July 23, 2015

Working with Colleagues Around the World in the Name of Security

The Air Safety Forum’s panel “Global Aviation Security Initiatives” highlighted concerns and progress at home and abroad on important aspects of security in air transportation.

Capt. Fred Eissler (FedEx Express), who moderated the panel, pointed out that there continue to be multiple parties attempting harm and stated, “Our mission is to thwart those evildoers,” with the best approach being “working together, collaboration, and working with colleagues around the world.”

The panel started with Capt. R. Eric Rasmussen (U.S. Navy), deputy commander for NORAD/U.S. Northern Command at Tyndall Air Force Base. Rasmussen stressed the importance of interagency cooperation in dealing with threats and potential threats in the national airspace system. With that, he said, the United States has “made tremendous strides in dealing with this kind of asymmetric threat” since 9/11.

Capt. Martin Drake, Security Committee chairman for the European Cockpit Association, discussed the security challenges in the European environment—such as stowaways, remotely piloted aircraft (RPAs), and hijack and bomb threats—as well as the operational challenges of governance issues, culture issues, and lack of cooperation. He stressed the extreme importance of cooperation with other organizations, with government, and with airlines and the trade associations.

Sue Presti, senior director of Government Affairs at the International Air Cargo Association, presented issues faced by the cargo industry that often aren’t present elsewhere. “There’s a big difference between a suitcase and a pallet-size shipment,” she stressed. She praised TSA’s mutual recognition programs, but reserved her greatest enthusiasm for the Air Cargo Advanced Screening (ACAS) initiative. ACAS leverages data already being collected to fuel a risk-based, outcome-focused, “truly collaborative” process. “We really see ACAS as a game-changer and hope it can be a model for future security initiatives,” she said.

Finally, Jim Krauss of TSA spoke about the Federal Flight Deck Officer (FFDO) program. He provided a short history of the program, noting that it was moved under the Office of Training and Workforce Engagement in October 2014. Since then, he said, the office has started both a recognition program—the first time an FFDO has been awarded publicly for service—as well as a retirement program to thank officers leaving the program. He noted that other initiatives aimed at supporting the pilots who play such a vital role in air security are in the works.

Founded in 1931, ALPA is the largest airline pilot union in the world and represents over 52,000 pilots at 31 U.S. and Canadian airlines. Visit the ALPA website at www.alpa.org or follow us on Twitter @WeAreALPA.

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