GSN January 2016 Digital Edition

Airport/Aviation Security
Needed: Let’s Make 2016 The Year of
Innovation in Aviation Security
By Eric Zanin,
Senior Vice President and
General Manager, Security
and Detection Business for
Analogic Corporation
As recent events have made
clear, the flying public is
threatened by terrorists who
are not only ruthless in their
willingness to attack aviation, but
who are willing and able to change
tactics to exploit potential vulnerabilities
in our aviation security system.
From liquid explosives to shoe bombs
to homemade explosives, terrorists
have demonstrated a chilling capacity
for rapid innovation to fool detection.
The critical question is: can we, “the
good guys”, keep up? Can we move to
an aviation security approach where
we innovate at the “speed of the
threat”?
I believe we can. Although serious
challenges remain, there is a real window
of opportunity in 2016. There is
a heightened sense of urgency among
lawmakers and the public; new leadership
at the TSA; and an exciting
pipeline of innovative technology
coming from the security industry. If
we can create ways to align and channel
these forces for change, real progress
is possible.
Consider how much
the mindset of the
public and lawmakers
have evolved in
the last year. With the
rise of ISIS and terrorist
attacks in San
Bernardino, Paris and
Sharm El Shaik, there
is very little glib talk of “aviation security
theater”. Instead, there is broad,
bi-partisan recognition and public
support for common sense improvements
to aviation security, such as
improving the screening of airport
employees and expanding the pool of
“known and trusted travelers” in the
TSA pre-check program. While these
initiatives are worthwhile on their
own, they also show, in my opinion,
that there is public support for even
broader innovation – provided it results
in more effective security.
What about TSA? For all of the
challenges and constraints it has, it
is worth pointing out its Pre-Check
program was and is an important innovation
in aviation security because,
for the first time, passengers were given
an opportunity to become “trusted
travelers” through a vetting process.
From a security standpoint, the
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more passengers that move into the
“trusted traveler” category, the more
resources can be focused on higher
priority risks. Although Pre-Check
needs to be expanded and improved,
it is encouraging because it shows
that, under the right circumstances,
system-wide innovation is feasible. I
believe pre-check, as an interim measure,
is a really positive move to flex
the security checkpoint to optimize
throughput, however it is not the optimal
end state. Driving innovation
in screening systems that will improve
passenger throughput and increase
security is the desired end state. All
indications are that TSA’s new director,
Admiral Peter Neffenger, wants to
innovate and optimize.
Finally, as leading international airports
have demonstrated, there is no
shortage of exciting solutions available
from industry. For example,
several leading security technology
firms, including my own, Analogic
Corporation, have developed a new
type of checkpoint screening system
that leverages the gold standard
in checked baggage inspection- 3D
computed tomography (CT) imaging
technology. These 3D CT systems
are far better than current fixed 2D
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