In-Flight Security Officers on board US-Cuba Flights

In-Flight Security Officers on board US-Cuba Flights

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The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) announced that the United States and Cuba have reached an agreement which will allow federal air marshals on board certain flights to and from Cuba explaining that federal air marshals play a crucial role in aviation security. TSA released a statement on the decision at the request of the US-Cuba Trade and Economic Council.
The statement added: “In-Flight Security Officers (IFSOs) serve as an active last line of defense against terrorism and air piracy, and are an important part of a multi-layer strategy adopted by the US to thwart terrorism in the civil aviation sector.”
Commenting on the announcement, Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas), Chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security, warned: “While the agreement to allow federal air marshals on-board flights between the United States and Cuba is a positive step, the American people should have grave concerns about the level of security currently in place at any foreign airport where the host government refused to allow Congress to visit”.

President Obama’s plan to open regularly scheduled commercial air service to Cuba has been met with significant reservations. According to hstoday.us, lawmakers have expressed concerns that terrorists could use Cuba as a gateway to the United States.
Rep. John Katko (R-NY), who chairs the House Homeland Security Committee’s Transportation Security subcommittee: “The Administration is telling us that we should entrust the safety and security of American citizens to the Cuban government. A country that was removed from the state sponsors of terrorism list only one year ago”.
In July, Katko introduced legislation to prohibit all scheduled commercial air travel between the United States and Cuba until TSA certifies that Cuban airports have the appropriate security measures in place to keep Americans safe.
Just weeks beforehand, Katko and other members of the House Homeland Security Committee were blocked by the Cuban government from entering the country to assess security risks associated with resuming air travel between the United States and Cuba.
The first of the more than 100 daily roundtrip flights between the two countries is slated to begin at the end of August.