27 September 2001

Fact Sheet: White House on Aviation Security

President Bush will ask Congress to take responsibility for airport security and screening operations away from the private sector and give it to the U.S. Government.

In addition, Bush will establish a $500 million fund to make access to and operation of airplane's cockpit area more secure, according to a September 27 fact sheet released by the White House.

The President's proposal calls for the federal government to establish new security standards, manage passenger and baggage screenings, and supervise monitoring of secure areas and airport's access controls. It also says that both federal and private employees will perform the new security functions.

The newly created fund will be used to finance aircraft modifications to restrict or deny access to the cockpit during flight, the fact sheet says. It also says that the President will increase the number of armed air marshals flying anonymously among passengers.

The White House says that the president will ask governors to call up the National Guard to support existing security staff during the four to six months it will take to implement new safety procedures.

In the aftermath of the September 11 hijacking of four U.S. airliners and subsequent terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, Congress and aviation industry representatives have urged the U.S. government to engage more directly in strengthening of airline security.

Following is the text of the fact sheet:

Since September 11, the U.S. government has been steadily increasing the number of Federal Air Marshals using law enforcement officers loaned from various federal agencies.

The President will continue to expand the Air Marshal program and seek congressional approval to make this expansion permanent.

The requirements and qualifications of Federal Air Marshals are among the most stringent of any U.S. federal law enforcement agency.

Federal Grant Program to Strengthen Aircraft Security:

Effective October 1, 2001, a fund of $500 million will be established to finance aircraft modifications to delay or deny access to the cockpit.

Funding may be provided through grants or cost sharing arrangements and will be used for a number of projects, including to develop and implement means to:

• Restrict opening of the cockpit door during flight;

• Fortify cockpit doors to deny access from the cabin to the pilots in the cockpit;

• Alert the cockpit crew to activity in the cabin; and

• Ensure continuous operation of the aircraft transponder in the event the crew faces an emergency.

Federal Management of Airport Security Services:

The President will work with Congress to put the federal government in charge of airport security and screening services.

The new security will be performed by a combination of federal and non-federal workforce, with federal uniformed personnel managing all operations and maintaining a visible presence at all commercial airports.

The federal government will:

• Establish new standards for security operations.

• Supervise the passenger and baggage security at the 420 commercial passenger airports nationwide.

• Perform intensive background checks and train and test screeners and security personnel.

• Purchase and maintain all equipment.

• Oversee patrolling of secure areas and monitoring of the quality of the airport's access controls.

• Work with other law enforcement authorities at the federal, state and local levels as well as serve as a key facilitator of coordination regarding homeland security.

Immediate Airport Security Measures:

Fully implementing the extensive security proposal may take four to six months.

During that time, the President will help ensure that every airport has a strong security presence by asking the Governors of the 50 States to call up the National Guard - at the federal government's expense - to augment existing security staff at every commercial airport nationwide.

Prior to deployment the National Guard personnel will receive training in airport security techniques from the FAA.