ENCYCLOPEDIA OF Espionage, Intelligence, and Security Volume ...

Airline SecurityBritish achievements in carrier design—the United Kingdom.In part to facilitate the building of smaller and moreeconomical carriers, the British in the late 1960s developedthe Harrier jet, which takes off almost vertically. As of2003, its fleet included three small carriers of the Invincibleclass, built for vertical/short takeoff and landing (V/STOL),each capable of carrying eight Harriers and from 10 to 12helicopters.France built the Charles de Gaulle, a nuclear-poweredvessel that could carry 40 planes, as well as the Jeanned’Arc helicopter carrier. The latter type of ship, midway ofa carrier and a cruiser, provided a means of giving severalnations carrier capabilities. Such was the case with theRussian Federation, which had a large helicopter carrier,the Gorshkov, along with a semi-active multi-role carrier,the Kutznetsov. As the Soviet Union, Russia was slow todevelop carriers, in part because it lacked sufficient portsworldwide. By the late 1960s, however, the Soviets hadbegun to build aviation cruisers of the Moskva class.These have all been decommissioned since then, however.The world’s other superpower, China, has a smallnaval carrier force, consisting primarily of the Shichangmulti-role support ship.Other notable naval powers include Italy, which hadsix carriers, helicopter carriers, or amphibious assaultships either in operation or under construction in 2003.These included the Andrea Doria, scheduled for completionin 2007. Built along the V/STOL model, the AndreaDoria would hold eight Harriers or 12 helicopters. Othernavies with aircraft carriers, helicopter carriers, helicopterdestroyers, or amphibious assault ships included Japan,Brazil, India, Spain, Thailand, and Peru.❚ FURTHER READING:BOOKS:Clancy, Tom. Carrier: A Guided Tour of an Aircraft Carrier.New York: Berkley Books, 1999.Kaufman, Yogi. City at Sea. Annapolis, MD: Naval InstitutePress, 1995.Musciano, Walter A. Warbirds of the Sea: A History ofAircraft Carriers and Carrier-Based Aircraft. Atglen, PA:Schiffer Publishing, 1994.Polmar, Norman. The Naval Institute Guide to the Shipsand Aircraft of the U.S. Fleet. Annapolis, MD: NavalInstitute Press, 1993.Preston, Anthony. Carriers. New York: Gallery Books, 1993.Wooldridge, E. T. Carrier Warfare in the Pacific: An OralHistory Collection. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian InstitutionPress, 1993.ELECTRONIC:Haze Gray and Underway World Aircraft Carrier Lists. (April 13,2003).U.S. Navy—The Aircraft Carriers. U.S. Navy Office of Information. (April 13, 2003).SEE ALSOAviation Intelligence, HistoryE-2CLibya, U.S. Attack (1986)National Command AuthorityPersian Gulf WarWorld War IWorld War IIAirline Security❚ ADRIENNE WILMOTH LERNERFollowing the September 11 terrorist attacks on the UnitedStates, airline and airport security reform was a key aspectof international anti-terrorist efforts. Although some nations,such as Great Britain and Israel, had created strongpassenger and luggage screening protocols before 2001,there were few international standards for airport security.Concern about the possible future use of airplanes interrorist attacks and hijacking events provoked widespreadchanges in United States airport security and passengerscreening operations.United States Aviation andTransportation Security ActOn November 18 and 19, 2001, the United States Congresspassed the Airport Security Federalization Act and theAviation and Transportation Security Act. The laws soughtto standardize pre-flight passenger and cargo screeningby federalizing security service and screening personnelin the nation’s airports. The Aviation and TransportationSecurity Act created the Federal Transportation SecurityAdministration (TSA) to supervise security operations forsea and air transportation. The TSA hires and trains Federalairport screeners, who under the new law must all beAmerican citizens. Though the acts govern only UnitedStates airports, many of the new initiatives and proceduresoutlined in the legislation have been routine inmany foreign airports for several years.The Aviation and Transportation Security Act alsoprescribed several fundamental changes in screening andflight protocol beyond the federalization of personnel. Asof December 31, 2002, bomb detection devices, which candetect explosive residue, must screen checked baggage.CT Scanning devices and increased hand searching ofluggage were among other encouraged reforms.Passenger screening also increased in scope andeffectiveness. Access to airport departure and arrival gatesand concourses is now restricted to ticketed passengers.20 Encyclopedia of Espionage, Intelligence, and Security