95% failure rate of US airport security checks sees TSA Administrator stood down

On the release of startling results showing that 67 of 70 security tests for illegal weapons were failed across the USA and subsequent demand from Jeh Johnson, Homeland Security Secretary, that safety standards have to be improved, Mr Melvin Carraway, the acting Administrator for the Transport Security Administration (TSA), has been reassigned. In a statement released from Johnson, it was made clear that Carraway would be reassigned a position in the Office of State and Local Law Enforcement at the headquarters of Homeland Security in Washington. In the interim, while consideration is being given to Barack Obama’s recommended candidate for the post, Coast Guard Vice Admiral Pete Neffenger, TSA Acting Deputy Director Mark Hatfield will lead the agency.
The situation has arisen after a catalog of failures from airport screeners who are employed by the TSA and which saw them fail to detect banned weapons in 67 of 70 instances where undercover agents were testing the security systems in place. In one particular instance, while the alarms were set off by an agent, the subsequent body search failed to reveal a dummy explosive device strapped to his back. Johnson, whose Homeland Security Department oversees the TSA, was informed last week on the results the recently completed trials according to ABC News. He subsequently issued a statement on Monday indicating that the results of the security checks were classified but that he had instructed the TSA to revise screening procedures “to address specific vulnerabilities identified” through the undercover operation. He also demanded further training for all TSA officers and supervisors across the country and additional assessment of screening equipment at all airports prior to further undercover testing takes place.
“The numbers in these reports never look good out of context but they are a critical element in the continual evolution of our aviation security,” Johnson made clear, continuing “We take these findings very seriously in our continued effort to test, measure and enhance our capabilities and techniques as threats evolve.”