| What Took So Long? |
5 January 2004
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US Demands Air Marshals for Some Incoming Flights
The US government has said that some foreign flights entering US airspace will be required to have armed air marshals on board. It is rare that a wise and measured response appropriate to the threat comes from Washington these days. This should have been done two years ago.
The case against putting an armed marshal on the plane was based on the concern that a weapon on board created the risk of a struggle that might end in a crash. In the 1970s, this might have made sense, when hijacking occurred for hostage-taking purposes that hinged on the survival of the innocents on board. Al-Qaeda's attacks on America have proved that such a scenario is no longer the threat. In the event of a hijacking, the plane is the weapon, and the hostages' survival is not part of the hijackers' equation. The objective for the US and its allies now is to prevent the crash hitting targets on the ground.
There is a risk, however, that the air marshal position will be targeted for infiltration by terrorist organizations. Should that occur, the policy will fail miserably. Whatever harm KGB infiltration of MI5, MI6 and the CIA caused during the Cold War will pale in comparison. It is vital that the marshals are vetted, investigated and constantly monitored, ideally by more than one security agency.
Still, what makes the US policy so sensible is its reliance on intelligence and precision rather than brute force. Putting an armed guard on every plane entering the US airspace (not just landing) is impractical; it is too expensive, and it increases the infiltration risk. Specific flights from specific airports on specific days are targeted -- a more cost effective and secure approach. Better security at overseas airports would be preferable, but in places where the electricity is not always reliable, metal detectors are useless.
The threat from Al-Qaeda and its fellow travelers remains attacks on western interests in the Middle East rather than attacks in North America and Europe. However, a significant weakness in the security system of the west exists in the form of incoming air traffic. The new policy fills the hole to a great degree.
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