Report Encourages Process Improvements, Validates Testing Methodology
News & Happenings
August 14, 2008
Today, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report on risk-based covert tests conducted by TSA's Office of Inspection. This report is the result of a year-long audit requested by Congressman Bennie Thompson. GAO had full and open access to how TSA conducts and documents its covert testing.
TSA's covert testing program is designed to probe vulnerabilities in the system in order to help close those vulnerabilities and constantly raise the bar on security. It is not a test of how good our officers are.
Information gathered through the testing protocols is applied to TSA security measures. Here are some examples:
- The focus on IEDs and IED components, the greatest threat to aviation today, is in-part a result of Office of Inspection recommendations.
- Test kits are deployed at every TSA checkpoint and tests are run every day, every shift every lane, nationwide. This is a direct result of recommendations from TSA's Office of Inspection.
- TSA is in the midst of the largest technology deployment since the agency's inception. Whole body imagers and multi-view X-ray are vast technology improvements that close system vulnerabilities.
GAO recommends a database line item for "failures." Because failures can be complex, TSA typically recorded a more detailed explanation in a written report, not a line item in a data base. TSA concurred and has now added a category to the data base on failures. GAO wants to ensure a formal process for 360 degree communications on testing between TSA's office of Security Operations and Office of Inspection. TSA concurs. The report validates TSA's covert testing methodology.
