STATEMENT OF HON. JAMES L. OBERSTAR, CHAIRMAN SUBCOMMITTEE ON AVIATION COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC WORKS AND TRANSPORTATION HEARING ON H.R. 5200, AVIATION SECURITY IMPROVEMENT ACT July 26, 1990 The Public Works and Transportation Subcommittee on Aviation is pleased to join with the Foreign Affairs Committee in this hearing on H.R. 5200, the Aviation Security Improvement Act of 1990. The bill puts in legislative form the recommendations of the President's Commission on Aviation Security and Terrorism. On a dark winter night a year and a half ago, over Lockerbie, Scotland, the world of aviation security was changed forever as a terrorist bomb tore apart Pan American World Airways Flight 103, a Boeing 747, killing the plane's 259 passengers and crew and 11 residents of the small town below. The December 21, 1988 explosion also rent the lives of the families of those passengers, and propelled them on a tireless mission to prevent future such heartrending tragedies. The families of the victims, through shear force of will, caused to be created the President's Commission on Aviation Security and Terrorism. The gentleman from Arkansas, Mr. Hammerschmidt; Senators Lautenberg and D'Amato, and I, were privileged to serve on that Commission, along with one of our key witnesses today, Ann McLaughlin, who served as Chairman, and Edward Hidalgo, former Secretary of the Navy, and General Thomas C. Richards USAF (Ret.). The Commission's Report, submitted to the President on May 15, found the nation's civilian aviation security system to be seriously flawed, and made 64 concrete recommendations to correct those flaws. The bill before us puts those recommendations into legislative form. It is now in the hands of the appropriate Committees of Congress. As a Commissioner, I have sworn that the Commission's Report would not gather dust on a shelf; I am equally determined that this bill will not languish. Working with Chairman Fascell, with Chairman Glenn M. Anderson of the Public Works and Transportation Committee, our full Committee leadership and members, I intend to move the bill forward at an accelerated pace. The goal is enactment of legislation this year. While the destruction of Pan Am 103 shocked the nation and the world with its cold brutality, it was not the first, nor the last, such tragedy. Between 1949 and today, there have been 95 documented explosions aboard aircraft, with a combined toll of over 2100 lives. These attacks have increased in fury and tragedy attacks on passenger aircraft in the last five years alone have caused 1030 deaths and 112 injuries. Terrorists have also changed their tactics against civil aviation over the years, from hijackings in the 1970s to bombings; from isolated actions of individuals and small groups of fanatics to full-scale, state-sponsored assaults such as Pan Am 103 and the mid-air explosion, last September, of the French UTA Flight 772 over Niger, in which 171 persons perished. Two months later terrorists destroyed the Colombian Avianca flight 203, killing 107 people. The challenge to the guardians of international aviation security worldwide is vast, and vastly complex. year. An estimated 1 billion passengers board civilian aircraft each Every year, some 35 million passengers, carrying 140 million hand and checked bags, arrive in the U.S. aboard 572,000 flights from 247 foreign airports. Within the U.S., 280 million passengers fly between 439 airports on 258 airlines, whose planes take off and land about 72 million times each year. In addition to passengers, the U.S. airlines transport over 4 million tons of domestic cargo, over 2 million tons of international cargo, and 1.8 million tons of mail annually. Each airport, each departure, each passenger and each bag, each cargo container, presents a possible opportunity for a terrorist to introduce a small amount of plastic explosive, effectively invisible to X-ray and other equipment currently in use in airports, and powerful enough to bring down a Boeing 747. The destruction of Pan Am 103 proved that these opportunities are neither speculative nor theoretical. While the Federal Aviation Administration has already substantially increased security, aviation cannot be made 100% secure. It can and must be made more so. This bill will help accomplish that goal. Since the Commission submitted its report to the President on May 15, the Administration has taken important steps to implement its recommendations. I commend Transportation Secretary Samuel K. Skinner and FAA Administrator James B. Busey III on their achievements. The purpose of the legislation before us is to give their actions a foundation in law, so that they cannot be undone at some future time. Today's hearing is another measure of our commitment to assuring the families of the victims of Pan Am 103, and the world, that their loved ones did not die in vain, and that the unspeakable tragedy of that dark night over Lockerbie, Scotland, will not again be visited upon the flying public or their families. Chairman FASCELL. Our ranking Republican, Mr. Broomfield. Mr. BROOMFIELD. Mr. Chairman, I have no questions. I appreciate the statement made by the Senator. Thank you very much. Chairman FASCELL. Mr. Clinger. Mr. CLINGER. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. No questions. I just want to also convey my appreciation to the Senator for his leadership in this area, for his excellent statement. I look forward to working with him in passing meaningful legislation. [The prepared statement of Mr. Clinger follows:] Opening Statement of The Honorable William F. Clinger, Jr. Mr. Chairman, the security of our commercial aviation system against acts of terrorism and aggression must be addressed boldly and without equivocation. Today's international political environment includes a number of fanatical splinter groups that were unknown in the world arena until recent years. It is apparent that many of these organizations are surrogates acting on behalf of hostile or radical governments. By hiding behind these groups, countries opposed to our government or any other government for that matter are conducting a highly refined form of warfare in such a way as to avoid responsibility, while at the same time achieving certain political goals. The stature of the United States in the world community, and our formidable military power is such that hostile governments want to avoid being linked to acts against our country. But our pervasive presence around the world and our status as a superpower also makes our country and its citizens easy prey for determined terrorists. International trade and travel rely almost exclusively on commercial aviation carriers. To affect the carriers' ability to safely operate jeopardizes tens of thousands of our citizens who travel each day and would have a drastic effect on international commerce. Pan Am 103 is a stark example of the acts of terrorism which we must do everything possible to prevent in the future. Hundreds of innocent people died, most of them Americans, at the hands of a few unknown, sophisticated terrorists, who in all likelihood are supported and financed by an unfriendly government or governments. This tragedy occurred in part because we as a country were not prepared to counter this new form of international terrorism, despite many previous instances of hijackings, bombings, and abductions. In each instance, it seems to me, we reacted more on a case-by-case basis without developing an effective defense and overall strategy against this type of threat. |