The Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Science and Technology (S&T) Directorate and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) are working together on a new strategic initiative aimed at increasing security at aviation checkpoints while making the traveler’s experience easier and more convenient.
The desire is to move away from the current operation of various non-invasive screening technologies that are at checkpoints—in aviation and other transportation systems—and which operate essentially as standalone sensors toward to more integrated suites that can adjust detection capabilities based on risk levels.
“Knowing that terrorists will seek out new ways to defeat our security measures, TSA demands a checkpoint that is capable of near instantaneous response to new threats and is impervious to terrorists’ attempts to discover vulnerabilities,” S&T says in notice announcing plans for a June 15 Industry Day in Washington, DC, to outline the project. “The days of constantly changing instructions for passengers and new standalone equipment and new screener protocols will be a thing of the past. Using the next generation Security Technology Integrated Program (STIP) infrastructure and building upon TSA’s Risk Based Security initiative, the security posture of checkpoint will be dynamically configurable.”
The STIP infrastructure, for which General Dynamics [GD] is the prime contractor, is an information technology program that links TSA’s screening equipment to enable two-way information exchange, to include remote monitoring and maintenance. S&T and TSA will use the upcoming outreach session to gather input and ideas from all stakeholders for used by S&T’s Explosives Division to create “investment plans for checkpoint technologies and architectures,” according to the announcement.
The Screening at Speed project, a new Apex program that will be overseen by S&T, is “specifically focusing on developing the technologies and framework for an Aviation Checkpoint of the Future that detects smaller threats more reliably and is capable of distinguishing potential homemade explosive threats from common items carried by travelers,” according a description of the checkpoint project on S&T’s website.
Apex programs are visionary projects that attempt to tackle homeland security challenges strategically. The programs are managed by S&T with partnerships with relevant stakeholders in DHS such as TSA with Screening at Speed effort.
In Oct. 2014 S&T unveiled its new visionary goals, which are the agency’s attempt to look out 20 to 30 years and “determine where we should be dedicating our research and development resources right now,” Reginald Brothers, under secretary for S&T, said at the time. Screening at Speed is one of five goals and encompasses screening that occurs in various transportation modes. The concept embraces the theme of “Security that Matches the Pace of Life” to “enable the seamless detection of threats while respecting privacy, with minimal impact to the pace of travel and speed of commerce.”
To screen at speed at the future checkpoint, DHS would like for travelers to have the convenience of not divesting clothing, items in pockets, or have to remove their shoes and laptops while basically walking through the checkpoint with little interruption.
“S&T envisions a future where passengers approach the checkpoint and place their carry-on items on a conveyer belt leading to an enhanced x-ray device with automatic threat recognition software,” S&T says on the Apex site. “Passengers walk through a screening portal without having to take off their shoes or coast or remove their laptops and liquids from their bags. If the screening portal identifies a potential threat on a passenger or with a carry-on item, a non-invasive, secondary inspection may be required.”
Screening at speed builds off of a concept advocated by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), which in 2010 began strongly advocating for the screening of passengers based on risk, which means having more information about individuals so that screening can be tailored accordingly. The TSA currently has a risk-based program in place for airline passengers called PreCheck, which provides expedited screening benefits for individuals that have voluntary provided the agency with certain information about themselves for the purpose of background checks.
Currently S&T is overseeing two other active Apex programs, one with Customs and Border Protection called Air Entry/Exit Re-Engineering to look at ways to improve the screening of foreign national entering the United States and confirm their departure. The other is the Next Generation First Responder program that “seeks to develop a scalable and modular ensemble that includes an enhanced duty uniform, personal protective equipment, wearable computing and sensing technology, and robust voice and data communication networks” for first responders, S&T says.
The Checkpoint Industry Day next month will include presentations on a number of topics including: local checkpoint architecture; the Screening at Speed Apex program; screening technology for passengers and their carry-on bags; the implications of risk-based screening on technology, requirements, development, and test and evaluation; the application of standards to improve modularity and flexibility; technology transition and the TSA recapitalization plan; and doing business with S&T.
A follow-up Checkpoint Industry Day will occur during the second quarter of FY ’16 and then there will be annual Checkpoint Industry Days until the Apex program concludes.