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CNN Live Sunday

Interview With Peter Goelz

Aired September 07, 2003 - 10:15   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Here in the United States, the approaching anniversary puts the airline industry back in the spotlight. Since 9/11, new security measures have been put in place at the nation's airports, but are they working? And are they enough? Bottom line, do you feel more secure?
Peter Goelz is with us now from Washington. He's the former managing director of the National Transportation Safety Board. Mr. Goals, thanks for being with us this morning.

PETER GOELZ, FMR. MANAGING DIRECTOR, NTSB: Good morning.

COLLINS: I want to ask you about assessing the security of airports today. Two years later, where are we at?

GOELZ: Well, we have spent tens of billions of dollars securing both the aircraft and the airports. There have been some real successes. I think everyone agrees that the checkpoints now being manned by federal employees are an improvement.

Are they the best that they can be? Not yet. We need new...

COLLINS: An improvement how so, Mr. Goelz?

GOELZ: Well, I think that they're more professionally run, they have the right level of staffing, they are tending to their business in a more professional manner than the previous screeners. But they're still using equipment that needs to be updated. We're using last year's -- or the last generation's security equipment to try and foil the next generation of terrorists.

COLLINS: And we are talking about the TSA here and members of the TSA manning these checkpoints. What sort of training, additional training have they gotten since two years ago in order to do this?

GOELZ: Well, they've gotten a little over 100 hours of training. Is that enough? It isn't enough. But they were on a very short timeframe to get up and running.

Remember, Congress put them on a very short leash with very strict, you know, guidelines on when they had to implement certain procedures. They reached those guidelines in general. Is it the best it can be? Absolutely not.

There needs to be more work now. And frankly, TSA is facing a crisis. They've got approximately 50,000 screeners on board right now. They're only funded for about 45,000. So they're laying off screeners just as we're getting ready to face a new round of terrorist threats.

COLLINS: So what's going to happen here? I mean, we have seen this agency. It obviously used to be a privately-controlled, now federalized. It hasn't appeared to get that much better, as you say. Now approaching a crisis. What's next?

GOELZ: Well, I think Admiral Loy, who is the second leader of TSA, is doing a better job. But clearly, the whole issue of coordination, the whole issue of moving forward on the new threats is a real challenge for TSA.

COLLINS: And what about the people who are traveling in the airports? What are you hearing, maybe, as you travel? Do people actually feel safer?

GOELZ: I think there's a general level that people feel somewhat safer. But there is confusion when you have new threats being discussed about how terrorists are still focusing on commercial aviation. I mean, remember, we now have the cockpit doors secured. We have an increased number of the air marshals flying, we're starting to arm the pilots.

Just recently, last week, we've decided to increase the number of air marshals by merging it in with another federal agency that would add 5,000 more folks with weapons who can travel on planes. We're making steps forward. But is it enough? It's not enough yet.

And there are threats out there that we have not figured out how to deal with. Particularly the whole issue of shoulder-fired missiles. That's a very vexing problem.

COLLINS: And cargo, we're not inspecting cargo. And what about international air agreements as well, plans coming in from other countries?

GOELZ: Well, exactly. That's the opening that people are most worried about now, which is what is the security on the large international jets that are flying into the U.S.? Is the level of security there sufficient to protect our people once they enter our air space? It's a very tough problem. It's one we're going to be wrestling with for years to come.

COLLINS: Clearly, some work to be done, but we certainly appreciate your insight on all of this. Peter Goelz, former NTSB managing director. Thank you so much, Mr. Goelz.

GOELZ: Thank you, Heidi.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com







Aired September 7, 2003 - 10:15   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Here in the United States, the approaching anniversary puts the airline industry back in the spotlight. Since 9/11, new security measures have been put in place at the nation's airports, but are they working? And are they enough? Bottom line, do you feel more secure?
Peter Goelz is with us now from Washington. He's the former managing director of the National Transportation Safety Board. Mr. Goals, thanks for being with us this morning.

PETER GOELZ, FMR. MANAGING DIRECTOR, NTSB: Good morning.

COLLINS: I want to ask you about assessing the security of airports today. Two years later, where are we at?

GOELZ: Well, we have spent tens of billions of dollars securing both the aircraft and the airports. There have been some real successes. I think everyone agrees that the checkpoints now being manned by federal employees are an improvement.

Are they the best that they can be? Not yet. We need new...

COLLINS: An improvement how so, Mr. Goelz?

GOELZ: Well, I think that they're more professionally run, they have the right level of staffing, they are tending to their business in a more professional manner than the previous screeners. But they're still using equipment that needs to be updated. We're using last year's -- or the last generation's security equipment to try and foil the next generation of terrorists.

COLLINS: And we are talking about the TSA here and members of the TSA manning these checkpoints. What sort of training, additional training have they gotten since two years ago in order to do this?

GOELZ: Well, they've gotten a little over 100 hours of training. Is that enough? It isn't enough. But they were on a very short timeframe to get up and running.

Remember, Congress put them on a very short leash with very strict, you know, guidelines on when they had to implement certain procedures. They reached those guidelines in general. Is it the best it can be? Absolutely not.

There needs to be more work now. And frankly, TSA is facing a crisis. They've got approximately 50,000 screeners on board right now. They're only funded for about 45,000. So they're laying off screeners just as we're getting ready to face a new round of terrorist threats.

COLLINS: So what's going to happen here? I mean, we have seen this agency. It obviously used to be a privately-controlled, now federalized. It hasn't appeared to get that much better, as you say. Now approaching a crisis. What's next?

GOELZ: Well, I think Admiral Loy, who is the second leader of TSA, is doing a better job. But clearly, the whole issue of coordination, the whole issue of moving forward on the new threats is a real challenge for TSA.

COLLINS: And what about the people who are traveling in the airports? What are you hearing, maybe, as you travel? Do people actually feel safer?

GOELZ: I think there's a general level that people feel somewhat safer. But there is confusion when you have new threats being discussed about how terrorists are still focusing on commercial aviation. I mean, remember, we now have the cockpit doors secured. We have an increased number of the air marshals flying, we're starting to arm the pilots.

Just recently, last week, we've decided to increase the number of air marshals by merging it in with another federal agency that would add 5,000 more folks with weapons who can travel on planes. We're making steps forward. But is it enough? It's not enough yet.

And there are threats out there that we have not figured out how to deal with. Particularly the whole issue of shoulder-fired missiles. That's a very vexing problem.

COLLINS: And cargo, we're not inspecting cargo. And what about international air agreements as well, plans coming in from other countries?

GOELZ: Well, exactly. That's the opening that people are most worried about now, which is what is the security on the large international jets that are flying into the U.S.? Is the level of security there sufficient to protect our people once they enter our air space? It's a very tough problem. It's one we're going to be wrestling with for years to come.

COLLINS: Clearly, some work to be done, but we certainly appreciate your insight on all of this. Peter Goelz, former NTSB managing director. Thank you so much, Mr. Goelz.

GOELZ: Thank you, Heidi.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com