TSA Testimony on SOP Document
Speeches & Testimony
United States Department Of Homeland Security
Transportation Security Administration
Oral Statement of
Gale D. Rossides
Acting Administrator, Transportation Security Administration
Before the
Subcommittee On Transportation Security And
Infrastructure Protection
Committee On Homeland Security
United States House Of Representatives
December 16, 2009
- Click here to read TSA's written testimony on SOP document.
Good afternoon Chairwoman Jackson Lee, Ranking Member Dent, and distinguished Members of the Subcommittee. I appreciate you giving me the opportunity to speak with you this afternoon about the recent website posting of an improperly redacted version of a Management Standard Operating Procedure, or SOP, on a federal website.
I regret this occurred and take full responsibility for this mistake. Our response was swift, decisive and comprehensive, because our priority, first and foremost, is the safety of the traveling public.
I want to reassure all members of this committee and the traveling public that our aviation system is strong and that passengers will fly safely this holiday season and every day because of the layered security system we have in place.
From cutting edge new technology to retraining our entire workforce to the implementation of new security programs, we have evolved and substantially strengthened security in the year and a half since this document was drafted.
On Sunday, December 6th, I became aware that the Screening Management SOP was posted to the Federal Business Opportunities website without having the Sensitive Security Information, or SSI, properly redacted. The document was an attachment to a Screening Partnership Program contract solicitation.
We took immediate action.
- I convened a teleconference with TSA's senior executives and I notified DHS headquarters on Sunday night.
- We removed the document from the government website within hours on Sunday night, thanks to prompt work by the General Services Administration.
- I directed TSA's Office of Inspection to immediately begin a review of what happened and how, and that review has since been passed to the DHS Inspector General.
- Our Office of Security Operations conducted an operational assessment of any potential vulnerabilities that this disclosure may have caused and out of an abundance of caution, quickly put mitigation measures in place to close any potential gaps.
- I directed an audit of sensitive information posted both internally and externally to be conducted by the Chief Information Officer.
- We have consulted with our Federal and law enforcement partners and our stakeholders in the aviation domain, and all have been tremendously supportive.
There have been numerous and significant changes in our evolving security program that are not contained in the May 2008 version of this SOP.
As a point of reference, this document provides instructions on who and what needs to be screened. It does not include the specific procedures used by Transportation Security Officers to screen members of the traveling public. TSA's 12 other standard operating procedures, including the ones that cover officer's screening procedures, remain secure.
The strength of our dynamic security system is in our own people, our technology, our stakeholder partnerships, and our multi-layered and complex protocols.
We take this matter seriously and look forward to the Inspector General's report. Our response to their recommendations will be swift. We will hold individuals accountable as appropriate. At this time, five TSA employees have been placed on Administrative Leave, pending the outcome of the continued investigation.
This has been a critical incident for TSA and we have managed it as such. From an exhaustive review, we will emerge with stronger internal document control measures - for all employees - and we will strengthen the electronic processes we use for sharing information. Most importantly, we will continue to evolve our security programs in light of intelligence and our own testing and training regime to ensure the ongoing security of the system.
In closing, I want to again assure members of this committee, the traveling public and our partners that our nation's aviation system is strong, we have closed any potential gaps and we will continue to apply measures that enhance our complex security system. I am happy to answer your questions and can discuss any sensitive material in the closed session to follow.
Thank you.
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