Air carriers and freight forwarders are responsible for implementing TSA  security requirements. TSA Has Made Progress in Meeting the Screening Mandate as It Applies to Domestic Cargo; However, TSA Cannot Yet Verify Whether the Mandated Level Is Being Met

		TSA Has Made Progress in Meeting the 50 Percent and 100 Percent Mandated Screening Levels as They Apply to Domestic Cargo

TSA has taken several key steps to meet the 9/11 Commission Act air  cargo screening mandate as it applies to domestic cargo. Narrow-body flights  transport about 26 percent of all cargo on domestic passenger flights. Furthermore, effective February 2009,  TSA revised or eliminated most of its screening exemptions for domestic  cargo. TSA  also created a program, known as the CCSP, to allow screening to take  place earlier in the shipping process and at various points in the air cargo  supply chain. In this program, air cargo industry stakeholders—such as  freight forwarders and shippers—voluntarily apply to become Certified  Cargo Screening Facilities (CCSF). TSA Cannot Yet Verify that Screening Is Being Conducted Domestically at the Mandated Level, and TSA’s Current Approach Could Result in Variable Percentages of Screened Cargo

TSA estimates that it achieved the mandate for screening 50 percent of  domestic cargo transported on passenger aircraft by February 2009, based  on feedback from air cargo industry stakeholders responsible for  conducting screening. The agency is working to establish  a system to collect data from screening entities to verify that requisite  screening levels for domestic cargo are being met. TSA Faces Participation, Technology, Oversight, and Inbound Cargo Challenges in Meeting the Screening Mandate

		It Is Unclear Whether TSA Will Be Able to Attract the Voluntary Participants Needed to Meet the 100 Percent Screening Mandate

Although industry participation in the CCSP is vital to TSA’s approach to  spread screening responsibilities across the supply chain, it is unclear  whether the number and types of facilities needed to meet TSA’s screening  estimates will join the CCSP. TSA Has Taken Some Steps to Develop and Test Technologies for Screening Air Cargo, but Has Not Yet Completed Assessments to Ensure Their Effectiveness

TSA has taken some steps to develop and test technologies for screening  and securing air cargo, but has not yet completed assessments of the  technologies it plans to allow air carriers and program participants to use  in meeting the August 2010 screening mandate. We will continue to assess this issue as part of our  ongoing review of TSA’s efforts to meet the mandate to screen 100 percent  of cargo transported on passenger aircraft. Limited Staffing Resources May Hamper TSA’s Ability to Effectively Oversee the Thousands of Additional Entities Involved in Meeting the Air Cargo Screening Mandate

Although the actual number of cargo TSIs increased each fiscal year from  2005 to 2009, TSA still faces challenges overseeing compliance with the  CCSP due to the size of its current TSI workforce. TSA Has Taken Some Steps to Meet the Screening Mandate as It Applies to Inbound Cargo but Does Not Expect to Achieve 100 Percent Screening of Inbound Cargo by the August 2010 Deadline

To meet the 9/11 Commission Act screening mandate as it applies to  inbound cargo, TSA revised its requirements for foreign and U.S.-based air  carrier security programs and began harmonization of security standards  with other nations.
Why GAO Did This Study

The Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act of 2007 mandates the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to establish a system to physically screen 50 percent of cargo transported on passenger aircraft by February 2009 and 100 percent of such cargo by August 2010. This testimony provides preliminary observations on the Transportation Security Administration's (TSA) progress in meeting the mandate to screen cargo on passenger aircraft and the challenges TSA and industry stakeholders may face in screening such cargo. GAO's testimony is based on products issued from October 2005 through August 2008, and its ongoing review of air cargo security. GAO reviewed TSA's air cargo security programs, interviewed program officials and industry representatives, and visited two large U.S. airports.

What GAO Found

TSA has made progress in meeting the air cargo screening mandate as it applies to domestic cargo. TSA has taken steps that will allow screening responsibilities to be shared across the air cargo supply chain--including TSA, air carriers, freight forwarders (which consolidate cargo from shippers and take it to air carriers for transport), and shippers--although air carriers have the ultimate responsibility for ensuring that they transport cargo screened at the requisite levels. TSA has taken several key steps to meet the mandate, including establishing a new requirement for 100 percent screening of cargo transported on narrow-body aircraft; revising or eliminating most screening exemptions for domestic cargo; creating the Certified Cargo Screening Program (CCSP) to allow screening to take place at various points in the air cargo supply chain; and establishing a screening technology pilot. Although TSA estimates that it achieved the mandated 50 percent screening level by February 2009 as it applies to domestic cargo, the agency cannot yet verify that the requisite levels of cargo are being screened. It is working to establish a system to do so by April 2009. Also, TSA's screening approach could result in variable percentages of screened cargo on passenger flights. TSA and industry stakeholders may face a number of challenges in meeting the screening mandate, including attracting participants to the CCSP, and technology, oversight, and inbound cargo challenges. TSA's approach relies on the voluntary participation of shippers and freight forwarders, but it is unclear whether the facilities needed to meet TSA's screening estimates will join the CCSP. In addition, TSA has taken some steps to develop and test technologies for screening air cargo, but the agency has not yet completed assessments of these technologies and cannot be assured that they are effective in the cargo environment. TSA's limited inspection resources may also hamper its ability to oversee the thousands of additional entities that it expects to participate in the CCSP. Finally, TSA does not expect to meet the mandated 100 percent screening deadline as it applies to inbound air cargo, in part due to existing inbound screening exemptions and challenges it faces in harmonizing security standards with other nations.