Federal Air Marshal Service: Actions Taken to Fulfill Core Mission and Address Workforce Issues Page: 2 of 15
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' GAO
Accountability Integr ity Reliability
Highlights
Highlights of GAO-09-903T, a testimony
before the Subcommittee on
Management, Investigations, and
Oversight, Committee on Homeland
Security, House of Representatives
Why GAO Did This Study
By deploying armed air marshals
onboard selected flights, the
Federal Air Marshal Service
(FAMS), a component of the
Transportation Security
Administration (TSA), plays a key
role in helping to protect
approximately 29,000 domestic and
international flights operated daily
by U.S. air carriers. This testimony
discusses (1) FAMS's operational
approach or "concept of
operations" for covering flights, (2)
an independent evaluation of the
operational approach, and (3)
FAMS's processes and initiatives
for addressing workforce-related
issues. Also, this testimony
provides a list of possible oversight
issues related to FAMS.
This testimony is based on GAO's
January 2009 report (GAO-09-273),
with selected updates in July 2009.
For its 2009 report, GAO analyzed
policies and procedures regarding
FAMS's operational approach and a
July 2006 classified assessment of
that approach. Also, GAO analyzed
employee working group reports
and related FAMS's initiatives for
addressing workforce-related
issues, and interviewed FAMS
headquarters officials and 67 air
marshals (selected to reflect a
range in levels of experience).
GAO's January 2009 report (GAO-
09-273) recommended actions for
improving the design and response
rates of FAMS's workforce
satisfaction surveys. TSA agreed,
and FAMS has begun steps to
implement these actions.
View GAO-09-903T or key components.
For more information, contact Steve Lord at
(202) 512-4379 or lords@gao.gov.FEDERAL AIR MARSHAL SERVICE
Actions Taken to Fulfill Core Mission and Address
Workforce Issues
What GAO Found
Because the number of air marshals is less than the number of daily flights,
FAMS's operational approach is to assign air marshals to selected flights it
deems high risk-such as the nonstop, long-distance flights targeted on
September 11, 2001. In assigning air marshals, FAMS seeks to maximize
coverage of flights in 10 targeted high-risk categories, which are based on
consideration of threats, vulnerabilities, and consequences.
In July 2006, the Homeland Security Institute, a federally funded research and
development center, independently assessed FAMS's operational approach
and found it to be reasonable. However, the institute noted that certain types
of flights were covered less often than others. The institute recommended that
FAMS increase randomness or unpredictability in selecting flights and
otherwise diversify the coverage of flights within the various risk categories.
In its January 2009 report, GAO noted that the Homeland Security Institute's
evaluation methodology was reasonable and that FAMS had taken actions (or
had ongoing efforts) to implement the institute's recommendations.
To address workforce-related issues, FAMS's previous Director, who served
until June 2008, established a number of processes and initiatives, such as
working groups, listening sessions, and an internal Web site for agency
personnel to provide anonymous feedback to management. These efforts have
produced some positive results. For example, FAMS revised its policy for
airport check-in and aircraft boarding procedures to help protect the
anonymity of air marshals in mission status, and FAMS modified its mission
scheduling processes and implemented a voluntary lateral transfer program to
address certain quality-of-life issues. The air marshals GAO interviewed
expressed satisfaction with FAMS's efforts to address workforce-related
issues. The current FAMS Director has expressed a commitment to continue
applicable processes and initiatives. Also, FAMS has plans to conduct a
workforce satisfaction survey of all employees every 2 years, building upon an
initial survey conducted in fiscal year 2007. GAO's review found that the
potential usefulness of future surveys could be enhanced by ensuring that the
survey questions and the answer options are clearly structured and
unambiguous and that additional efforts are considered for obtaining the
highest possible response rates.
To its credit, FAMS has made progress in addressing various operational and
quality-of-life issues that affect the ability of air marshals to perform their
aviation security mission. However, sustaining progress will require ongoing
consideration by FAMS management-and continued oversight by
congressional stakeholders-of key questions, such as how to foster career
sustainability for air marshals given that maintaining an effective operational
tempo can at times be incompatible with supporting a work-life balance..United States Government Accountability Office
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United States. Government Accountability Office. Federal Air Marshal Service: Actions Taken to Fulfill Core Mission and Address Workforce Issues, text, July 23, 2009; Washington D.C.. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc291326/m1/2/: accessed April 24, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.