4 - Transportation Security Roles and Responsibilities

Abstract

International standards for maritime and aviation security are more elaborate and effective than previously, and less formal security guidelines for land transportation systems are more widely disseminated. All of these efforts continue to rely on national authorities for implementation. In the United States, transportation security has been organized within the evolving concepts and institutions of “homeland security.” At the federal level, most responsibilities reside within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), with the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) having the lead for the aviation and land sectors and the Coast Guard for the maritime mode. Other federal agencies, as well as state and local governments and the private sector all play important roles in the U.S. system. Other countries have adapted existing institutions to perform increased security functions. Canada and the United Kingdom use the departments responsible for overall transportation operations as the security leads, and India, faced with a number of militarized threats, places more emphasis on armed forces.