Remarks by Jacques Duchesneau, C.M., President and CEO, Canadian Air Transport Security Authority

International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)
Securing the Weakest Links: Cooperative Aviation Security Today for A Secure Tomorrow

April 18, 2006
Montréal, (Québec)

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First of all, let me say that I am very pleased to be here today, with my friend Rafi Sela. It is a great honour to have the opportunity to address so many esteemed leaders in aviation security – and the true champions of international cooperation.

I am a firm believer that our work to secure civil aviation is a shared responsibility: no single country can achieve this objective alone. Nor should it be required too.

I am truly inspired by the work of ICAO. The goals you have worked collectively to achieve and the objectives you continue to work towards are helping to secure the global security network – a network that is critical to the security of each of our countries.

I would like to focus my remarks today on four key points.

My first point is that the terrorist threat has not diminished. It continues to change and evolve.

My second point is that despite this continued terrorist threat, we have definitely made aviation a hard target – we are definitely more secure today than we were before 9/11. However, like the terrorists, we must continue to evolve.

My third point is that at CATSA, the main focus is on managing the unexpected. In order to manage the unexpected, we must be agile. I will tell you what I mean by this shortly.

My fourth point, and this is perhaps the most important, is that our national security systems are only as secure as the weakest link. This is what makes international cooperation so critical.

Let me begin with why we must never let our guard down. Although we have not experienced a significant terrorist attack on civil aviation since 9/11, it does not mean that the threat has diminished any. In fact, one could even argue that the terrorist threat today is even larger and more deadly than that which existed before 9/11.

This is my first point. Just like Health Canada must monitor the threat of a global pandemic, CATSA must monitor the terrorist threat.

Why?

Because the threat continues to evolve and change. The threat we faced on 9/11 is not the same threat we are facing today and it won't be the threat we are confronted by tomorrow.

We need to stay several steps ahead of the emerging terrorist threat so that we can ensure we have the appropriate security measures in place. We need constantly improve the system to make sure we are not simply fighting the last war.

We have learned that today's terrorists are flexible, patient, innovative, resilient, adaptable and capable.

And, as my good friend Bruce Hoffman from the RAND Corporation, points out, we now have four levels of Al Qaeda to contend with¹:

1. Al Qaeda Central: Osama bin Laden and his top leadership who planned the 9/11 attacks;
2. Al Qaeda Affiliates and Associates: Like-minded terrorist groups world-wide like Jemaah Islamiyah;
3. Al Qaeda Locals: Individuals like Ahmad Ressam ("The Millennium Bomber") who are sleeper cells; and
4. Al Qaeda Loners: Independent cells like the 3/11 Madrid attackers and the 7/7 London bombers.

These four different levels of Al Qaeda form a trans-national network of terror that spans the globe. They have mastered information-sharing and the importance of operational security. They watch us closely and take detailed notes on our policies and procedures. It is nearly impossible to penetrate this network.

Terrorists seek out our vulnerabilities and are always looking for new tools and methods to attack us. As quickly as we build up our defences, terrorists are plotting to find new ways to penetrate them.

This is why we must continually change and adapt too. We must continue to build new layers of defence – our job is never done.

We must continue to work at least as hard as we did in the immediate aftermath of 9/11, and perhaps even harder.

We need to anticipate where or how they might try to attack us next. We must stay several steps ahead of the evolving threats.

Bruce Hoffman also argues that we are in this fight for the long haul – we need to think of it as more of a marathon than a sprint to the finish line². We must be capable of enduring this reality.

We must also keep in mind that aviation has always been an attractive target for terrorists. ICAO knows this well from its extensive work on Annex 17 and all the conventions relating to criminal acts against civil aviation.

Aviation will also likely remain an attractive target. Airlines are often seen as national symbols and they carry large numbers of passengers. Impact is high – psychologically, politically and economically. Aviation is one of the primary industries for inter-connecting and integrating the world.

This reality makes our respective jobs all the more important.

These are formidable challenges indeed. How do we overcome them? Let me tell you how CATSA does it.

Just like ICAO urgently convened the 12th meeting of the Aviation Security Panel in November 2001 to discuss new security proposals and initiatives, the Government of Canada urgently met to consider new security measures for Canada.

One of the major results of these meetings, and I might argue, one of the most critical, was the creation of the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA).

CATSA's mission is to protect the public by securing critical elements of the Canadian air transportation system as assigned by the Government.

CATSA has been tasked with six responsibilities:

1. Pre-Board Screening (PBS)
2. Hold-Baggage Screening (HBS)
3. Non-Passenger Screening (NPS)
4. Implementation of the Restricted Area Identification Card (RAIC)
5. Financial contributions to Airport Policing Programs
6. Financial contributions to the Canadian Air Carrier Protective Program (CACPP)

We started our mission with just two people and a couple of phones. In just a few short years, we have built a credible and accountable security authority that I, and the rest of my team, are extremely proud of.

CATSA has responsibility in 89 airports across Canada and over 4000 contracted screening officers. They have a tough job to do – screening over 37 million passengers each year, over 60 million pieces of luggage and approximately 1 million non-passengers per year.

We have deployed over 2500 pieces of screening equipment, including:

• Explosives detection equipment;
• An extensive Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) system which is linked to our state-of the-art Security Communications Centre and which helps law enforcement and airport authorities manage security incidents; and
• A Restricted Area Identification Card (RAIC) system. This is one of the only systems of its kind in the world and makes our restricted access programs one of the most secure in the world.

On January 1, 2006, CATSA delivered one of the principal components of our mandate – and an ICAO requirement: 100% screening of hold baggage on all international flights. But, we have also gone even further than that and are screening 100% of hold baggage on most domestic flights as well.

We have also revised and revamped our screening officer training program – nearly doubling the level of training from before 9/11. Not only have we put in place a series of progressive training levels, we have increased the number of hours of classroom, on-the-job training and computer-based learning.

We haven't stopped there – we continue to find news ways to improve training and to make sure our front-line staff have the information and tools they need to do their job better.

This brings me to my second point. By putting these programs in place, we have made aviation a hard target. I am very confident we have done this. We are much more secure today than we were before 9/11.

The security system we have put in place has been designed to detect and deter terrorists. It is a layered approach that is designed to stop terrorists even if one layer fails. It is a system that allows us to manage the unexpected.

But, we must continue to evolve. This is my third point today. This is critical for everyone involved in security. Complacency is not an option. We must never forget why we were created in the first place – we must forge ahead.

Now let me tell you about AGILE – our very own counter-terrorism strategy. It is how CATSA is ensuring that we continue to evolve – how we are making certain that what we do today will remain effective tomorrow.

AGILE is both a doctrine and a concept. A doctrine based on the principles of agility, detection, deterrence, reaction and evolution – and a concept – an idea about how to achieve effective counter-terrorism and maximum security in the face of an ever-evolving terrorist threat.

Flexibility, adaptiveness, proactivness and innovation are what define CATSA as an AGILE security authority – one that can respond to whatever threats and challenges may come our way. Agility is a defining feature of CATSA's operating philosophy and the sum of our counter-terrorism equation.

This equation is broken down into the individual components of the word AGILE itself:

A – is for assess. With the help of intelligence, we need to assess the nature of the evolving terrorist threat. We need to understand the security environment in which we operate and have a clear view of what is on or approaching our radar screen.

G – is for guard. We need to deter terrorists by building layers of defence that guard the traveling public, our airports and our airplanes against terrorist attacks. This is the layered approach to security that I talked about earlier.

I – is for intervene. In the event that we do have an incident or an attack against civil aviation, we need to be ready to intervene . We need to have both the tools and the flexibility to respond.

L – is for learn. We need to ensure that we learn from our experiences – both our successes and our mistakes. This will ensure we remain effective.

E – is for evolve. In order to make certain that what we do remains current, relative and effective, we must continue to evolve into a credible and accountable security authority. We cannot remain static.

AGILE is our strategy for success. But, it is not exclusive to CATSA. Nor is it something we can achieve alone. This brings me to my fourth point – my final, but perhaps most important point today.

We are only as secure as our weakest link. The global transportation system is so inter-connected that security in one country is only as effective as security in other countries.

This is what makes the work of ICAO so important. Each member country is like a link in the chain of security. If one is weak, the integrity of the entire chain – its ability to secure the global aviation system – is in jeopardy.

We must work together to ensure the security chain is as strong as it can be. Amendment 11 to Annex 17 strengthens the chain in many areas:

• National quality control;
• Screening of unaccompanied bags;
• Aircraft security checks;
• Access control;
• Air cargo security;
• Transfer and transit passenger baggage screening; and
• Practices related to general aviation.

CATSA is committed to ensuring its programs not only meet the ICAO standards, but exceed them. We are training our staff to ICAO standards – so far, we have three ICAO certified Aviation Security Managers. They are the leaders of today and tomorrow – the ones who will ensure our system continues to evolve in-line with international standards.

We are also committed to ensuring that areas of weaknesses in the global system are addressed so that they don't become an entry point for terrorists that are intent on attacking us.

In-line with this, we have established the International Forum for Security Screening in Aviation (IFSSA). Each year, heads of security screening agencies, my counter-parts from around the world, meet to share best practices and to share ideas.

We need to continue building partnerships like this – we must enhance cooperation at all levels. There is much more that still needs to be done.

ICAO was created when the dream of trans-oceanic flight became a reality. CATSA was created when the terrorist dream to use airliners as missiles of mass destruction became a reality. We have tough jobs. But we must continue to forge ahead.

Thank you.

1- Presentation by Bruce Hoffman, State of Al Qaeda : Prospects & Trends, March 2, 2006.

2- Bruce Hoffman, Inside Terrorism, Columbia University Press, 1998.