|
Washington, D.C. – An agreement has been reached by the Department of Defense (DoD), the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to prevent the hostile greeting afforded military personnel, returning to the United States from combat zones, at any of the nation’s airports.
“An accord has been reached by the major agencies to avoid what took place in Oakland when our troops were left waiting on the tarmac for hours and denied airport terminal access,” said Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Republican Leader John L. Mica (R-FL). “This agreement will allow returning military personnel to receive their due respect without compromising airport security.”
In September 2007, military personnel returning home from Iraq were denied access to the terminal building during a stop at Oakland International Airport. The passengers aboard this military charter had already been screened in Kuwait and granted access to the secure area of the terminal at Kennedy International Airport in New York.
In light of these reports, Mica, who is a former Aviation Subcommittee Chairman, and U.S. Rep. Tom Petri (R-WI), the current Aviation Subcommittee Ranking Republican, requested a Department of Transportation Inspector General investigation of the incident.
“The Inspector General’s report revealed the need for a uniform process for handling members of the Armed Forces on DoD chartered flights at U.S. commercial service airports,” Mica added. “Because of the lack of standardized procedures, returning military personnel were being subjected to the different local interpretations of security and screening procedures.”
“What happened in Oakland last year should have never occurred in the first place, and this agreement should ensure that our troops are treated with the respect they deserve,” Petri said. “I commend the agencies involved for giving this matter prompt and proper attention and in working together to come up with solutions that should avoid a repeat of the poor treatment of our military.”
DoD, TSA and FAA signed a Memorandum of Understanding that establishes proper protocols for ensuring our men and women in uniform are respectfully treated at airports. Terms of the agreement include:
· Requires TSA to provide security screening training to DoD personnel, who will then screen other DoD personnel departing from military terminals on charter flights.
· Establishes security procedures for these DoD personnel, and other specified civilian personnel, traveling by charter flights to enter the sterile areas of commercial airports; such personnel will have already met TSA screening requirements.
· Requires DoD and charter operators to provide 24-hour notice to commercial airport operators and Federal Security Directors of the intent to allow passengers to deplane into sterile areas of commercial airports.
· The military will be required to post guards on the charter aircraft while on the ground to ensure that no one enters or tampers with the charter aircraft or the unloaded weapons contained thereon.
The IG investigation results can be found at: http://www.oig.dot.gov/item.jsp?id=2219.
|
