of experts. One suggestion made 

was that anybody who has got a top-secret clearance, or some sort 

of high-level security clearance certainly would be somebody that 

I would think would get into that. I would think any general officer 

in the military would be in that category. 

Mr. McLaughlin, do you know of any efforts to try to reach out 

to those kind of categories of people? 

Mr. MCLAUGHLIN. Sir, we are working to grow populations really 

across the board. Really of interest recently, we have added Federal 

judges into our program and are looking at other Federal partners 

as well to add in based on some of the criteria that you have mentioned. 

Mr. ROGERS. Excellent. 

With that, I yield to my friend and colleague, the Ranking Member from Texas, for any questions she may have. 

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Let me take a moment of personal privilege 

and acknowledge, as I begin to ask the questions, I wanted to acknowledge her before, but just reinforces the service of our men 

and women in the United States military, and just say thank you 

to retired colonel in the Air Force Ann Testa, who serves as our 

Federal Security Director for the George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, Texas, which happens to be in my Congressional 
13 

district. Colonel Testa did not know that I would be saying this, 

but in particular, Mr. Chairman, Ann Testa was in the Pentagon 

on 9/11 and saw the loss of many of her fellow soldiers, Air Force 

personnel, and others, and was injured during that time. We owe 

her a great debt of gratitude. I know that she has some future 

plans. We are going to wish her the very best for having left the 

service of our country in one way, and began the service of her 

country in another way, and having come through that horrific experience. Though she has always told me she wants no accolades 

for that experience, for there were those whose lives were lost on 

that day. I wanted to make sure that she was in our record, and 

to thank her, among many others. 

Let me, Mr. McLaughlin, try to understand how you are juxtaposing the existing procedures that TSA had for individuals in the 

military on duty and not, and your work that you are trying to do 

to meet the standards of this law that uses the definition ‘‘expedited’’. You have a team studying it? You have a task force? Are 

you meshing it in what you have? Tell me what you are now doing. 

Mr. MCLAUGHLIN. First of all, thank you for the recognition for 

Ann Testa. I have had the personal opportunity to work side-byside with her on some projects, and she is an incredible woman, incredible leader for TSA. With regard to our evaluation of the law, 

certainly in the process we look very closely at the tenets that were 

required and how we would manage that across our system. The 

law requires us to implement expedited screening in all priority 

airports across the country based on a threshold of 10,000 passengers. For TSA, that recommends about 362 airports. So we 

needed to find a way that we could truly implement the law across 

the Nation. We looked at our existing procedures, including the 

ability to leave shoes and boots on and other courtesies that we extend that greatly reduces the likelihood of a pat-down for servicemen and women. We looked at our ability to facilitate family members and the things that we are already doing with regard to escorts through to meet returning servicemembers at their gate. We 

considered those things and determined that with regard to that, 

we were compliant with the law. Our intention has always been to 

be compliant. But not only compliant, we want to exceed, we want 

to do everything we can for the members of the armed services. 

So with PreCheck, to the extent we can, we are rolling that system out across the country. We will be in 35 airports by the end 

of the year. We are working closely with our partners in the DOD 

to include members of the Armed Forces in each of those airports. 

Truly, those airports represent the lion’s share of all commercial 

traffic out of the country in terms of volume of passengers. So we 

think that we can be compliant by doing the things that I mentioned previously, but we can exceed the requirements by including 

active-duty servicemembers in every PreCheck airport that we 

have. 

Ms. JACKSON LEE. What would it take, if you calculated 362 airports that are governed under the structure of this bill that says 

10,000 passengers, is it per day? 

Mr. MCLAUGHLIN. Per year. 

Ms. JACKSON LEE. All right, 10,000 passengers per year. That is 

a small amount of passengers. I thought you were talking about 
14 

per day. So that is how you get 362. So then how are you answering that question? There is a law. The calculation suggests 362. 

How are you responding to that? 

Mr. MCLAUGHLIN. So TSA believes that we are compliant with 

the law based on the expedited processes that we have in place for 

military members. We are trying to go beyond that by providing 

PreCheck where we can. The law required us to use existing Trusted Traveler programs where possible. For us, we don’t at this time 

anticipate rolling out PreCheck to those 362 airports just because 

it wouldn’t be a break-even for us. We wouldn’t be able to provide 

the right level of service based on volumes of people coming 

through. So we had to look at ways outside of that Trusted Traveler program to be compliant with the law. We couldn’t depend on 

it. We wanted to utilize it to the extent we could, but we couldn’t 

depend on it exclusively to be compliant with the law. 

Ms. JACKSON LEE. All right. So you think that you have something in place at the 362 airports that would make you compliant? 

Mr. MCLAUGHLIN. Yes, ma’am. At every airport across the country, active-duty servicemembers are allowed to leave their shoes or 

boots on. Again, we apply a different set of—different screening 

that I can’t talk about in an open hearing, but different procedures 

that we apply that does reduce their exposure to pat-downs. Even 

in the off chance that an officer does alarm, even in that instance 

we apply a modified resolution that is less invasive than our traditional resolution of an alarm. 

Ms. JACKSON LEE. If the Chairman would indulge me just for a 

moment for Mr. Rosenblum, but Mr. McLaughlin, from your reports back from your airports, have you found that you have not 

offended the military, or you have offended them less, or that that 

is working? 

Mr. MCLAUGHLIN. Yes, ma’am. I mean my belief is that this is 

working. We often hear anecdotes. In the business that I work in, 

there are one-off anecdotes that we hear all too frequently. But 

they are anecdotes. We screen between 1.7 and 2 million passengers every day of the year. With that volume of people, we do 

receive accolades from the military. I reviewed a number of praises 

from individuals that are thanking us for our assistance to them 

and real recognition that TSA supports them. 

The real strength that we have is that 23 percent of our workforce that comes from the military. They have a true and driving 

passion for the men and women that are serving our country overseas today. It is not just their job, it is a true passion for them. 

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Just quickly, Mr. Rosenblum, you indicated 

that some aspects of the Chairman’s question would have to be 

classified. Are you in partnership with TSA on issues that might 

pose a challenge with an individual wearing a uniform and something untoward might occur? Are you in collaboration because of 

the Cravaack legislation? 

Mr. ROSENBLUM. We are in collaboration. We have been before 

the legislation, obviously even more so now. What I would say in 

terms of information about particular threats, there are—we share 

that information. There are processes, there is procedures. It is not 

only with our brethren at TSA, but it is also with our colleagues 

at FBI. 
15 

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Thank you. I yield back at this time, Mr. 

Chairman. Thank you very much. 

Mr. CRAVAACK [presiding]. Thank the gentlelady. The Chairman 

will now recognize other Members of the subcommittee for questions they may wish to ask the witnesses. In accordance with our 

committee rules and practice, I recognize Members who were 

present at the start of the hearing by seniority on the subcommittee. Those coming in later will be recognized in order of 

their arrival. I will recognize myself for the next 5 minutes. 

First off, Mr. McLaughlin, thank you very much for the initiatives that you have done for our Wounded Warriors, and also for 

the Honor Flights. I have attended quite a few of those Honor 

Flights, and it does make a difference, especially for some of those 

that are in wheelchairs and trying to make their way down the 

jetway. So I thank you very much for that. 

I do have a question, sir, in regards to other than Seattle and 

Washington Reagan, can you please tell me what the difference 

would be from previous to the enactment of the bill and to what 

it is today? 

Mr. MCLAUGHLIN. As I have stated, we do believe that we were 

compliant with the law before it was enacted. So to your point, we 

have not taken other steps since the date that the law was enacted, 

aside from the things that we are currently doing. I will tell you 

that the work that we do is constantly evolving, and we continually 

look at ways that we can further refine our screening process. 

Mr. CRAVAACK. Okay. So what you are telling me is for a majority of the airports throughout the United States you have done 

nothing in regards to in accordance with the law the way you interpreted it. Is that correct? 

Mr. MCLAUGHLIN. I believe that we are compliant with the law 

because of work that we were already doing. 

Mr. CRAVAACK. Have we read the bill? The bill says right here, 

it says in regards to the ‘‘shall,’’ that supposed to be in compliance 

to showing military ID, in uniform, with orders. Now, Mr. 

Rosenblum, you have asked—you said that you have been trying to 

advertise the PreCheck program in DOD, is that correct? 

Mr. ROSENBLUM. Yes, sir. 

Mr. CRAVAACK. Could we get copies for the record how you have 

advertised it? 

Mr. ROSENBLUM. Yes. I will get back to you. 

Mr. CRAVAACK. Okay. I would appreciate that. Now, the bill says 

here, to the extent possible for accompanying family members if 

the member of the Armed Forces, while in uniform, presents documentation indicating official orders for air transportation departing 

from a primary airport as defined in section 47102. Have you complied with that? 

Mr. MCLAUGHLIN. Yes, sir, we believe that we have complied 

with the requirements of the law. We spent a considerable amount 

of time considering family members. Our whole premise with riskbased security is to distinguish passengers based on what we know 

about them. While intuitively you would believe that spouses are 

inherently less risky because of their association, we simply don’t 

know enough about grown spouses from a risk posture to make 

that determination. We have, I would add, though—— 
16 

Mr. CRAVAACK. I understand about spouses. I understand about 

families. 

Mr. MCLAUGHLIN. Okay. 

Mr. CRAVAACK. But what I am talking about, the mission has 

kind of creeped a little bit. We have not gone to exactly what this 

says. Now, expedited screening, in the hearings that we had, the 

intent of the bill was to have the servicemember be able to exit the 

normal line, and I know we have discussed this, but this was the 

intent in the hearings that we had, exit the normal line so that 

person isn’t—the servicemember actually helps the rest of the passengers. Because chances are in normal lines for screening they are 

going to alarm. Then they have to go back through screening, take 

off their boots, take off their blouse, take off their belts, and then 

pass through screening again. Now, the bill specifically states while 

in uniform, presents documentation indicating official orders for air 

transportation departing from the primary airport. That should be 

enough to suffice for identification. Not any kind of special card or 

anything of that nature. So can you tell me, Mr. Rosenblum, why 

are we requiring, was it, the CAC card? 

Mr. ROSENBLUM. Actually, sir, I will defer to my colleague on the 

protocols. But the discussions and arrangements that we have with 

TSA is to ensure that we are providing a positive identification 

that the person who is saying they are a member of the military 

is in fact that person and is a member of the military. 

Mr. CRAVAACK. I understand that. What does the bill say? The 

bill. The signature right here is the President of the United States. 

The terminology in here is called ‘‘shall.’’ According to this, while 

in uniform, presents documentation indicating official orders for air 

transportation departing from a primary airport. I don’t see anything about a CAC card. 

Mr. ROSENBLUM. Sir, what I can say to your point is that we are 

working with the TSA in terms of the requirement. We are the support entity in this case. As we have an arrangement today, it is to 

ensure we are providing a positive identification. The conclusion is 

it is through the biometric card, the CAC card, that we do that. 

Mr. CRAVAACK. Again, the bill states, the law signed by the 

President of the United States, bottom signature, doesn’t say anything about a CAC card. It says presenting orders, ID. I can get 

on any military base simply with an ID. How difficult—my time 

has expired. How difficult is it, briefly, to forge a set of orders? 

Mr. ROSENBLUM. I will get back to you, you know, with an answer on that question, sir. But I would say if you are referring to 

paper orders, you know, my assumption is the ability to forge a 

paper document is obviously far, far easier to do than a biometric 

card. 

Mr. CRAVAACK. Okay. My time has expired. I will have to yield 

at this time. I would like to recognize Mr. Barber for 5 minutes. 

I see Mr. Barber stepped out. We will go with—I will yield to the 

Ranking Member. 

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. McLaughlin, the Risk-Based Security 

Screening for Members of the Armed Forces Act, which was signed 

into law on January 3 of this year, required TSA to develop and 

implement a plan for providing expedited screening for a member 

of the armed services if they were in uniform and presented docu-
17 

mentation indicating official orders for air transportation. Under 

TSA’s policies for screening members of the armed services, do 

military members need to present documentation indicating official 

orders for air transportation to receive expedited screening? No. 2, 

does TSA provide for the expedited screening of members of the 

armed services in instances where they are not traveling for their 

duty? The essence of this is: Are you doing more than, as much as, 

as you believe meets the letter of the law? 

Mr. MCLAUGHLIN. Yes, ma’am. So the answer is that we don’t require the orders. So in our belief in terms of interpreting the law, 

we felt that we were going actually above the requirements of the 

law by not requiring that of the servicemember. In addition to that, 

many of our programs, including the PreCheck program, allow access to the servicemember whether or not they are on active orders, 

and in fact whether or not they are in uniform. They can be in civilian clothes and still participate in the program. 

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Thank you. 

Mr. CRAVAACK. I yield to Mr. Walberg for 5 minutes. 

Mr. WALBERG. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. McLaughlin, approximately how many active-duty servicemembers have been 

screened at the PreCheck checkpoint at Ronald Reagan? 

Mr. MCLAUGHLIN. I can’t say specific to Ronald Reagan. What I 

can say is as of Monday morning, between Ronald Reagan and Seattle we just exceeded the 30,000 mark as of Monday morning. So 

because Reagan was open slightly earlier than Seattle, I would 

ball-park that Reagan is probably responsible for 20,000 of the 

30,000. But again, that is a ball-park number. 

Mr. WALBERG. Okay. Thirty thousand. 

Mr. MCLAUGHLIN. Thirty thousand between the two airports. 

Mr. WALBERG. Okay. Did the travel document checker receive additional training to learn how to use the card reader technology 

that scans the common access card? 

Mr. MCLAUGHLIN. Yes, sir. 

Mr. WALBERG. Besides the Department of Defense, did TSA consult with any other agencies or outside groups when developing 

and implementing the Risk-Based Security Screening for Members 

of the Armed Forces Act? 

Mr. MCLAUGHLIN. I will have to get back to you on that, sir. I 

don’t have any recollection of anyone outside DOD. 

Mr. WALBERG. Of any outside. 

Mr. MCLAUGHLIN. We certainly collaborate with other agencies 

on a number of different issues, but with regard to military screening I think we have only spoken with DOD. 

Mr. WALBERG. Mr. Rosenblum, are you satisfied with TSA’s efforts to provide a more seamless expedited screening process? Why 

or why not? 

Mr. ROSENBLUM. Yes. Actually, we are very satisfied. We view 

this as a win-win collaboration. It is both improving the travel experience of our DOD family, and my understanding is it also then 

allows the TSA screeners to focus in on higher-risk populations for 

screening. 

Mr. WALBERG. Mr. McLaughlin, I understand that back in 2005 

TSA was granted permission by the Department of Defense to 

place TSA staff in the Military Severely Injured Joint Services Op-
18 

eration Center Program. Could you describe TSA’s role in facilitating screening of injured and wounded military personnel traveling through the airports? 

Mr. MCLAUGHLIN. Yeah, this is something that I am very proud 

of. The reason I am proud of it, is it truly was a grass-roots effort 

on the part of TSA employees outside of the headquarters. So this 

was on the TSA side a field-driven initiative back in 2005 to partner with DOD. Currently, through one of our major airports we facilitate the travel of wounded and injured warriors throughout the 

country by receiving incoming phone calls or inquiries via email 

about travel dates and times of a Wounded Warrior. We will meet 

them at the curb, and then we will expedite their process through 

the checkpoint to provide them truly a seamless travel experience 

in the least invasive way possible. It is a great news story for us 

across the country. 

Mr. WALBERG. How many TSA staffers are located at the center? 

Mr. MCLAUGHLIN. I am sorry, so we did that in 2005. We actually now have the staff that facilitates the program on behalf of 

TSA is actually located at Reagan National Airport. They are not 

physically located in the MSI JSOC any longer. 

Mr. WALBERG. Okay. Mr. Rosenblum, on that subject, what feedback have you received from severely injured servicemembers and/ 

or their families in relationship to the involvement of the TSA, the 

service of the TSA at these centers? 

Mr. ROSENBLUM. Again, I would say certainly at the departmental level there is great appreciation. I have not had the opportunity to be there at the time that this service was provided. So 

in directly answering the question for me personally, I have not received that direct feedback. 

Mr. WALBERG. But the feedback—— 

Mr. ROSENBLUM. The feedback from the departmental level, it is 

absolutely positive, it is appreciated. It is obviously a very, very difficult time for our Wounded Warriors and their families. So it is 

a great service and benefit to them. 

Mr. WALBERG. Okay. Mr. Chairman, I yield. 

Mr. CRAVAACK. Thank you, Mr. Walberg. I will yield to Mr. Turner from New York for 5 minutes. 

Mr. TURNER. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. This weekend, 52 

Wounded Warriors are coming to my community in the Rockaways 

to be feted by some community groups. They will be coming from 

a couple of locations. But they will be leaving mostly on Monday 

and Tuesday from Kennedy and LaGuardia. I will probably be talking to a number of these guys and gals on Saturday. What can I 

tell them about what they might experience? What might we be 

doing to facilitate it when they depart? 

Mr. MCLAUGHLIN. First of all, I appreciate the heads-up. Typically, we see these folks in smaller numbers. I would encourage, 

under those circumstances, for them to reach out directly through 

our website. There is a link to the email address, and there is also 

an 800 phone number that goes direct to TSA to set up the service 

in advance. With the large numbers that you are talking about, we 

will work through the MSI JSOC to set up something specific to 

accommodate such a large group at once. We are happy to do that. 

So again through the coordination, we will set up to understand 
19 

their arrival times, whether it is at LaGuardia or JFK. In fact if 

we can get information from them sooner, from whatever their departing airport is. Not 100 percent of TSA airports—— 

Mr. TURNER. They are not necessarily leaving in a group. Some 

of them are coming back—— 

Mr. MCLAUGHLIN. We can compile their information. We do stuff 

similar like this with the Disabled American Vets winter sports 

clinics in the Colorado area, and their summer clinics in the California area as well. With large numbers, we can formulate a 

spreadsheet and identify where they are traveling out of and assist 

them. It is, again, something that we take great pride in doing, and 

we think it is a great service to our wounded and injured veterans. 

Mr. TURNER. All right. The central clearing place is what? If I 

find it on the web? 

Mr. MCLAUGHLIN. Just by going to www.tsa.gov. There is a link 

for Wounded Warriors right on that website. It provides both the 

800 number and an email link. 

Mr. TURNER. Excellent. Thank you. 

Mr. MCLAUGHLIN. Thank you. 

Mr. TURNER. I yield back. 

Mr. CRAVAACK. Thank you, Mr. Turner. The second round of 

questioning will occur. I will just go ahead, and the Ranking Member is back, I recognize myself for 5 minutes once again. One of the 

things I want to say to the TSA, I don’t have a problem with TSA 

coming up with a way to extend expedited screening to all members of the military. I think it is a great goal. But this legislation 

was designed to handle a specific situation where members of the 

military who are under orders to serve, and most particularly those 

that are returning from the battlefield, they should be accorded the 

highest honor and should not be treated in a way that ultimately 

demeans their service. It is not clear to me that TSA has given 

those circumstances much thought. As the legislation specifies, I 

would like to think at a minimum TSO supervisors should be 

trained to intervene in such circumstances as we heard about in a 

hearing just yesterday. But I point out again to the President’s signature on the legislation which I showed you earlier as the Commander-in-Chief. Implementing this law is not optional. From what 

I have been hearing, this law has not been properly implemented. 

The reason why I say that is, Mr. McLaughlin, you said there has 

been no difference in the majority of the airports between pre-law 

and post-law. The goal was when our warriors come home that 

they are treated with the dignity that they deserve. They do not 

have to go through the type of waiting in lines, going through 

screening, and then have to go back through again and go through 

the routine. Nothing has changed. If this wasn’t a problem earlier, 

gentlemen, I wouldn’t have taken the length of time to craft the 

law. But I would suggest to you that I am telling you that the concept or the intent of the law is not being followed. Our 

servicemembers deserve better. So I am willing to work with you 

on ensuring that this is done, but I have to tell you that I think 

you are in violation of the law. I will give you some time to try to 

figure it out. But we took Iraq in less time. You had 6 months, 180 

days, to figure this out. We took Iraq in less time. 
20 

So with that, I would like to entertain any questions that the 

Ranking Member may have. 

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Well, Mr. Cravaack, I know that your intentions were commendable and good and respected, and we joined 

you in your sincerity and the importance of this legislation. I don’t 

doubt that Mr. McLaughlin and Mr. Rosenblum and the DOD and 

the TSA does not have the same vitality in their commitment. I 

think what we will need to do, first of all, I would like to officially 

put on the record a request, as I work with the Chairman of the 

subcommittee, that we have as quickly as possible a classified 

briefing to be able to discern some of the particulars that are occurring. I would offer to say that the Wounded Warrior Program 

should now fall under Mr. Cravaack’s law. There should be even 

a more expedited response to those individuals so that Wounded 

Warrior is in place, but I think what Mr. Cravaack is saying is that 

we want to add that enhancement. I believe that the good intentions are here. If, Mr. McLaughlin, you will go back to your team 

and have the interwovenness clarified, I think we will be where we 

want to be. There is no one at TSA that I would attribute in any 

way the desire to not operate under Cravaack’s legislation, of 

which we all joined, and the idea of giving dignity and respect to 

our men and women who have either just returned, who are traveling as Wounded Warriors, or in essence are our men and women 

in the United States military in uniform or not. If we had our wishes, we would also go back to our veterans. We understand there is 

obviously concerns for some who are elderly veterans. So we know 

we have concerns in the traveling public. Just this past week, an 

elderly person with a cane who didn’t speak English and was blind 

on the airplane went into a fit, 83, somewhere around that age. 

What happened, the person got frightened. It was not a veteran, 

was not a military person, but responded because they were 

unescorted, they were frightened. We know that just travel can be 

frightening. So if you are an individual, and thank goodness for the 

sensitivity of the airline and crew, this person wasn’t ultimately arrested. But they actually had to detour and land somewhere else. 

We don’t want any frustrations to come to soldiers and others, soldiers in particular that this law depends upon or focuses on. But 

I might be thinking that we want to deal with elderly veterans. So 

we have many challenges in this industry, in this responsibility of 

securing the homeland. I can only accede to the fact that you are 

trying. In my questions, I need to hear that from you. I need to ask 

Mr. Rosenblum, is DOD taking this seriously? Let’s overlook 

Wounded Warrior and everything else. Let’s say are we focusing on 

new law that is in place that wants to add that extra dignity? So 

Mr. McLaughlin, I can appreciate the need for special screening 

procedures for certain populations. I think the general public wants 

to know when we can all receive the type of expedited screening 

provided by PreCheck pilot. I want to wrap that into what you are 

doing for our soldiers, but also to talk about moving forward in the 

general population. Do you envision a day when TSA affords all 

persons the ability to keep their shoes on and their laptops in their 

bags, including the flight crew members which don’t have 

PreCheck right now? 
21 

So my first question is: Show me the depth of sincerity of complying with the law which this hearing is about. Then the next is: 

When are we going to meet our obligations with all traveling passengers in terms of a more efficient means of going through the security checkpoint? 

Mr. MCLAUGHLIN. Thank you. So from a sincerity perspective, I 

can just tell you that both the DOD and TSA, the members of both 

of our teams that are working hard on implementing things like 

PreCheck and other procedures, are incredibly sincere about what 

they and we are trying to achieve. We have been sincere about this 

now for quite some time to roll out, as the administrator says, the 

most effective security in the most efficient way. We are working 

hard on that goal. 

With regard to facilitating the travel experience for people in 

general, over the past year, and as you pointed out in your opening 

statement, we have done things for significant portions of the population, for children under the age of 12, for individuals over the age 

of 75. We are working with flight crews. By the way, flight crew 

members today, with or without a Known Crewmember, are entitled to certain exemptions that the general traveling public is not 

entitled to. So we are making those steps incrementally where we 

can. 

Just last week, as was pointed out in the testimony yesterday, 

but just last week I signed a new procedure in TSA that does give 

supervisors, through the discretion of their FSD, more latitude in 

unusual screening circumstances with lower-risk individuals. I certainly envision a way to incorporate moving forward U.S. Armed 

Forces into that group of low-risk individuals where supervisors 

have more discretion. 

So we are constantly evolving, and we are working hard, really 

on a daily basis, to become a smarter, less of a one-size-fits-all 

agency now that we have 10 years of experience under our belt and 

some technology. 

That being said, some of the things that you talk about, as an 

example laptops in a bag, some of these really are technology-driven. We don’t have all the answers yet. But we continue to work 

with industry to get the right technology deployed so that we can 

reduce the burden on travelers. 

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Shoes on? 

Mr. MCLAUGHLIN. We are working toward that. But as we know, 

the shoes policy was driven by an active threat. We have no reason 

to believe that that threat has diminished in any way. 

Ms. JACKSON LEE. The application of this to crew members as 

you have the pilot program, the airline pilot expedited, why have 

we not gone to crew members, who have the same security checks 

as pilots? 

Mr. MCLAUGHLIN. So we are working through that issue. The administrator has been focused on the flight attendant inclusion into 

Known Crewmember. We do continue to work that issue. I believe 

that we will reach a decision in the not-too-distant future. 

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Rosenblum—is it blum or bloom? I am 

sorry. 

Mr. ROSENBLUM. Rosenblum. Thank you. 

Ms. JACKSON LEE. I apologize to you. Okay, thank you. 
22 

My question to you is—again, DOD falls in the level of it is classified, we can’t tell you what we are not doing or are doing. So I 

think the question that I want to repeat again is that DOD is taking the Cravaack legislation seriously? 

Mr. ROSENBLUM. Yes, ma’am, we are. 

Ms. JACKSON LEE. You are familiar with it? Do you realize that 

I think what we are asking is that though you may have existing, 

if you will, privileges that you have gained through collaboration 

with TSA, that we are now looking for enhanced response. So the 

question comes again, while you are doing that, are you ensuring 

the sufficient vetting that we don’t have a Captain Hasan circumstance? 

Mr. ROSENBLUM. Ma’am, let me start by saying one of the reasons I was selected for the job that I am in now is because I spent 

2 years at the Department of Homeland Security, and one of the 

core requirements for what I do today is to work with colleagues 

now from DOD for a perspective, understanding the DHS perspective. That sort of core collaboration is something that is real. It is 

something that is growing. Obviously, DHS has only been in existence for, you know, for a relatively brief period of time. So I will 

say first off, the sincerity, the desire, the collaboration is all quite, 

quite good. You know, there is areas at which DOD and DHS, you 

know, have disagreement, as does anyone, but this partnership 

with TSA it is robust, and it is active. 

We have formally scheduled meetings to discuss both implementation of the legislation and just the traveling experience for DOD 

passengers in general. But in addition to that, we also meet far 

more often, and we are in constant dialogue. 

Finally, if I may, and I have said this to Mr. McLaughlin in a 

previous setting, that I think TSA has probably one of the biggest 

challenges in appearing before, you know, the Congress and the 

American people because I have been in the field of National security for some time now. The intelligence is real. It is specific. I 

know you receive it, but you know, my core belief is that when TSA 

has a security requirement, it is based on information. It is based 

on threat. I am obviously not here as a spokesperson for TSA nor 

to advocate or speak to how it goes about its business on a daily 

basis. But on the underlying issue of the threat, and how DOD personnel, No. 1, how DOD could be of assistance to TSA in allowing 

TSA to focus in on the individuals of greatest concern, as I said 

earlier, it is a win-win from a DOD standpoint. Also, and I do 

apologize for having to, you know, say that some of the information 

that I would be glad to—we would be glad to share with you, we 

would prefer to discuss in a closed setting in terms of the specific 

types of threat information, or how we share the threat information 

both with TSA and our colleagues at FBI, but the processes do 

exist, but unfortunately, we don’t want to inform our adversaries. 

Ms. JACKSON LEE. We understand that. We will do that in classified. Let me close. There is a vote on, but let me just say, I feel 

comfortable from this hearing that I have two committed agencies 

respecting and understanding both the newly-passed law, but also 

the responsibility to the heroes and sheroes and other broad population of men and women who have served, are serving, and continue to provide for our defense and our democracy. 
23 

So I think this is an important hearing, Mr. Chairman, and I believe that we have men and women who are working to make sure 

that this legislation is implemented. I yield back. 

Mr. CRAVAACK. The gentlelady yields back. The Chairman recognizes Mr. Walberg. 

Mr. WALBERG. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Just one clarification 

for me. What constitutes a servicemember being in good or bad 

standing, Mr. Rosenblum? Then second, how is that transmitted to 

TSA in such a way that there is up-to-date information at the 

checkpoint? 

Mr. ROSENBLUM. Thank you for the question. In this context 

what constitutes being in good standing is if that military person 

has their military ID, their CAC card, for the purposes of how we 

work with TSA. If there is threat information about that individual, we have relationships and partnerships with TSA, with 

FBI, with State and local law enforcement by which we have an 

obligation and a responsibility to report that information. 

TSA has many, many systems, it is my understanding, or ways 

at which they make a determination about the threat of an individual person, whether that person is appropriate for a certain type 

of screening, whether they should be, you know, allowed to board 

a plane, that is something that is a multi-layered process that TSA 

runs. 

Again, this program that we are discussing here today is if you 

have a CAC card, that military ID, you have gone through a level 

of background check. You have been in the military a certain 

amount of time, and so there is a, what I believe very much is a 

safe assumption that this is a low-risk, lower-risk population. But 

in no case would we say it is a zero-risk population. 

Mr. WALBERG. Okay, thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

Mr. CRAVAACK. Thank you, Mr. Walberg. 

Just for clarification, does every military member have a CAC 

card at this time? 

Mr. ROSENBLUM. Yes. 

Mr. CRAVAACK. So everybody in the military now has a CAC 

card? 

Mr. ROSENBLUM. Yes. 

Mr. CRAVAACK. They don’t have the old ID anymore? 

Mr. ROSENBLUM. No. 

Mr. CRAVAACK. Okay, so everybody has the current information 

then? 

Mr. ROSENBLUM. That is correct. 

Mr. CRAVAACK. It is still questionable in my mind that we are 

following the extent and the intent of the law. Since I am the 

maker of the law, I can tell you that we are not where we need 

to be in my opinion. What I would like to do is to have both of you 

confer, and if you would, please, give a report back to us on how 

the problems that we are facing and brought up today are going 

to be solved. 

Again, the intent, I understand your intent. I understand that 

there may be some issues, but sometime during the calendar year 

2013 is nowhere near where we need to be. So if you would, please, 

by July 23, if we could get something from you, we would appreciate it. 
24 

Seeing no further questions, I thank the witnesses for their valuable testimony and the Members for their questions. The Members 

of the committee may have some additional questions for you, and 

we ask you to respond to those in writing. The hearing for the 

record will be held open for 10 days. 

This subcommittee stands adjourned. Thank you. 

[Whereupon, at 3:07 p.m., the subcommittee was adjourned.] 

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