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GAO-12-192R 1 (2011-12-08)

handle is hein.gao/gaobacfnw0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Accountabiliy - Integrity - Reliability United States Government Accountability Office Washington, DC 20548 December 8, 2011 The Honorable John D. Rockefeller, IV Chairman Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation United States Senate Subject: Transportation Security Infrastructure Modernization May Enhance DHS Screening Capabilities, but It Is Too Early to Assess Results Dear Mr. Chairman: Securing transportation systems and facilities requires balancing security to address potential threats while facilitating the flow of people and goods that are critical to the U.S. economy and necessary for supporting international commerce. As we have previously reported, transportation systems and facilities are vulnerable and difficult to secure given their size, easy accessibility, large number of potential targets, and proximity to urban areas.1 The federal government has taken steps to ensure that transportation workers, particularly those who transport hazardous materials or seek unescorted access to secure areas of federally regulated maritime or aviation facilities, are properly vetted to identify whether they pose a security risk. These efforts are intended to reduce the probability of a successful terrorist or other criminal attack on the nation's transportation systems. To help enhance the security of the U.S. transportation system, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Transportation Security Administration's (TSA) Transportation Threat Assessment and Credentialing (TTAC) office2 is responsible for conducting background checks-known as security threat assessments-for various screening and credentialing programs established for maritime, surface, and aviation transportation workers.3 TSA's programs are largely focused on identifying security threats posed by those individuals seeking to obtain an endorsement, credential, access, and/or privilege (hereafter called a credential) for unescorted access to secure or restricted areas of transportation facilities at maritime ports and airports, and for commercial drivers transporting hazardous 1See GAO, Transportation Worker Identification Credential: Internal Control Weaknesses Need to Be Corrected to Help Achieve Security Objectives, GAO-1 1-657 (Washington, D.C.: May 10, 2011). 2According to TSA, the agency is making several enhancements to better align headquarters functions to enable its continued evolution to a high performance counterterrorism organization. This includes merging various TTAC functions with the Office of Intelligence to ensure vetting and intelligence informs daily operations. The TTAC Infrastructure Modernization program is to be housed under the TSA Office of Intelligence and Analysis while retaining the same program goals and objectives. 3The security threat assessment includes a TSA review of applicant information and searches of domestic and international government databases to determine if the applicant meets specified eligibility requirements relating to, for example, immigration status and criminal history, as well as having known ties to terrorism. Screening and credentialing programs, as used in this report, is the entire process of determining a person's eligibility for a particular license, privilege, or status, from application for the privilege or credential through issuance, use, and expiration or potential revocation of the privilege or credential. According to TSA officials, TTAC also has the responsibility to provide security threat assessments for critical infrastructure workers, such as chemical plant workers. GAO-12-192R TTAC Infrastructure Modernization Acquisition Page 1

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