US a long way from cargo screening goals?

Approximately 16 per cent of air cargo transported to, from or within the US travels on passenger aircraft. That’s about nine million tonnes per day.

And while the TSA has made great strides in screening such cargo there’s still quite a way to go.

A report last week from the US Government Accountability Office established the status of the cargo screening program as follows:

TSA has made progress toward meeting the screening mandate as it applies to inbound cargo, but faces challenges in doing so that highlight the need for a contingency plan. TSA has, for example, increased required domestic cargo screening levels from 50 per cent in February 2009 to 75 per cent in May 201, increased the amount of cargo subject to screening by eliminating many domestic screening exemptions, created a voluntary program to allow screening to take place at various points in the air cargo supply chain, conducted outreach to familiarize industry stakeholders with screening requirement, and tested air cargo screening technologies.

However, TSA faces several challenges in developing and implementing a system to screen 100 percent of domestic air cargo, and it is questionable, based on reported screening rates, whether 100 percent of such cargo will be screened by August 2010 without impeding the flow of commerce…

TSA also faces technology challenges that could affect its ability to meet the screening mandate. Among these, there is no technology approved by TSA to screen large pallets or containers of cargo, which suggest the need for alternative approaches to screening such cargo…

Several of these challenges suggest the need for a contingency plan, in case the agency’s current initiatives are not successful in meeting the mandate without impeding the flow of commerce. However, TSA has not developed such a plan…

TSA has made some progress in meeting the screening mandate as it applied to inbound cargo by taking steps to increase the percentage of inbound screened cargo – including working to understand the screening standards of other nations and coordinating with them to mutually strengthen their respective security efforts.

Nevertheless, challenges remain and TSA foes not expect to achieve 100 percent screening of inbound air cargo by the mandated August 2010 deadline.

TSA officials estimate that air carriers are meeting the current mandated screening level of 50 percent of inbound cargo based on estimates rather than on actual data as required by law. Thus TSA cannot verify if mandated screening levels are being met. In addition, the agency has not determined how it will eventually meet the screening mandate as it applies to inbound cargo…

Sounds like quite an achievement to have got as far as they have with this, but it also highlights the extraordinary complexity of the target – not to mention the aggregate cost.