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TSA IED Mitigation: 2005 to Present

News & Happenings

November 15, 2007

  • Click here to read statements by Administrator Kip Hawley on our security strategy since 2005.

September 2005 TSA Office of Inspection conducts focused IED covert testing forming basis for IED mitigation strategy.
November 2005 Retrained all TSOs with professional bomb tech IED training.
December 2005 Visible Intermodal Protection and Response (VIPR) operations begin
Scissors, small tools removed from Prohibited Items list
TSA piloted new protocols to implement unpredictable screening procedures specifically for explosives at ten airports
April 2006 Behavior Detection Officers begin broader deployment in U.S. airports
July 2006 Career Progression for TSOs
Career path initiated for Bomb Appraisal Officers
Aviation Direct Access Screening Program (employee screening) begins
August 2006 UK Liquid Explosive plot foiled
September 2006 Canine Explosives Detection Team Program exceeds 425 teams, more than doubles size of program since 2001
November 2006 EU adoption of 3-1-1 Protocols
January 2007 Deployment of advanced IED training kits at every checkpoint nationwide; implementation of daily IED test drills
February 2007 Backscatter Whole Body Imaging pilot at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport begins
March 2007 Employee Screening surges begin
May 2007 Pilot of Liquid Bottle Scanners begins
June 2007 Travel Document Checking pilot begins
July 2007Lighter Ban ends
Joint DHS VIPR operations begin
Pilot testing of advanced technology X-ray screening machines begins
Deployed SPO 20 millimeter wave camera during pilot at Staten Island Ferry
Deployed SPO 20 millimeter wave camera at Union Station, Washington DC for July 4 holiday
August 2007DHS Announces Secure Flight Notice of Proposed Rule Making
Deployed Auto-Explosive Detection System (EDS) at Cleveland-Hopkins International Airport to detect IEDs in carry-on baggage
September 2007Announcement on extra screening for remote control toys
October 2007Millimeter Wave whole body imaging pilot begins in Phoenix, AZ
TSA awarded $52.3 million in contracts to deploy security technology including advanced technology (AT) X-ray, automated explosives detection (auto-EDS) machines for the checkpoint, bottled liquid scanners, passive millimeter wave, and cast/prosthetics screening devices.
Deployed Auto-Explosive Detection System (EDS) at Baltimore-Washington International Airport to detect IEDs in carry-on baggage