Tom Blank

As the House Homeland Security Committee prepares to hear testimony from Acting TSA Administrator Gale Rossides tomorrow (Wed), it should be reiterated that there is absolutely no acceptable excuse for TSA’s recent blunder in posting classified Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for passenger and baggage screening on the Internet.

While the agency’s response that the inadvertently posted SOPs are out of date is an accurate statement, it’s a disingenuous explanation that attempts to mask the nature of the breach. I understand that Secretary Napolitano has taken personnel actions in the aftermath of the breach – as well she should.

I make these comments as the former TSA head of policy where I had responsibility in 2002 for creating the first baggage screening SOPs to comply with the statutory requirement to screen all bags using Explosive Detection Systems by December 31 of that year.

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