Improving Aviation Security

On October 31, 2015, an international charter flight departing from Sharm el-Sheikh International Airport disintegrated mid-flight en route to St. Petersburg, Russia, killing all 224 passengers onboard. Two weeks later, a series of coordinated attacks led by a Brussels-based terrorist cell struck Paris, resulting in the death of over 130 people. This month, a female shooter who arrived to the United States on a fiancé visa in 2014, along with her husband, killed 14 people in San Bernardino, California. It is evident that the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has reached beyond its own borders, claiming responsibility for attacks, inspiring others, and striving to continuously expand its influence and network.

The recent terrorist attacks demonstrate that the threat to aviation security is real—and the threat is not just isolated to aircraft.  Today, we are also concerned that terrorists can leverage commercial aviation to travel and coordinate attacks. The persistent threat of terrorism is driving the need for security forces around the world to monitor the movement of wanted individuals and potential terrorists.  Global travel awareness will continue to grow as one of the preeminent tools in the fight against terror as we confront an increasingly agile adversary.