While airline passenger security screening has received a great deal of attention since the
September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, air cargo security remains vulnerable, a new report by the
Government Accountability Office (GAO) has found. The report faults the Transportation Security
Administration (TSA) for not yet establishing a methodology and schedule for completing
assessments of air cargo vulnerabilities and critical assets, which are crucial to TSA’s ability
to focus its resources on the most critical security needs.

The report adds that while TSA has taken steps to strengthen air cargo security, there are
several factors that may limit their effectiveness. For instance, while TSA established a
centralized database on people and businesses that routinely ship air cargo, GAO found problems
with the reliability of the information in the database. Moreover, although TSA established
requirements for air carriers to randomly inspect air cargo, the agency has exempted some cargo
from inspection, leading to possible security weaknesses. Finally, GAO concluded that TSA 1)
has failed to develop measures to assess the adequacy of air carrier compliance with security
requirements; (2) does not systematically analyze audit results to target future inspections;
and (3) does not assess the adequacy of its enforcement actions to ensure compliance with
security requirements.

To read the report, titled “Aviation Security: Federal Action Needed to Strengthen Domestic Air
Cargo Security,” GAO-06-76, October 2005, click on http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d0676.pdf

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