All Systems Go recently interviewed Adm. James M. Loy, Under Secretary of Transportation for Security, U.S. Department of Transportation, about the challenges his office faced to meet Congressional mandates to provide baggage and passenger screening at the nation's airports. The Boeing Company last year was selected to install and maintain explosives detection systems at more than 400 U.S. airports serving commercial aviation and train more than 25,000 airport baggage screening employees.

ASG: You had two tremendous challenges: start a new agency the size of five Army divisions from scratch and meet deadlines to screen every passenger and bag by Dec. 31, 2002. You did both. How?

Loy: Simply put, with an incredible amount of hard work. It was the fastest start-up of a federal agency in more than a half-century, with our employees and others operating at warp speed. It involved creative partnerships operating well beyond the way government usually works.

To appreciate the challenges, look at what has been accomplished just in aviation. On 9/10/01, there were no federal screeners, few explosives-sniffing dogs or federal air marshals and almost no screening of checked bags for explosives. Cockpit doors were not hardened and training pilots to carry guns was not on the agenda. Now, we have trained our first class of armed pilots and more are on the way. Every bag and passenger is professionally screened. Thousands of air marshals fly on tens of thousands of flights each month, and the K-9 program is steadily being expanded. And we did away with several silly rules. So now, air travel is significantly more secure. Air travelers appreciate that as well as the customer service our screeners deliver.

Even before the TSA was created, Transportation Secretary Norm Mineta had so-called Go-Teams of government personnel and corporate executives focusing on how to start a new organization. We developed schedules that worked backwards from key dates - for example, from Nov. 19, 2002 for a federalized passenger screening force and Dec. 31 for screening all baggage. It was like building a car as we drove down the road, while at the same time implementing security - a nearly unbelievable feat.

The federal security directors provided the first or nearly first federal presence at most airports. They often didn't have an office. Some worked out of their cars. Nevertheless, they put together staffs and prepared for the deadlines.

We recognized that it made little sense to create a federal work force for the one-time job of recruiting, hiring and training screeners, reconfiguring checkpoints for passenger and baggage screening, and installing large explosive detection system machines in airports. So in the spring of 2001 we entered into major contracts to do that work, including one with Boeing.

In other words, TSA pursued a series of unique partnerships - with those contractors, the Go-Teams, with state and local governments - that got the job done.

ASG: What expertise did the private sector bring to the table and how did those strengths factor in to the ability to meet the challenges?

Loy: The private sector had people who knew about security screening and installing explosive detection systems and how to configure an airport to best move people and baggage, to name just a few things. In large measure, the federal government didn't. I seriously doubt that we could have met the challenges, including the deadlines set by Congress, if we had taken the time to create a competent federal work force to do the jobs that were contracted out.

The crucial thing was to make air travel and airports secure again, quickly. I'm pleased that public confidence in aviation security has largely been restored. The partnerships we formed played a major role in that.

ASG: What remains to be accomplished?

Loy: We plan to finish airport work left from last year and meet the new deadline of 12/31/03 for the electronic screening of all bags. We are now screening well over 90 percent of all bags electronically. We want to look at situations where large screening machines could be moved from airport lobbies to baggage processing areas. We expect to make available about $1 billion for approximately 20, multi-year airport projects. We also are closely watching airports that will have seasonal screening demands, particularly in the summer months. We are "rightsizing" our work force. And we have an on-going research and development program to look for new, faster technologies for screening baggage.

Our focus last year was on meeting congressional deadlines and raising security to a new standard. Now we are setting the course for a long-term journey.

ASG: TSA has an extremely broad mandate - providing security across a wide array of transportation modes: sea, rail, highways, public transit and pipelines in addition to aviation. What progress have you made in areas other than aviation?

Loy: I can point to progress on many fronts. We are developing a National Transportation System Security Plan that will cover all modes of transportation and link them together so we're cognizant of what a threat in one area may mean to other forms of transportation. We have a number of initiatives for ocean shipping and have started addressing over-the-road buses or terminals. We are evaluating proposals for a Transportation Worker Identification Credential, whose technology has ramifications for developing a Registered Traveler card for aviation travelers. That technology will also be important for a second-generation Computer Assisted Passenger Prescreening System, where we are determined to protect privacy as we improve security. We are starting to do background checks on truck drivers who have permits to haul hazardous materials, and we are studying how hazardous materials travel through the supply chain.

ASG: How can travelers best prepare for their trip in order to make the process go smoothly?

Loy: Rather than list every suggestion, your question gives me a great chance to spread the word about our website - http://www.TSATravelTips.us.  Click there for all kinds of help for travelers. It has a number of easy suggestions that can help you prepare for a trip.

ASG: Is there any particular message you would like to convey to the traveling public?

Loy: As President Bush has said; "The fight against terrorism will be long. It is a journey, not a destination, which means we must continuously improve our systems, we must always be vigilant, and we must never be complacent."

The traveling public has been very supportive of TSA, not only by being patient when that is necessary but by giving us thousands and thousands of extra eyes and ears. We appreciate that support, and we are doing everything we can - and will always do everything we can - to protect Americans against terrorists.