U.S. and Austria Sign Air Marshal Agreement
News & Happenings
October 30, 2007
At the Ronald Reagan building in downtown Washington, U.S. and Austrian officials cemented a partnership designed to protect air passengers traveling between the two countries for years to come.
An agreement establishing policies and protocols for the deployment of each nation's air marshals on flights between the two countries was signed by Federal Air Marshal Service Director Dana Brown and Austria's Director of Operational Functions, General Franz Lang. General Lang was accompanied at the ceremony by Austria's Minster of the Interior, Mr. Gunter Platter and Austria's Ambassador to the U.S., Eva Nowotny.
This pact highlights the strong law enforcement partnerships that exist between the U.S. and its allies around the globe and is one of dozens of similar agreements with other international counterparts. In remarks following the signing, Director Brown spoke of the importance of the relationship between Austria and the U.S. in each country's ongoing effort to improve aviation security, "Austria has been one of our most steadfast partners in the area of international cooperation on air marshal activities and we consider them valued friends."
The accord represents the latest example of TSA's strategy to ensure continued leadership in the area of transportation security while advancing best practices on a global basis. Other recent examples include hosting the 7th Annual International Air Marshal Conference in Miami in earlier this month and numerous international air marshal program training exchanges between the U.S. and our global partners.
The Office of Law Enforcement/Federal Air Marshal Service (OLE/FAMS) plays an important role in TSA's multi-layered approach to aviation security. In addition to providing an armed federal law enforcement presence onboard aircraft, OLE/FAMS trains federal flight deck officers, crew members and serves as TSA's law enforcement and incident management arms.
