The Laughing Wolf

An Effective And Efficient Means To Secure Air Travel

Right after 9-11, the need for increased security on flights, as opposed to security at airports, was well known and discussed. Among the many suggestions for providing improved in-flight security was one that went in both officially and back channel. This method was rejected, even though it could be done at very low cost and exponentially increase in-flight security.

Each day, several thousand people travel on behalf of the federal government. Both civil service and contractor personnel fly not only around the U.S., but around the world as well. Many of these people have military, law enforcement, or related backgrounds that would lend themselves readily to airline security.

The military has in its various branches a concept of augmenters, people who are not police but are trained to step into various security and police functions in the event of an emergency. These augmenters are trained at least once a year on various issues, procedures, and in the use of firearms and the use of force. They provide a critical backstop for police and security units, and can be utilized in the event of natural disasters, disturbances, or other events where additional security and police units are needed.

So, why not make use of an existing talent pool to improve in-flight security? Why not make use of a proven program to do the same?

Indeed, why not is the question. For all the talk about the need to train sky marshals as marksmen, it is clear from reports that this has been a problem. Indeed, it was a problem that was pointed out from inside the program and without at the start. The weapons familiarity and training of many of the new recruits was questionable and there have been quiet and not-so-quiet claims that this critical portion was watered down to surge numbers through.

Yet, many traveling for the government already hold basic or expert ratings from the military. Others are expert marksmen who shoot in competitions of various types, are NRA-certified instructors, or hold similar levels of expertise from other organizations.

Given backgrounds, weapons familiarity, and the need to increase in-flight security without budget-busting numbers, it would just be plain common sense to make use of this resource. Even with just volunteers, it should be possible to train one to five thousand additional people so that they could provide security on flights.

By modeling on the proven and established augmenters program, this training could even be done is as little as a week with the right cadre, though a two-week course might be better. That should be sufficient time to cover legal basics, use of force, and related firearms training.

Having these augmenters in the air would not just improve overall security, but would provide coverage on smaller flights and others that are not going to be a high priority for the sky marshals. In this way, the “real” sky marshals could be freed up to concentrate on the more critical flights.

The costs of such a program would be very low. You would need to provide and pay for training, and most likely the government would insist on providing the weapon. There should be monthly range training, but this could even be done at a civilian range with a certified range master. It should also be put in the regulations that the augmenter can and should go to the range on their own to practice, and not prohibit same. Other than this, there should be little cost to the government.

The people traveling on government business are already being paid for their time, and the travel is routine and is already covered. This means that there are no additional expenses, such as hotels, per diem, etc.

In a time where the reduction of sky marshals for budgetary reasons, reducing in-flight security when new threats are being made public, there is a clear need for additional security in an efficient and cost-effective manner. Having an augmenters program is a logical and reasonable way to do this.

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