A new report published by the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) argues that current Government-led efforts to counter the aviation security threat are confusing and incompatible with one another, leading to loopholes which terrorists actively try to exploit.
The RUSI paper entitled ‘Insecure Skies? Challenges and Options for Change in Civil Aviation Security’ highlights that information and intelligence-sharing lacks cohesion and adequate dissemination, often relying on bilateral relationships rather than standardised agreements.
Dr Tobias Feakin (head of RUSI’s National Security and Resilience programme) suggests that, while the international nature of civil aviation requires concerted action across the board, certain measures – such as the testing, evaluation and secure deployment of new screening technologies – will need to be focused on and led by the EU and the US.
In essence, the report calls for increased global focus on understanding and tackling inbound threats, and on building resources and security capacity in the countries of greatest concern.
Some suggested practices (such as the introduction of a ‘traffic light’ system for ranking global airports with strict penalties for poor results) are the extension of the report’s recommendation that aviation security be handled with the same level of scrutiny and international co-operation currently applied to ‘safety’ concerns in the industry.
Government, aviation security operators and technology manufacturers need to engage in closer dialogue if they are to ensure that regulation and responses which both enhance passenger experience and improve security are correctly formulated and adopted.
Key priority since 9/11
Securing civil aviation has been a key political priority of the world’s most powerful countries since 9/11 and, over the past ten years, we have seen numerous efforts to enhance aviation security in response to terrorist attacks.
As security technologies and procedures in key parts of the civil aviation industry have been developed in response to attempted terrorist attacks during the 2000s, so the attackers look for new weaknesses in the chain to exploit.
Generating a shared perception of risks – and coherent frameworks for managing them beyond what’s dictated by self-interest – is arguably the ‘holy grail’ of governance in what is now a globalised age, and this latest report makes a significant contribution to this vital area of research.
To accessa copy of the full report click the web link on the right hand panel of this page
