[Senate Hearing 115-223]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
S. Hrg. 115-223
NOMINATION OF VICE ADMIRAL
DAVID P. PEKOSKE, TO BE ASSISTANT SECRETARY
OF HOMELAND SECURITY, TRANSPORTATION
SECURITY ADMINISTRATION, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY
=======================================================================
HEARING
BEFORE THE
COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE,
SCIENCE, AND TRANSPORTATION
UNITED STATES SENATE
ONE HUNDRED FIFTEENTH CONGRESS
FIRST SESSION
__________
JUNE 21, 2017
__________
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Transportation
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SENATE COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, SCIENCE, AND TRANSPORTATION
ONE HUNDRED FIFTEENTH CONGRESS
FIRST SESSION
JOHN THUNE, South Dakota, Chairman
ROGER F. WICKER, Mississippi BILL NELSON, Florida, Ranking
ROY BLUNT, Missouri MARIA CANTWELL, Washington
TED CRUZ, Texas AMY KLOBUCHAR, Minnesota
DEB FISCHER, Nebraska RICHARD BLUMENTHAL, Connecticut
JERRY MORAN, Kansas BRIAN SCHATZ, Hawaii
DAN SULLIVAN, Alaska EDWARD MARKEY, Massachusetts
DEAN HELLER, Nevada CORY BOOKER, New Jersey
JAMES INHOFE, Oklahoma TOM UDALL, New Mexico
MIKE LEE, Utah GARY PETERS, Michigan
RON JOHNSON, Wisconsin TAMMY BALDWIN, Wisconsin
SHELLEY MOORE CAPITO, West Virginia TAMMY DUCKWORTH, Illinois
CORY GARDNER, Colorado MAGGIE HASSAN, New Hampshire
TODD YOUNG, Indiana CATHERINE CORTEZ MASTO, Nevada
Nick Rossi, Staff Director
Adrian Arnakis, Deputy Staff Director
Jason Van Beek, General Counsel
Kim Lipsky, Democratic Staff Director
Chris Day, Democratic Deputy Staff Director
Renae Black, Senior Counsel
C O N T E N T S
----------
Page
Hearing held on June 21, 2017.................................... 1
Statement of Senator Thune....................................... 1
Statement of Senator Nelson...................................... 3
Prepared statement........................................... 4
Statement of Senator Booker...................................... 17
Statement of Senator Inhofe...................................... 19
Statement of Senator Cortez Masto................................ 21
Statement of Senator Gardner..................................... 23
Statement of Senator Sullivan.................................... 25
Statement of Senator Cantwell.................................... 27
Statement of Senator Blumenthal.................................. 28
Statement of Senator Peters...................................... 31
Statement of Senator Klobuchar................................... 33
Statement of Senator Hassan...................................... 35
Statement of Senator Capito...................................... 37
Witnesses
Vice Admiral David P. Pekoske, Nominee for Assistant Secretary of
Homeland Security, Transportation Security Administration, U.S.
Department of Homeland Security................................ 4
Prepared statement........................................... 7
Biographical information..................................... 9
Appendix
Response to written questions submitted to Vice Admiral David P.
Pekoske by:
Hon. Deb Fischer............................................. 41
Hon. Bill Nelson............................................. 41
Hon. Brian Schatz............................................ 42
Hon. Cory Booker............................................. 42
Hon. Tammy Duckworth......................................... 43
NOMINATION OF VICE ADMIRAL
DAVID P. PEKOSKE, TO BE ASSISTANT
SECRETARY OF HOMELAND SECURITY,
TRANSPORTATION SECURITY
ADMINISTRATION, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY
----------
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 21, 2017
U.S. Senate,
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation,
Washington, DC.
The Committee met, pursuant to notice, at 10 a.m. in room
SR-253, Russell Senate Office Building, Hon. John Thune,
Chairman of the Committee, presiding.
Present: Senators Thune [presiding], Nelson, Booker,
Inhofe, Cortez Masto, Gardner, Sullivan, Cantwell, Blumenthal,
Peters, Klobuchar, Hassan, Capito, Markey, Wicker, Young,
Fischer, and Heller.
OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. JOHN THUNE,
U.S. SENATOR FROM SOUTH DAKOTA
The Chairman. Good morning. Today we will consider the
nomination of Admiral David Pekoske to become the next
Administrator of the Transportation Security Administration.
Having spent over 32 years in the Coast Guard after graduating
from the Coast Guard Academy in 1977, Admiral Pekoske is an
exceptionally well-qualified nominee to become the next TSA
Administrator.
His extensive leadership experience ranges from serving as
the Commander of the Coast Guard's Pacific Area and Coast Guard
Defense Forces West, where he was in charge of all Coast Guard
operations in the Western Hemisphere, to becoming the 26th Vice
Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard in 2009, where he served as
the second-in-command, the Chief Operating Officer, and the
Component Acquisition Executive of the Coast Guard.
Admiral Pekoske's nomination to become TSA Administrator
comes at an important time. Security threats remain a
persistent challenge for both aviation and surface
transportation, and the TSA is not only tasked with protecting
these modes from terrorist attacks, but also ensuring the
freedom of movement of people and commerce in an efficient
manner.
Since its creation by this Committee in response to the 9/
11 attacks, the TSA has been subject to extensive scrutiny by
Congress, the public, and the media. The TSA has been
appropriately criticized for issues like the ease with which
covert testers from the Department of Homeland Security
Inspector General and the Government Accountability Office have
been able to smuggle contraband through screening checkpoints,
as well as persistent problems with large acquisitions.
In spite of these challenges, the previous TSA
Administrator, Admiral Peter Neffenger, made significant
positive changes to the agency, some of which include
shortening wait times during last summer's travel season,
improving technology at checkpoints, and the creation of a
training academy for workers. I hope that Admiral Pekoske can
build on these improvements, provide continuity for TSA's
workforce, and apply his extensive leadership skills to solving
the challenges that remain should he be confirmed.
The Commerce Committee has been active on aviation
security. Last Congress, the Committee passed the most
comprehensive reforms to TSA in a decade in the FAA Extension
Safety and Security Act of 2016, which addressed the challenges
posed by unauthorized access to secure areas of airports,
expanded access to TSA PreCheck, and attempted to optimize
checkpoint operations.
Earlier this year, however, the Commerce Committee held an
oversight hearing in which DHS Inspector General John Roth
testified that challenges still remain with regard to many of
these issues. Inspector General Roth's testimony indicated that
these challenges include vulnerabilities related to the vetting
of employees, ensuring that only cleared employees have access
to secure areas, and the troubling issue of lost or stolen
access badges. I hope that Admiral Pekoske will make progress
in addressing these persistent problems raised by Inspector
General Roth.
As the Committee continues work--to work, I should say,
with TSA to improve aviation security, it's important to
incorporate the perspectives of stakeholders. The Commerce
Committee recently held a hearing to highlight stakeholder
perspectives on improving TSA to better serve the traveling
public. One of the major themes that emerged from the witness
testimony was the need for a risk-based approach to security as
well as better collaboration between TSA and industry to
promote innovation.
Currently, the Agency is drawing considerable attention for
exploring the possible expansion of the ban on personal
electronic devices, such as laptop computers, on flights to the
United States from certain last point of departure airports.
While the Secretary of Homeland Security has recently signaled
that such a move may be unnecessary, this is a good example of
an issue where stakeholder collaboration will be critical to
the development of solutions and the acceptance and
implementation of security protocols. My hope is that Admiral
Pekoske will work to promote relationships with the private
sector and create a culture at TSA that embraces innovative
approaches to security.
In the surface transportation sector, a long-standing
challenge for TSA has been adopting a cross-cutting, risk-based
approach to security across all modes. In April, the Committee
held a markup on the Surface and Maritime Transportation
Security Act, which I introduced with Ranking Member Nelson.
Our bill would direct TSA to conduct an analysis across all
modes of transportation for asset deployment, require the TSA
apportion its budget on this basis, and establish a Surface
Transportation Advisory Committee similar to the Aviation
Stakeholder Advisory Committee. The bill was reported favorably
with bipartisan support, and we continue to work to ensure its
eventual enactment.
I was able to meet with Admiral Pekoske last week in
advance of this hearing, and I believe that, if confirmed, he
will provide important strategic and cultural continuity to TSA
in much the same manner as his distinguished predecessor. I
strongly support his nomination and I hope that we can move
quickly to confirm it.
With that, I will turn to our Ranking Member Senator Nelson
for any remarks he would like to make.
STATEMENT OF HON. BILL NELSON,
U.S. SENATOR FROM FLORIDA
Senator Nelson. Thanks, Mr. Chairman. And I agree with your
comments, and therefore I'll insert my comments in the record.
I just want to thank the Admiral for his 33 years with the
Coast Guard, which is a very professional team. And the members
of this Committee are very proud of the Coast Guard. And since
he had the whole West Coast, that includes all the way down to
American Samoa all the way up to the Bering Sea in the Arctic
area where the Coast Guard basically takes care of all of that
area.
One thing that we might look at in this ever-changing scene
of technology and the threats to transportation safety is that
wherever people bunch up, that's a soft target. And we found,
unfortunately, with Brussels and London, that that is outside
the secured areas. And someplace I was the other day, I think
it was at Grand Central Station, as people were getting ready
to form the line to go through the gates to get on the train
when the train arrived, and they don't let you go in until the
train has arrived so that you don't clutter up the platform
there by the tracks, I was thinking at the time, I mean, this
is a bunch of Americans all massed up together. And this is
stuff that you've got to worry about because it's all part of
our transportation safety.
Surface transportation, the security of that surface
transportation has been underfunded and unfocused, and the bill
that we are looking at aims to fix that by enhancing risk-based
security, requiring training to address the threats on our
highways, closing gaps in port security, and providing funding
to improve security at our rail stations and our seaports.
Now, the bill does something very, very important, and that
is it adds 200 K9 teams, and that is not only a powerful
technological thing because nobody has been able to reproduce
the sensitive sniffing of a dog, but it also provides a strong
psychological deterrence as well.
And on the FAA Extension, which passed a year ago, it
included bipartisan provisions to better guard against
terrorism threats and improve security screening.
And I will just say in conclusion that I think the people
that had advised the President were not giving the best advice
when they recommended cutting the dog teams in the President's
proposed budget. Once you're in the position, Admiral, you need
to make what you know to be true well known at OMB and the
White House. And what we're trying to do in the bill is
increase the number of canine teams, called VIPR teams.
So thank you, Mr. Chairman. Let's hear from the witness.
[The prepared statement of Senator Nelson follows:]
Prepared Statement of Hon. Bill Nelson, U.S. Senator from Florida
Thank you Vice Admiral Pekoske for joining us today to discuss your
nomination to be the next administrator of the Transportation Security
Administration. And I want to thank you for your 33 years with the
Coast Guard and your willingness to continue to serve our country.
As you know, TSA is tasked with protecting our transportation
systems and the traveling public, while also ensuring the flow of
commerce. Though TSA is most visible to the public at commercial
airports across the nation, the agency's security responsibilities cut
across all modes of transportation; including transit, railroads,
pipelines, and maritime.
As threats to our transportation systems evolve, TSA must respond
to meet new challenges and anticipate future risk.
For instance, the attacks this week in London and Brussels, as well
as several others over the last few years, continue to ring the alarm
that surface transportation security remains a serious threat.
That's why I worked with Chairman Thune and Senators Fischer and
Booker to introduce the Surface Transportation and Maritime Security
Act.
For too long, surface transportation security has been underfunded
and unfocused. Our bill aims to fix that by enhancing risk-based
security, requiring training to address threats on our highways,
closing gaps in port security, and providing funding to improve
security at our rail stations and ports.
Importantly, the bill adds as many as 200 K9 teams, which provides
a powerful psychological and physical deterrent to potential threats.
Also, the FAA extension, which passed into law in July 2016,
included bipartisan provisions to better guard against terrorism
threats and improve security screening efficiency for travelers.
For instance, it authorized TSA to double the number of TSA's VIPR
teams from 30 to as many as 60 teams. It also expanded grant funding to
assist law enforcement in preparing for and responding to mass casualty
and active shooter incidents at airports and mass transit systems.
TSA was also required to evaluate staffing, technology options, and
checkpoint configurations to expedite passenger movement through
security screening. This included efforts to expand TSA PreCheck.
Now although the administration increases TSA's overall budget from
the previous Fiscal Year, it includes several proposals that could
undermine security, including cutting the VIPR teams from 31 to 8,
eliminating TSA staffing at airport exit lanes, and eliminating the Law
Enforcement Officer Reimbursement Program.
Instead of cutting the tools that have proven most effective, I
believe we should be focused on reexamining and bolstering our
transportation security strategy.
Vice Admiral Pekoske, I look forward to hearing how you will
protect our citizens and our Nation's vital transportation networks.
And I hope that you will remain committed to visiting at least one of
our Florida airports with me.
The Chairman. Thank you, Senator Nelson.
And we are delighted to welcome Admiral David Pekoske, of
Maryland. He is here as a nominee to be Assistant Secretary of
Homeland Security, Transportation Security Administration.
So, Admiral, please proceed with your remarks, and we'll
look forward to, at the conclusion of those, asking you a few
questions. So please proceed.
STATEMENT OF VICE ADMIRAL DAVID P. PEKOSKE,
NOMINEE FOR ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF HOMELAND
SECURITY, TRANSPORTATION SECURITY ADMINISTRATION, U.S.
DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY
Admiral Pekoske. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Good morning,
Chairman Thune and Ranking Member Nelson and distinguished
members of this Committee. It is a privilege to appear before
you today as the President's nominee to lead the Transportation
Security Administration.
I am honored to have been nominated by President Trump for
this very important national security position, and if
confirmed, I look forward to the opportunity to work with
Secretary Kelly, Deputy Secretary Duke, and the entire team at
the Department of Homeland Security.
My first comments today are in strong support of the men
and women of the Transportation Security Administration. Each
and every one contributes to the security of our Nation's
transportation system and works tirelessly to earn the trust
and respect of the American people. Their work is critical to
the security of our aviation and surface transportation
systems, and they have, in my opinion, done an outstanding job
in protecting us from an ever present and very dynamic threat.
It would be my privilege to join them as their Administrator
and bring my leadership, skills, and experience directly to the
effort of securing our homeland.
TSA could not accomplish its mission were it not for the
strong partnerships it has with other Federal partners, state
and local public safety and law enforcement agencies, the
airline industry, the government services industry, airport
owners and operators, and international partners. Throughout my
professional career, I have seen firsthand the importance and
enormous value of strong partnerships and professional
relationships. This is the extended TSA team, and it would be
my privilege to join them as well in our collective goal of
ensuring transportation security in the United States.
I had the high honor of serving our country in the United
States Coast Guard for most of my adult life. I am forever
grateful to my Coast Guard colleagues for their investment in
my leadership and professional development. I have extensive
experience in counterterrorism and security operations and in
leading a large operating Federal agency that uses risk-based
management.
I was at the Coast Guard Commandant's side on 9/11 as his
executive assistant when the attacks on our homeland occurred.
Like all of you, I will never forget that day and the days that
immediately followed. I was privileged to remain as the
Commandant's executive assistant when the TSA and the
Department of Homeland Security were established.
In the summer of 2004, I served as the lead Federal
official for maritime security at our first two national
political conventions since 9/11, the Democratic National
Convention in Boston and the Republican National Convention in
New York City. Both were National Special Security Events, and
our security operations across all Federal, state, and local
agencies were very successful. Strong partnerships among law
enforcement and public safety agencies are absolutely critical
and are a very high priority for me.
I served as the Assistant Commandant for Operations at
Coast Guard headquarters, establishing service-wide policy for
our security operations and regularly participated in
discussions with the National Security Council staff and the
operations deputies of the other military services. As
Commander of the Pacific area, I was responsible for all Coast
Guard operations on the West Coast of the United States,
Alaska, and Hawaii. Given the vast expanse of the Pacific and
our national strategy of increasing emphasis on operations in
the Pacific theater, I worked closely with the Coast Guards of
Russia, China, South Korea, Japan, and Canada. I am a strong
supporter of international engagement and international
standard setting. Both can contribute substantially to the
security of the United States.
As Vice Commandant of the Coast Guard, I served as the Vice
Service Chief, the Chief Operating Office, and the Coast Guard
Acquisition Executive responsible to train, equip, and organize
a Coast Guard force of over 50,000 people. In addition, I was
the execution champion for the Coast Guard Innovation Program,
one of the most well-established innovation programs in
government. Should I be confirmed as TSA Administrator,
innovation will be one of my key focus areas. I think it is
critical in continuing to improve the effectiveness and
efficiency of TSA operations.
Following my Coast Guard service, I joined a very
successful mid-market company in the government services
industry. My experience in the private sector was very
valuable, and I learned how government can be a better consumer
of private sector expertise and support.
My experience in the Coast Guard and in the private sector
is directly relevant to the position of TSA Administrator.
Today, we face a multitude of threats that are persistent and
ever evolving. We know that certain terrorist organizations
remain focused on commercial aviation and disrupting the
freedoms we enjoy as an open society. Staying ahead of these
threats and ensuring that appropriate measures are in place
will continue to be TSA's most significant challenge.
If confirmed, it will be my honor to serve in what I
consider to be one of the most challenging jobs in government.
My overarching goal would be to lead the TSA in an ever
stronger position as an effective and efficient provider of
security for our transportation systems, especially aviation,
with a strong and growing level of public confidence in the
agency's mission performance.
I will articulate a clear vision for TSA to ensure all of
our efforts contribute to its achievement. My full intention is
to serve as TSA Administrator, if confirmed, for as long as the
President and the Secretary wish me to remain in this position.
I think leadership continuity at TSA is very important. If
confirmed, I would be the 13th Administrator in 16 years, when
you include those in an acting capacity.
I'm always reminded of a quote of Alexander Hamilton when
he, as our first Secretary of the Treasury, issued instructions
to the commanding officers of the Revenue Cutters, which are
the predecessors to the Coast Guard. Secretary Hamilton issued
these instructions in 1791. He said in part, ``They will always
keep in mind that their countrymen are free men and, as such,
are impatient of everything that bears the least mark of a
domineering spirit. They will, therefore, refrain, with the
most guarded circumspection, from whatever has a semblance of
haughtiness, rudeness, or insult.'' I think that sage advice
from one of our country's Founding Fathers applies to all
Federal officials involved in law enforcement and security
operations today. It is something that will guide me if I am so
fortunate as to have the opportunity to lead the TSA.
The TSA is the face of the Federal Government to millions
of air travelers every day. These travelers rightfully expect
effective and efficient screening with a minimum delay by
government officials who treat them with respect. I will work
diligently with the entire TSA workforce to ensure TSA
continues to meet this standard. We must balance the demands of
security with the imperatives of liberty guaranteed in our
Constitution.
In closing, I thank President Trump and Secretary Kelly for
their confidence in my ability to lead TSA. Chairman Thune,
Ranking Member Nelson, and distinguished members of this
Committee, I thank you for your courtesies during this
confirmation process and for the opportunity to appear before
you today. And I look forward to answering your questions.
Thank you, sir.
[The prepared statement and biographical information of
Admiral Pekoske follow:]
Prepared Statement of Vice Admiral David P. Pekoske, Nominee for
Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security, Transportation Security
Administration, U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Good morning Chairman Thune, Ranking Member Nelson and
distinguished members of this committee. It is a privilege to appear
before you today as the President's nominee to lead the Transportation
Security Administration (TSA). I would like to thank President Trump
for nominating me for this important national security position and I
would like to also thank Secretary Kelly and Deputy Secretary Duke for
their support during this process.
My first comments today are in strong support of the men and women
of the TSA. Each and every one contributes to the security of our
Nation's transportation system and works tirelessly to earn the trust
and respect of the American people. Their work is critical to the
security of our aviation and surface transportation systems and they
have, in my opinion, done an outstanding job in protecting us from an
ever present and very dynamic threat. It would be my privilege to join
them as their Administrator and bring my leadership, skills and
experience to the effort of securing our homeland.
TSA could not accomplish its mission were it not for the strong
partnerships it has with other Federal partners, state and local public
safety and law enforcement agencies, the airline industry, the
government services industry, airport owners and operators, and
international partners. Throughout my professional career I have seen
the importance and enormous value of strong partnerships and
professional relationships. This is the extended TSA team and it would
be my privilege to join them as well in our collective goal of ensuring
transportation security in the United States.
I had the high honor of serving our country in the United States
Coast Guard for most of my adult life. I am forever grateful to my
Coast Guard colleagues for their investment in my leadership and
professional development. If confirmed, I would join Admiral Jim Loy
and Vice Admiral Peter Neffenger as Coast Guard flag officers who have
also served as Administrator. Both of them made significant
contributions to the development of TSA and I welcome the opportunity
to build on the foundation they and other Administrators have laid
since the establishment of TSA by the Aviation and Transportation
Security Act.
I have extensive experience in counter-terrorism and security
operations and in leading a large operating Federal agency. I was at
the Coast Guard Commandant's side on 9/11 as his executive assistant
when the attacks on our homeland occurred. Like you, I will never
forget that day and the days that immediately followed. I was
privileged to remain as the Commandant's executive assistant when the
TSA and the Department of Homeland Security were established.
My first assignment as a Coast Guard flag officer was as Commander
of the First Coast Guard District, with regional responsibility for all
Coast Guard operations from Northern New Jersey to Maine. Within weeks
of arriving in this position, I served as the lead Federal official for
maritime security at our first two national political conventions since
9/11, the Democratic National Convention in Boston and the Republican
National Convention in New York City. As the District Commander, I had
oversight of the Coast Guard's maritime security operations in the
ports of New York, New Jersey and Boston. We effectively managed risk
and ensured the safe and secure flow of maritime commerce in these two
ports.
I served as the Assistant Commandant for Operations at Coast Guard
headquarters, establishing service-wide policy for our security
operations and regularly participating in discussions with the National
Security Council staff and the operations deputies of the other
military services. While the head of operations for the Coast Guard, we
matured the development of Coast Guard deployable specialized forces
that provided advanced counter-terrorism capability in our Nation's
ports and coastal areas.
I returned to Coast Guard field operations as Commander of the
Pacific Area. I was responsible for all Coast Guard operations on the
west coast of the United States, Alaska and Hawaii. In addition, I was
the operational commander of the Coast Guard's polar icebreaker fleet
with operations in the Arctic and Antarctic. Given the vast expanse of
the Pacific and our national strategy of increasing emphasis on
operations in the Pacific theater, I worked closely with the Coast
Guards of Russia, China, South Korea, Japan and Canada. I am a strong
supporter of international engagement and international standards
setting. Both can contribute substantially to the security of the
United States.
As Vice Commandant of the Coast Guard I served as the Vice Service
Chief, the Chief Operating Officer and the Coast Guard Acquisition
Executive responsible to train, equip and organize a Coast Guard force
of over 50,000 people. Both Coast Guard Area Commanders and the most
senior headquarters staff (Deputy Commandant for Operations, Deputy
Commandant for Mission Support, the Assistant Commandant for Resources,
The Judge Advocate General, and the Assistant Commandant for
Governmental and Public Affairs) reported directly to me in this
position. During this time, the Coast Guard responded to the Deepwater
Horizon Oil Spill and I served as Acting Commandant when ADM Thad Allen
became the National Incident Commander for Deepwater Horizon. In
addition, I was the executive champion for the Coast Guard Innovation
Program, one of the most well established innovation programs in
government. Should I be confirmed as TSA Administrator, innovation will
be one of my key focus areas. I think it is critical in continuing to
improve the effectiveness and efficiency of TSA operations.
Following my Coast Guard service, I joined a very successful mid-
market company in the government services industry. We provided
counter-terrorism services to components of the Departments of State,
Defense and Homeland Security. Our expertise was in counter-improvised
explosive devices. My experience in the private sector was very
valuable, as I learned how government can be a better consumer of
private sector expertise and support. In addition, I joined several
interest groups that advocated for military, veterans and national
security issues. I have been an instructor at the Naval Postgraduate
School for several years, participating in a course on innovation for
new flag/general officers and members of the Senior Executive Service.
I have also been an adjunct faculty member at American University
teaching a graduate course titled ``Politics, Policymaking and Public
Administration.''
My experience in the Coast Guard and in the private sector is
directly relevant to the mission of TSA. Today, we face a multitude of
threats that are persistent and ever evolving. We know that certain
terrorist organization remain focused on commercial aviation and
disrupting the freedoms we enjoy as an open society. Staying ahead of
these threats and ensuring the appropriate measures are in place will
continue to be TSA's most significant challenge.
TSA is the face of the Federal Government to millions of travelers
every day. These travelers rightful expect effective and efficient
security with the minimum of delay by government officials who treat
them with respect. I will work diligently with the entire TSA workforce
to ensure we meet this standard. We must balance the demands of
security with the imperatives of liberty guaranteed in our
Constitution.
If confirmed, it would be my honor to serve in of one of the most
challenging jobs in government. My overarching goal would be to leave
the TSA in an ever stronger position as an effective and efficient
provider of security for our transportation systems, especially
aviation, with a strong and growing level of public confidence in the
agency's mission performance.
I am always reminded of a quote of Alexander Hamilton when he, as
our first Secretary of the Treasury, issued instructions to the
Commanding Officers of Revenue Cutters (predecessors to the Coast
Guard) in 1791. He said, in part, ``They will always keep in mind that
their countrymen are freemen, and, as such are impatient of everything
that bears the least mark of a domineering spirit. They will,
therefore, refrain, with the most guarded circumspection, from whatever
has the semblance of haughtiness, rudeness, or insult.'' I think this
sage guidance from one our country's founding fathers applies to all
Federal officials involved in law enforcement and security operations
today. It is something that will guide me if I am so fortunate as to
have the opportunity to lead TSA.
In closing, I thank President Trump and Secretary Kelly for their
confidence in my ability to lead TSA. Chairman Thune, Ranking Member
Nelson and distinguished members of this committee, I thank you for the
opportunity to appear before you today and look forward to answering
your questions.
______
a. biograph1cal information
1. Name (Include any former names or nicknames used): David Peter
Pekoske.
2. Position to which nominated: Assistant Secretary of Homeland
Security, Transportation Security Administration.
3. Date of Nomination: June 6, 2017.
4. Address (List current place of residence and office addresses):
Residence: Information not released to the public.
Office: Information not provided.
5. Date and Place of Birth: May 5, 1955; Meriden. CT.
6. Provide the name, position, and place of employment for your
spouse (if married) and the names and ages of your children (including
stepchildren and children by a previous marriage).
Spouse: Michele R. Pekoske, maiden name Roy, not employed.
Children: Matthew D. Pekoske, 31; Kristen M. Pekoske, 29;
Corinne N. Pekoske, 25; Jillian E. Pekoske, 23.
7. List all college and graduate degrees. Provide year and school
attended.
U.S. Coast Guard Academy, BS, 1977
Columbia University, MPA, 1989
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, MBA, 1997
8. List all post-undergraduate employment, and highlight all
management level jobs held and any non-managerial jobs that relate to
the position for which you are nominated.
U.S. Coast Guard Active Duty (1977-2010)
Captain of the Port, Long Island Sound Executive Assistant to
the Commandant Commander, First Coast Guard District Assistant
Commandant for Operations Commander, Coast Guard Pacific Area
Vice Commandant
A-T Solutions, Inc.
Group President, National Security Solutions
PAE, Inc.
Vice President, National Programs
American University
Adjunct Professorial Lecturer, School of Public Affairs
Naval Postgraduate School
Instructor, Leading Innovation Program
Frontier Security Strategies
Expert (no work or income has been derived from this entity)
9. Attach a copy of your resume.
Please see the attached resume.
10. List any advisory, consultative, honorary, or other part-time
service or positions with Federal, State, or local governments, other
than those listed above, within the last ten years.
None with federal, state or local governments.
11. List all positions held as an officer, director, trustee,
partner, proprietor, agent, representative, or consultant of any
corporation, company, firm, partnership, or other business, enterprise,
educational, or other institution within the last ten years.
I have held positions with the following organizations:
InfraGard National Members Alliance, Chairman of the Board
and Board Member
Jewish Institute for the National Security of America, Board
of Advisors
Heroes Linked: Military Veterans Appreciation Trust
Foundation, Board of Advisors
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine,
Naval Studies Board, Member
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine,
Member--Committee on Polar Icebreaker Cost Assessment
U. S. Global Leadership Coalition, Member, National Security
Advisory Council
Coast Guard Academy Board of Trustees Member
Association for Rescue at Sea, Board Member
Country Place Citizens Association, Chair, Covenants
Committee
Pacific Architects and Engineers (PAE), Vice President
A-T Solutions, Group President
Frontier Security Strategies, Expert
12. Please list each membership you have had during the past ten
years or currently hold with any civic, social, charitable,
educational, political, professional, fraternal, benevolent or
religious organization, private club, or other membership organization.
Include dates of membership and any positions you have held with any
organization. Please note whether any such club or organization
restricts membership on the basis of sex, race, color, religion,
national origin, age, or handicap.
Coast Guard Academy Alumni Association, 1977-Present, Member
MIT Sloan Alumni Association, 1997-Present, Member
Neither organization restricts membership on the basis listed in
the question.
13. Have you ever been a candidate for and/or held a public office
(elected, non-elected, or appointed)? If so, indicate whether any
campaign has any outstanding debt, the amount, and whether you are
personally liable for that debt.
l4. Itemize all political contributions to any individual, campaign
organization political party) political action committee, or similar
entity of $500 or more for the past ten years. Also list all offices
you have held with, and services rendered to, a state or national
political party or election committee during the same period, None,
15. List all scholarships, fellowships, honorary degrees, honorary
society memberships, military medals, and any other special recognition
for outstanding service or achievements.
Homeland Security Distinguished Service Medal
Coast Guard Distinguished Service Medal (2 awards)
Legion of Merit (2 awards)
Meritorious Service Medal (5 awards)
Coast Guard Commendation Medal (2 awards)
Coast Guard Achievement Medal (4 awards)
Coast Guard Commandant's Letter of Commendation (1 award)
16. Please list each book, article, column, or publication you have
authored, individually or with others. Also list any speeches that you
have given on topics relevant to the position for which you have been
nominated. Do not attach copies of these publications unless otherwise
instructed.
I have authored three articles:
``Maritime Security for our Nation's Democratic Process,''
Joint Center for Operational Analysis and Lessons Learned,
Quarterly Bulletin, Volume VII, Issue 1, December 2004;
Marine Safety Program Editorial: Pacific Maritime Magazine,
October, 2007; and
``Modernization and the Coast Guard Reserve,'' Rudder Post
Newsletter, November, 2008.
Since my active duty CG service, I have spoken at a Maritime
Security Conference in Miami and at a World Customs Organization IT
Conference in Brisbane, Australia. Both speeches were on cross-border
risk management.
17. Please identify each instance in which you have testified
orally or in writing before Congress in a governmental or non-
governmental capacity and specify the date and subject matter of each
testimony.
House Committee on Homeland Security, Subcommittee on Border,
Maritime and Global Counterterrorism: Hearing on Border
Security, February 13, 2007
Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
Hearing on the Implementation of the SAFE Port Act, October 4,
2007
18. Given the current mission, major programs, and major
operational objectives of the department/agency to which you have been
nominated, what in your background or employment experience do you
believe affirmatively qualifies you for appointment to the position for
which you have been nominated, and why do you wish to serve in that
position?
Performance in top leadership positions of a large
operational agency in the Department of Homeland Security;
Experience in operational risk management and risk
mitigation;
Crisis leadership;
Experience working with other federal, state and local law
enforcement and public safety agencies;
Experience in working with industry and interest groups;
Knowledge of improvised explosive devices; and
Business experience in government services contracting.
I am honored to be nominated by the President for the position of
Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security, Transportation Security
Administration. I wish to serve in this position because I bring
seasoned executive level leadership that I will put to use to further
improve TSA operations and position the agency for the future. This is
a great opportunity to serve our country, lead the outstanding men and
women serving in TSA and help protect the American people.
19. What do you believe are your responsibilities, if confirmed, to
ensure that the depat1ment/agency has proper management and accounting
controls, and what experience do you have in managing a large
organization?
If confirmed, I will be responsible for ensuring required
management and accounting controls are being used at TSA. My most
relevant experience in managing a large organization was my service as
Vice Commandant. In that position I was the Coast Guard's Vice service
chief, Chief Operating Officer and Component Acquisition Executive.
20. What do you believe to be the top three challenges facing the
department/agency, and why?
The top three challenges, from my perspective as a nominee, are
workforce engagement, innovation, and surface transportation security.
Workforce Engagement. TSA is comprised of approximately 60,000
dedicated men and women who help ensure the security of our aviation
and surface transpm1ation systems. The workforce must be responsive to
the changing threat environment in providing effective and efficient
security services. They represent the face of government to the
traveling public and enjoy a public trust that their work makes air
travel secure. I will place emphasis on training and leadership
development of the TSA workforce with the goal of continued performance
improvement and higher levels of employee satisfaction.
Innovation. TSA has an innovation task force that formed a
beneficial public-private partnership with industry, airports and
airlines to foster innovation. This task force is working to identify
and introduce technology solutions to improve the effectiveness and
efficiency of checkpoint security. This outstanding effort needs to
continue to receive strong support from top leadership. In addition to
technological solutions, this partnership can foster innovation on
process improvements using existing and new technology.
Surface Transportation Security. TSA's role in surface
transportation security is focused on security program oversight,
system assessments, voluntary operator compliance with industry
standards, collaborative law enforcement and security operations, and
regulations. The risk to surface transportation needs to be continually
evaluated as threats evolve. Surface transportation systems are
vulnerable and a security incident can result in significant negative
consequences. I will ensure TSA continues to place emphasis on surface
transportation security.
b. potential conflicts of interest
1. Describe all financial arrangements, deferred compensation
agreements, and other continuing dealings with business associates,
clients, or customers. Please include information related to retirement
accounts.
Pursuant to a separation agreement with PAE, I receive fixed
biweekly payments that will continue through November, 2017. As part of
the agreement, I agreed to cooperate with PAE in a specific litigation
matter upon request and for which PAE will reimburse me for reasonable
expenses incurred in connection with such assistance with advance
approval from PAE.
I continue to participate in PAE's 401 (k) defined contribution
plan. The plan sponsor (PAE) no longer makes contributions. The sole
underlying asset in this defined contribution plan is detailed in the
Assets and Income section of my nominee Financial Disclosure Report
(OGE Form 278e).
As a Coast Guard retiree, I also receive monthly retirement
payments from the Federal Government.
2. Do you have any commitments or agreements, formal or informal,
to maintain employment, affiliation, or practice with any business,
association or other organization during your appointment? If so,
please explain.
None except as described in 1 above.
3. Indicate any investments, obligations, liabilities, or other
relationships which could involve potential conflicts of interest in
the position to which you have been nominated. None.
4. Describe any business relationship, dealing, or financial
transaction which you have had during the last ten years, whether for
yourself, on behalf of a client, or acting as an agent, that could in
any way constitute or result in a possible conflict of interest in the
position to which you have been nominated.
In connection with the nomination process, I have consulted with
the Office of Government Ethics and the Department of Homeland
Security's Designated Agency Ethics Official to identify potential
conflicts of interest. Any potential conflicts of interest will be
resolved in accordance with the terms of an ethics agreement that I
have entered into with the Department's Designated Agency Ethics
Official and that has been provided to this Committee. I am not aware
of any other potential conflicts of interest.
5. Describe any activity during the past ten years in which you
have been engaged for the purpose of directly or indirectly influencing
the passage, defeat, or modification of any legislation or affecting
the administration and execution of law or public policy. None.
6. Explain how you will resolve any potential conflict of interest,
including any that may be disclosed by your responses to the above
items.
I would obtain the advice of the agency or department ethics
official and follow that advice.
c. legal matters
1. Have you ever been disciplined or cited for a breach of ethics,
professional misconduct, or retaliation by, or been the subject of a
complaint to, any court, administrative agency, the Office of Special
Counsel, professional association, disciplinary committee, or other
professional group? If yes:
a. Provide the name of agency, association, committee, or group;
b. Provide the date the citation, disciplinary action, complaint, or
personnel action was issued or initiated;
c. Describe the citation, disciplinary action, complaint, or
personnel action;
d. Provide the results of the citation, disciplinary action,
complaint, or personnel action.
No.
2. Have you ever been investigated, arrested, charged, or held by
any Federal, State, or other law enforcement authority of any Federal,
State, county, or municipal entity, other than for a minor traffic
offense? If so, please explain. No.
3. Have you or any business or nonprofit of which you are or were
an officer ever been involved as a party in an administrative agency
proceeding, criminal proceeding, or civil litigation? If so, please
explain. No.
4. Have you ever been convicted (including pleas of guilty or nolo
contendere) of any criminal violation other than a minor traffic
offense? If so, please explain. No.
5. Have you ever been accused, formally or informally, of sexual
harassment or discrimination on the basis of sex, race, religion, or
any other basis? If so, please explain.
There was a complaint of discrimination under the Age
Discrimination Employment Act of 1967 initiated by an employee in 2005.
A mediation process was implemented and all issues between the parties
have been resolved. The agreement, signed on September 20, 2005,
contains a confidentiality clause which prohibits divulging the details
of the case.
6. Please advise the Committee of any additional information,
favorable or unfavorable, which you feel should be disclosed in
connection with your nomination. None.
d. relationship with committee
1. Will you ensure that your department/agency complies with
deadlines for information set by congressional committees? Yes.
2. Will you ensure that your department/agency does whatever it can
to protect congressional witnesses and whistle blowers from reprisal
for their testimony and disclosures? Yes.
3. Will you cooperate in providing the Committee with requested
witnesses, including technical experts and career employees, with
firsthand knowledge of matters of interest to the Committee? Yes.
4. Are you willing to appear and testify before any duly
constituted committee of the Congress on such occasions as you may be
reasonably requested to do so? Yes.
______
Resume of David P. Pekoske
Career Objective: Executive leadership position with a high growth/high
impact organization
Summary: Over six years of executive business experience leading a
homeland security/intelligence government services business area with
responsibility for revenue of $110 million and 13 percent year-over-
year growth. Board Chairman of a national security related not-for-
profit with over 35,000 members nation-wide. Extensive experience in
military and Federal interagency operations based on over 30 years of
Coast Guard service and continued strong relationships within
government. Strong executive leadership, management and communications
ability. Strengths include:
Strategy development
Operational leadership
Crisis management
Risk Assessment
Financial management
Team building
Accomplishments
Strategy development: Developed growth campaigns in the intelligence,
software development and homeland security business areas that grew
revenue even during periods of significant pressure on Federal
appropriations. Led a board of directors in developing and implementing
a national strategy to strengthen public-private sector partnerships to
enhance critical infrastructure protection.
Operational leadership: Executive responsibility for the execution of
multiple U.S. and foreign government contracts and the achievement of
business goals for revenue and profit. Led national planning effort for
maritime security operations during the 2004 national political
nominating conventions in Boston and New York, the first since 9/11,
directly contributing to the overall security success of both events.
Crisis management: Principal Federal Official for a national level
counter-terrorism exercise that strengthened industry-government
partnership and led to approval of a national response framework for
crisis response.
Risk assessment: Led the improvement of cross-border risk management
tools for vessels and cargo that are in use around the world. Matured
U.S. Government Maritime Security Risk Assessment Management tool that
consistently assesses risk in ports, identifying where greatest risk
buy-down can occur, making security more effective and efficient.
Financial management: Expertly managed a profit and loss (P&L) business
area. Demonstrated ability to improve return on sales performance and
achieve organic and new business growth. As the Coast Guard's Component
Acquisition Executive, championed the development and execution of an
annual acquisition budget that exceeded $1 billion in the largest major
asset recapitalization in Coast Guard history.
Team building: Successfully integrated business areas from two separate
companies into a third larger company. Skillfully integrated the
acquisition of a niche technology company into a larger national
security services business. Co-chaired a National Security Council
working group that developed policy choices and coordinated U.S.
Government planning for a potential mass migration from Cuba.
Recent Employment History
Vice President, National Programs, PAE, (2010-2016): Leads a business
area focused on the intelligence and homeland security markets with
responsibility for $110 million in revenue, $11 million in EBIT and
1,200 employees/consultants. Was formerly a business unit president for
a similar customer base with A-T Solutions prior to its acquisition in
2015 by PAE.
Vice Commandant, U.S. Coast Guard, Washington, D.C. (2009-2010):
Second-in-command of the U.S. Coast Guard, an 88,000-person military
service/federal agency with a $10.5 billion annual appropriation. Chief
Operating Officer and Component Acquisition Executive. First line
supervisor of CFO. Managed executive development, assignments and
evaluations.
Commander, Coast Guard Pacific Area, Alameda, CA (2008-2009):
Operational commander for all Coast Guard operations in the Pacific,
the Arctic and the Antarctic. Led the development of two new national
commands, the Deployable Operations Group and the Force Readiness
Command.
Assistant Commandant for Operations, U.S. Coast Guard, Washington, D.C.
(2006 -2008): Policy and resource responsibility for all of the Coast
Guard's operating programs. Chaired the Coast Guard Awards Board. Co-
chaired the Cuba Migration Work Group, National Security Council.
Chaired a DHS committee reporting to the Deputy Secretary that made
significant improvements to operations coordination across all of the
DHS operating components.
Commander, First Coast Guard District, Boston, MA (2004-2006):
Operational commander for all northeastern U.S. operational units. Pre-
designated Principal Federal Official for hurricane preparedness and
response in the Northeast.
Military bio available at:
http://www.uscg.mil/history/people/Flags/VCG/PekoskeDavidP_Bio.pdf
Education
Master of Business Administration, Sloan School of Management,
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Master of Public Administration, School of International and Public
Affairs, Columbia University
Bachelor of Science in Ocean Engineering, U.S. Coast Guard Academy
Security Clearance: Top Secret/SCI
Boards and Associations
Member, Naval Studies Board, National Academies, 2013-Pres.
Chairman, InfraGard National Members Alliance Board of Directors (a
35,000 member 501 (c) (3)), 2012-2015
Member, U.S. Global Leadership Coalition, National Security Advisory
Council, 2013-Pres.
Member, Association for Rescue at Sea Board of Directors, 2015-Pres.
Member, Heroes Linked Advisory Board, 2015-Pres.
Member, Jewish Institute of National Security Affairs Board of
Advisors, 2013-Pres. Member, Adjunct Faculty, American University
School of Public Affairs, 2012-Pres.
Instructor, Naval Postgraduate School Center for Executive Education,
2008-Pres.
The Chairman. Thank you, Admiral. We appreciate very much
your willingness to serve in what is a critically important
position. And we look forward to working with you to meet the
challenges that we have ahead of us.
Let me start by asking a question about the PreCheck
program at TSA in which I, and I assume a number of the Members
of this panel, participate. It's a valuable risk-based security
measure that provides expedited checkpoint screening at
airports for low-risk trusted travelers.
Last year, we included a provision in the FAA Extension to
strengthen TSA's faltering efforts to expand the PreCheck
Application program and enroll more vetted travelers. Since
enactment, the TSA has not implemented key elements required
under the law, such as soliciting multiple private sector
enrollment options or identifying a specific time-frame and
long-term strategy for approving private sector marketing and
PreCheck.
So the question, Admiral, is, do you believe it's important
to expand PreCheck enrollment opportunities for the traveling
public so that more trusted travelers are flying our skies and
the TSA can therefore focus on screening high-risk travelers?
Admiral Pekoske. Mr. Chairman, yes, I do. I am also a
PreCheck participant. I think it's a terrific program. About 5
million of our travelers are enrolled in PreCheck, and then
when you add in some of the other programs, you get up to about
8 million people. But that only accounts for maybe 18 or 20
percent of the traveling public, which is way too low in my
opinion. If confirmed, I'm going to take a close look at the
recommendations that the Committee has made, was passed in law,
and do everything we can to make enrollment easier for people,
encourage enrollment, and ensure that the incentives for
PreCheck are clear and evident to travelers as they go through
the queue, sir.
The Chairman. And so that's what I want, the follow up is,
will you commit to fulfilling the directives from Congress
regarding this program in a timely manner and then update our
Committee on how TSA will expand PreCheck under your
leadership?
Admiral Pekoske. Yes, sir, I commit to doing that.
The Chairman. TSA's primary focus has been aviation
security. However, threats have continued to evolve, and soft
targets and open environments, such as train stations, have
become an area of increasing concern. If confirmed, how would
you seek to address these security challenges without impeding
the flow of passengers and commerce?
Admiral Pekoske. Sir, we're reminded nearly every day now
of the risks in the surface transportation mode and also the
risks in the aviation mode. And from my perspective, if
confirmed, I would absolutely bring that risk-based approach to
weighing how resources are allocated amongst the different
modes of transportation.
When I look at the risk in any particular transportation
mode, I look at three things: I look at the threat, the
vulnerability, and the consequence should an incident occur. I
can see the vulnerability and the consequence absolutely in the
surface transportation side. I don't yet have the intelligence
briefings that would help me evaluate the threat, but I intend
to do that very quickly if confirmed and take a very close look
at that. That is a key priority of mine.
I'm a user of mass transit and I just think we need to
reassure ourselves of a very dynamic, a very moving threat
picture, and make sure that we're applying resources in the
right locations.
The Chairman. Historically, TSA has experienced
difficulties in retaining full-time security officers. Staffing
levels fell by more than 4,600 from 2013 to 2016 while
passenger volumes during the same time period rose by
approximately 15 percent. If confirmed, what would you do to
increase the retention rates at TSA?
Admiral Pekoske. Mr. Chairman, if confirmed, looking at the
retention rates and the overall job satisfaction amongst the
TSA workforce is one of my very top priorities. The TSA
workforce, particularly at the front lines, are the front line
of our organization. They interact with the American public day
in and day out in the number of millions of interactions. I
think that continuing the efforts of Administrator Neffenger in
that regard would be very appropriate, providing training,
providing some sense of what a career path in TSA would look
like for our frontline officials, a career path in other
elements of the Department of Homeland Security as well would
be very important.
The bottom line, though, from my perspective, having worked
with a widely dispersed workforce in the Coast Guard of similar
size, it's very important for top leadership to be present with
that workforce to understand what challenges they have in
accomplishing their job and to support them in good procedures,
seek their input, provide appropriate technology out there, but
really understand the challenges that that frontline workforce
is facing.
Finally, I would say that an attrition rate that approaches
12 percent for the full-time workforce costs a lot of money,
and it also reduces the effectiveness of the agency because you
lose that experience base going forward. And so increased
retention and job satisfaction are absolute top priorities of
mine.
The Chairman. Great. Recent terror threats to commercial
aviation resulted in a ban on certain carry-on electronic
devices for individuals traveling from select airports to the
United States. And as I noted in my opening remarks, this ban
and the debate about whether to expand it demonstrate both the
urgent need to work with our aviation partners and to quickly
deploy advanced security technology to combat the latest
threats. Unfortunately, it currently takes TSA many years to
test, evaluate, procure, and deploy new technologies.
How will you prioritize deploying the latest security
technology quickly and effectively? And will you work with
Congress to bring any ideas to the table from your private
sector experience regarding ways that TSA could improve its
efforts?
Admiral Pekoske. Yes, sir, I would absolutely work with
Congress and bring my private sector experience to the table. I
had a different perspective in the private sector and have a
number of ways I think that government agencies can be much
more responsive and get better value for their investment in
private sector work.
The TSA, as I understand it, has stood up an Innovation
Task Force that has looked at various technologies to put in
place at the screening locations. This is showing real promise,
from what I understand. My experience in the Coast Guard
Innovation is significant, and I would bring that experience to
TSA in accelerating the work of the Innovation Task Force. I'll
throw my full support behind it, if confirmed, but also looking
for input from the TSA workforce and stakeholders of TSA as to
how we can improve our processes. We, in the Coast Guard,
receive an awful lot of good recommendations, and basically use
a crowdsourcing methodology to beta test them, if you will, and
I would look to bring some similar system like that in place in
TSA, if confirmed, to get input from the workforce and from
stakeholders on how we can better process people through
screening points.
The Chairman. Thank you, Admiral.
Senator Nelson.
Senator Nelson. Mr. Chairman, I think Senator Booker has an
appointment that he needs to make, so let me defer to him for
the questioning.
The Chairman. Senator Booker.
STATEMENT OF HON. CORY BOOKER,
U.S. SENATOR FROM NEW JERSEY
Senator Booker. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. Thank
you very much to my Ranking Member.
I've been really concerned about within the 9/11 Report,
they talk very specifically about the urgency around rail
security in our country, but I haven't seen sort of a
coordinated plan coming out of TSA about allocating assets to
rail safety and rail security.
As you know, in September 2016, there were a series of
attacks carried out in New York and New Jersey, including an
incident involving pipe bombs found near Amtrak, a New Jersey
Transit train station, in Elizabeth, New Jersey. There were
incredible law enforcement leaders at that time who worked
diligently. They located the pipe bombs. They were able to
remove them before they could harm passengers. It was really a
great tribute to law enforcement in the New Jersey community,
but the incidents really underscore how vulnerable many of our
surface transportation systems are to these threats.
I don't believe that we're even complying with some of the
directives that came out of the 9/11 Report, and it seems often
we're fighting the last terrorist attack or the last incident
as opposed to looking about forward. And we see what's
happening in Europe where a number of attacks are focused on
rail transportation. And the incident in Brussels obviously
continues to highlight the need to address surface
transportation security.
So can you describe to me some of the ways that TSA, under
your leadership, can address these security threats of surface
transportation specifically with my concerns around the safety
of rail transportation in our country?
Admiral Pekoske. Yes, sir. If confirmed, I would put a lot
of effort in TSA into looking at the intelligence around the
rail threat in particular. TSA has an exceptional intelligence
and analysis operation. It's very well coordinated with the
intelligence community overall. And from my perspective, the
intelligence community has done a very good job of keeping
Americans safe, and really, as you said, looking at the threat
that is next, not the threat that we just dealt with. So I
would place a lot of emphasis, if confirmed, on looking at the
threat for rail.
And then in addition to that, great communication with the
rail operators and the local law enforcement around those key
rail transportation nodes so you can understand from their
perspective what they see. They have their own sources of
information, certainly valuable experience, that we could all
benefit from. And this is very much a collaborative effort, but
I would place a lot of emphasis on really focusing intelligence
to make sure that we've taken a good hard look at this and
understand the risk.
Senator Booker. OK. And then just specifically the 9/11
Report. It was actually way back in 2007. I wasn't here then,
but Congress passed legislation requiring the TSA and other
agencies to implement the recommendations of the 9/11
Commission. What has been frustrating to me is that some of
those recommendations have languished since 2007, like the
training for frontline transit and freight employees. And this
was an area of significant frustration for me when I came to
the U.S. Senate, to see specific requirements from Congress not
being fulfilled.
And so can you commit to implementing the 9/11 requirements
in order to ensure that we have more frontline employees
protecting our surface transportation system? Even just the
allocation of TSA resources, it's so dramatically weighted
toward air travel, which is critical and important, but even
the 9/11 Commission indicated the concerns with surface
transportation, and it seems to me--but, again, there were
requirements for reporting of a plan, but it seems to me we
should have a better investment in resources.
And so I guess what I'm looking for is just a commitment on
implementing the specific 9/11 requirements and the
congressional legislation passed in 2007.
Admiral Pekoske. Yes, sir, you have my commitment to do
that. And I would be happy to report back to you if confirmed
on the status shortly after I get into office.
Senator Booker. So I'm grateful. Just really quickly, port
security is obviously something that's very important to the
state of New Jersey and is part of TSA's mission. Would you
also commit to ensuring me that major seaports like the Port
Authority--like the Port of New York and New Jersey will have
the resources and support to ensure secure movement of freight?
Admiral Pekoske. Yes, sir. The TSA works very closely with
the Coast Guard, of which I'm very, very familiar.
Senator Booker. Yes.
Admiral Pekoske. And when I was the First District
Commander, I had oversight of the captain of the port
operations in the Port of New York and New Jersey, and I will
commit to taking a very close and hard look at that to make
sure that the TSA and Coast Guard coordination is what we would
expect it to be.
Senator Booker. Right. And no need to respond, but I'm just
hoping that aspects like the VIPR team bomb-sniffing canines,
something that we've had bipartisan support for, are really
critical.
And with my last 10 seconds, I just want to thank you for
your willingness to continue to serve your country. It's an
extraordinary commitment that many Americans make. They don't
get the gratitude that they deserve. But I want you to know I'm
grateful that you're putting yourself up for this position and
willing to subject yourself to questions like these.
Admiral Pekoske. Thank you, Senator. I appreciate it.
The Chairman. Thank you, Senator Booker.
Senator Inhofe.
STATEMENT OF HON. JIM INHOFE,
U.S. SENATOR FROM OKLAHOMA
Senator Inhofe. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Admiral, first of all, I appreciate very much the time that
you spent with me and with other members of this Committee
prior to this hearing. And everyone knows how significant this
is. I shared with you some personal experiences I've had with
the Coast Guard, with what they have done, their expertise in
the area that you are going to be involved in, even commenting
that when I had occasion to fly a little airplane around the
world, I found myself going from Coast Guard station to Coast
Guard station because I knew what their missions were, and it's
so much more than just search and rescue.
I think it would be worthwhile to run over a few things
that the Coast Guard has been doing, because before it was
popular, they were involved in this field. So what the Coast
Guard has been doing in terms of its mission and then how you
personally were involved in that. And then following that up on
specifically what you were doing on 9/11 and so forth.
Let's start with the Coast Guard in general as a training
ground for this job.
Admiral Pekoske. Senator, thanks for the question. I think
the Coast Guard is actually almost a perfect training ground
for this job. And if you look at the similarities between what
the Coast Guard does and what TSA does, it's striking how
similar the organizations are, both relying on a risk-based
approach to providing the right resources at the right place at
the right time. Both are law enforcement agencies. Both are
regulatory agencies. Both are upscale. Coast Guard, 50,000-plus
individuals all throughout the country, as you mentioned, at
smaller stations, TSOs, and the Federal security director
staffs all throughout the Nation, 440-some-odd locations. And
certainly both in the Department of Homeland Security
originated in the Department of Transportation.
I think, too, that both organizations rely heavily on
intelligence information to kind of get ahead, as Senator
Booker was mentioning, to get ahead of the next threat so that
we're there and ready to meet it, should it occur.
And so I think really from those aspects of similarities
with the organization, it's a really good fit.
Additionally, I would say that, to go to the Chairman's
question earlier, when you look at the TSA workforce, how can
you really invest more heavily in that workforce? These folks
are on the front line of our operations. In my view, my
experience traveling over all the years since TSA has been
established is I've never had a bad experience at a security
checkpoint. I really respect very much the work that our
individuals, should I be confirmed in TSA, perform day in and
day out.
What I think is needed, though, is more investment in them
as individuals, in their training, and also in leadership
overall within the organization. TSA is 16 years old. The Coast
Guard is 226 years old. And what I bring from the Coast Guard
is a perspective of what a culture looks like that can be rapid
response to a changing dynamic threat that can empower people
at the lowest levels of the organization that are facing the
American public and really are the ones that make the decisions
that mean success or failure for your mission overall.
And so I am looking forward to joining the TSA workforce,
if confirmed, as much as I enjoyed working with the Coast Guard
workforce, which I enjoyed tremendously.
With respect to the public area of security, TSA, as I
understand it, has an initiative to look at public area
security overall, has a framework in place to be able to do
that, and is putting the resources and the time to ensure
better coordination and to ensure some standardization, if you
will, across the country at some basic level of performance. So
I think there has been good work done in that regard as well.
Senator Inhofe. Yes, I was going to ask you that you
elaborate a little bit on 9/11, what you were doing at that
time and----
Admiral Pekoske. Yes, sir. I was Admiral Loy's executive
assistant on 9/11. And as we can all remember, it was a
beautiful day here in Washington, D.C. We had several meetings
in the morning. Literally in the middle of one of those
meetings we got the first reports that flashed across the TV
monitor, and then from there on, it was a full-up response
trying to assess the impact of what was going on.
A couple of hours after the first attacks, of course, we
heard and saw the impact on the Pentagon building. I can
remember driving home that night, I lived in Northern Virginia
at the time, driving right by the Pentagon and to see the
Pentagon with smoke coming out of the structure was incredibly
impactful for me because you really got to see and feel exactly
what had happened.
I learned a lot by watching Admiral Loy and Secretary
Mineta respond to that incident. I think that they demonstrated
what I would hope to be able to demonstrate, is in a crisis
when you're called on and you have to respond and you have to
be really at the top of your profession in doing it, both of
those gentlemen were.
Senator Inhofe. And the reason I bring that up, because
I've also had personal experience in the southern tip of Texas.
Down there there's one of your stations, in South Padre Island,
Texas.
Admiral Pekoske. Right.
Senator Inhofe. Every time we've had some type of an
incident come up or a threat of a terrorist attack, the very
thing that you'll be doing in your job, they were the first
ones to respond.
Admiral Pekoske. Right.
Senator Inhofe. And I've been down there and I've actually
seen them. And my time is expired, but just one word of
caution. There will be a lot of people out there that would
like to use an incident that may be isolated where some little
old lady is being frisked or something, you know what is going
to happen, and so you're going to get ready for a media that's
not your best friend. They may be now, but they won't be later
on as this progresses.
Admiral Pekoske. Yes, sir.
Senator Inhofe. I look forward to working with you.
Admiral Pekoske. Yes, sir. Thank you, likewise.
The Chairman. Thank you, Senator Inhofe.
Senator Masto.
STATEMENT OF HON. CATHERINE CORTEZ MASTO,
U.S. SENATOR FROM NEVADA
Senator Cortez Masto. Thank you.
Admiral, it's good to see you again. Thank you again for
taking the time.
Admiral Pekoske. Thank you.
Senator Cortez Masto. And let me just say this. Like you, I
was here during 9/11, I was actually working in the U.S.
Attorney's Office, and that has shaped my interactions as a
prosecutor, not only here locally, but for the state of Nevada,
and how we should be responding and our concerns with terrorist
activity, not just in our states, but around the world.
Admiral Pekoske. Right.
Senator Cortez Masto. So I appreciate your comments. I want
to jump back to the budget because we talked a little bit about
that. You're going to be having to work in an environment where
there are budget cuts that are happening. And I will tell you I
am concerned about the impact that those budget cuts are going
to happen on the mission of the TSA if you are confirmed. So I
want to talk a little bit about that.
As a matter of policy, can you talk a little bit about your
perspective on K9 units and how valuable those are to the
mission of the TSA? I know we are including some funding to
increase the K9 units. Can you talk a little bit about that?
Admiral Pekoske. Yes, Senator, I can. I am a very strong
supporter of K9 teams. I think they are incredibly effective at
detecting what they are trained to detect. And also, equally
important in some ways, is they're very effective in deterring
activity wherever the canines are present. They're very easy to
see, and I think it deters behavior. It might signal a behavior
detection officer to notice some response on the part of an
individual in a public area where a K9 is operating.
In the Coast Guard, we had K9 teams, a very small number,
but we had K9 teams. We found them to be very effective for the
work that we did. I will place high emphasis on K9 capability.
I think it's a very good investment for TSA. It's a very good
investment for the country. The challenge with K9 teams is it
takes a long time to train them. It takes about a year to train
the handler and the dog, but once they're trained, they're a
team for many years. And I am a huge fan and will place
continued emphasis on it.
Senator Cortez Masto. But I appreciate you saying that
because I do have concerns with respect to the budget cuts. We
are cutting TSA agents for the exit lane staffing.
Admiral Pekoske. Right.
Senator Cortez Masto. And can you address that? How will
you--if those cuts go through, is that going to impact your
mission? And how will you fill that gap?
Admiral Pekoske. Senator, thank you. I was not involved, as
you know, in those decisions. I saw the budget as the budget
was released by the Administration back in May. If confirmed, I
will get together with the TSA budget operation and really
understand the rationale behind some of those budget actions.
And I also commit to you and this Committee that as you do your
work in the appropriations process and the review process, as
the Senate and the House do, we will be very responsive to
information you may need to make judgments with respect to the
budget in FY18.
Senator Cortez Masto. Thank you. And I would hope that you
would commit to being an advocate for your staff, for the
resources that you need, against any ill-advised spending cuts,
particularly those that are going to be unfortunately used to
build potentially a border wall or reinforce and take away from
the mission of the TSA. I would hope you can commit to at least
being an advocate for that.
Admiral Pekoske. Yes, Senator, that's a key aspect of my
job, is to advocate for the agency to make sure we have the
capability that we need to perform the mission that we've been
tasked with performing, but knowing full well that there are
going to be tradeoffs. There are affordability issues always,
but my job is to advocate for what I think is best for TSA.
Senator Cortez Masto. Thank you. And, Admiral, can you talk
just a little bit philosophically how you see the relationship
and the responsibilities at the Federal level versus those at
the local airports and how you envision that relationship
moving forward? Obviously, what you do impacts a lot of our
airports in many of our communities. And how do you plan on
developing that relationship and what do you think it should
look like?
Admiral Pekoske. Senator, thank you for the question. I
plan to invest an awful lot of time in developing relationships
within TSA, with the TSA workforce, understanding what they
deal with day in and day out, and how TSA can best support them
in accomplishing the mission they need to perform. If
confirmed, I will also spend a great deal of time with all the
stakeholders for transportation security writ large, aviation
and surface. So I want to know the partners. I know what issues
they have and can consider that.
And I think it's important to have really good
relationships in advance. If there's an incident or something
happens or people tend to get at odds, having a relationship in
advance is critically important. And so I would invest
significant time in the early part of my tenure at TSA, if
confirmed, in getting to know all the stakeholders across the
transportation systems and having a good relationship with
them.
Senator Cortez Masto. Thank you. And then, finally, we had
this discussion as well. Your TSA officers, they have
discretion.
Admiral Pekoske. Right.
Senator Cortez Masto. And I would hope that you would be
committed to adopting written policies and procedures and help
guiding that discretion for those TSA officers and recognizing
the importance of guiding that discretion.
Admiral Pekoske. Yes, Senator, I think it's really
important to have guidance out there. And I also think it's
equally important that our officers on the front lines have a
degree of discretion. When I was in their position as a much
younger officer in the Coast Guard, I appreciated the
discretion the organization gave me, but I had guidelines that
I needed to follow because, you know, when you have a response
to something, you need to make instant decisions. And I want
the workforce to know, if confirmed, that they have the
discretion within those guidelines to make the decisions they
need to make.
Senator Cortez Masto. Thank you, Admiral.
Admiral Pekoske. Thank you.
The Chairman. Thank you, Senator Masto.
Senator Gardner.
STATEMENT OF HON. CORY GARDNER,
U.S. SENATOR FROM COLORADO
Senator Gardner. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Thank you, Admiral Pekoske, for being here today. When
Congress passed--the last Congress--the FAA Extension bill, it
included legislation that I authored known at the SCREEN FAST
Act. The bill established a pilot program at category X
airports for the purpose of implementing innovative screening
checkpoints to improve security of passenger throughput. Last
week, TSA announced that it was moving forward with these pilot
programs through implementation of a new security checkpoint at
Denver International Airport checkpoint lane with innovative
screening technology using biometric technology that had,
quote, the potential to automate the travel document checking
process. Obviously, these are pretty exciting possibilities and
could mean a significant--make a significant difference in
terms of the throughput of our airports. And so I would just
hope we could get your commitment today for your continued
implementation and work to continually implement the pilot
programs outlined in SCREEN FAST at Denver International
Airport and other airports across the country.
Admiral Pekoske. Yes, sir, you have that commitment. In
fact, I'm very excited about those pilot programs. If
confirmed, one of the things that I would want to take a look
at is, what does the checkpoint of the future look like? And it
would embed I think some of those ideas. But that would be to
me a North Star, if you will, for the future of the
organization. You could align your personnel strategies, your
acquisition strategies, your innovation strategies, to get to
that goal. So I agree with you 100 percent, sir, that the more
we can embed technology, just try some things out. I mean, I
think we should be willing to try some things out, and if they
don't work as envisioned, then we look at something else. But
trying them out is important.
Senator Gardner. And there are a lot of airports like DIA
and others around the country that have some pretty great
facilities that would allow those testing projects, pilot
programs, to occur. They have a lot of space and a lot of
opportunity to really see how they can work and how they can be
combined with TSA and airport initiatives.
Speaking of Denver International Airport and the work
they're doing, obviously, if you travel there, you will see
that in the Great Hall where they do the screening, you've got
the upper level here where you can kind of sit, stand, take
pictures looking down at everybody going through the
checkpoints. You can take a look at who is doing what when it
comes to security screening. You can take pictures of the
monitors as the X-ray machines do their work.
And so DIA recognizes, particularly in light of other
tragic events around the globe, the need to make some security
changes at the airport. And so they're working on advanced
security technologies and talk about restructuring the main
terminal building to move the security locations.
And I would like your commitment to work with DIA and other
airports to ensure that their checkpoints, their TSA
checkpoints, are adequately funded, the transition process at
DIA is smooth and on schedule with minimal disruption.
Admiral Pekoske. Yes, sir, you have that commitment. And I
applaud their initiative, in looking at it.
Senator Gardner. Thank you. And in the TSA budget request,
it includes a proposal to eliminate funding for the law
enforcement office program, which reimburses airports for the
law enforcement efforts that they put toward funding to
complement TSA's security presence. Airports in Colorado, like
Colorado Springs Airport, have expressed concerns that these
proposed cuts could hurt their ability to have local law
enforcement partnerships with the Federal Government to keep
these places safe and secure. So if confirmed, will you review
the proposal to eliminate funding for the LEO office?
Admiral Pekoske. Senator, if confirmed, I will certainly
examine the proposal to eliminate funding. Secretary Kelly
testified on this just recently, and I'll just echo his
comments that when those grants were first established, they
were really never intended to be grants forever. It was
intended to provide a boost when the program was first starting
up. So I understand the rationale for what's in the budget, but
I will take a close look at it if confirmed.
Senator Gardner. Admiral Pekoske, thank you.
Admiral Pekoske. Thank you.
The Chairman. Thank you, Senator Gardner.
Senator Nelson.
Senator Nelson. Just a couple of questions here so we can
get on with our members' questions. Tell me, I mentioned in my
opening remarks that the administration's proposed budget cuts
the VIPR teams. Since you are appointed by the administration,
how are you going to get around this other than us increasing
the VIPR teams in the legislation?
Admiral Pekoske. Sir, the budget proposal, as I understand
it, reduces the VIPR teams from 31 to 8, so there are still
some VIPR teams present. I have worked with VIPR teams in the
past. I understand the value that they provide, not just to
aviation transportation security, but also to surface
transportation security. I will work very hard to understand if
those cuts are implemented how TSA would best implement those
and coordinate very closely with our stakeholders.
But at the end of the day, I support the President's
budget, but I want to make sure that as the appropriations
process proceeds, that Members of Congress have the information
that they need to make their own assessment of what's in the
budget.
Senator Nelson. Well, then basically, I hate to put it this
way, but we're going to have to save you from yourself. You
know, last year we doubled the number of VIPR teams on the
appropriate legislation, and everybody agreed with that. That
was not a controversial issue. And now the President is taking
the current set before they've ever been doubled and is cutting
that, and that's just not going to stand.
So I guess it's going to have to be us rescuing you to not
only double it as to what was provided last year, but even
increase it further, because there is nothing like a dog as a
deterrent, particularly in these areas where people are queuing
up outside of security.
Admiral Pekoske. Yes, sir. And I agree with the risk of
large congregations of people in any public space and what that
presents. And I would say that my experience with the VIPR
teams is very positive. I do think they have a very good effect
on security.
Senator Nelson. I just--I feel--I cringe for you that you
have to support the President's budget because you have to,
when, in fact, everybody in this room knows that it ought to go
the other way.
Let me ask you about the DHS Inspector General conducted
covert testing of TSA's passenger screening technologies, and
the results are classified, but the IG described the results as
troubling and disappointing. And according to media reports,
TSA airport screeners failed to detect explosives and weapons
nearly 95 percent of the time. So the DHS IG has announced that
he is now engaged in another round of covert testing. So what
would you, when you get to be Administrator, do to correct the
deficiencies that are noted in the IG report?
Admiral Pekoske. Yes, sir. If confirmed, one of the first
things I'll do is read the IG report. I haven't been able to
read the classified sections of that report. I know the report
exists and have seen the media reports that you mentioned, sir.
And I would just say as well that I appreciate the work the IG
is doing. I think that's a very valuable input into TSA
operations, and I take to heart the IG recommendations, but
will look very closely at the classified section of that
report.
Senator Nelson. OK. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I want to give
the opportunity to the members.
The Chairman. Thank you, Senator Nelson.
Senator Sullivan.
STATEMENT OF HON. DAN SULLIVAN,
U.S. SENATOR FROM ALASKA
Senator Sullivan. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
And, Admiral, thank you for your willingness to serve. I
think you have a great background. I think you're very well
qualified. I look forward to supporting your confirmation. I
also appreciate your quote from Alexander Hamilton in your
written statement. I think that that not just applies to you,
but should apply to all of us, right? It's a very useful quote
when we're thinking about public service and the privilege that
we all have in serving our fellow Americans.
Admiral Pekoske. Yes, sir.
Senator Sullivan. I also appreciate just the focus in this
hearing on the issues that you talked about in terms of
personnel and retention and morale of the workforce. Like a lot
of my colleagues, I travel a lot. I live in Anchorage, and I
see the TSA officials literally a couple times a week, and I
think overall we have outstanding men and women, you know, at
least in my state, in Anchorage and Fairbanks, throughout the
entire state. So I think addressing morale issues, as you say,
you're a young agency, is going to be really important. Any
sense on that? I know you've got to get on the ground and get a
sense, but any sense right now how you want to do that?
Admiral Pekoske. Yes, sir. I think it's critically
important. And my sense right now, and based on my experience
in the Coast Guard, is I think it's critically important that
the top leadership of an organization interact with,
understand, walk in the shoes of----
Senator Sullivan. Yes.
Admiral Pekoske.--their frontline employees. And it's
important that those frontline employees know you have their
back. You're providing them guidance. You want to seek their
input as to how you do--you know, what kind of guidance should
we provide you to do your job? But when they perform the job
according to the guidance you provided, you stand behind those
individuals because, as you know, sir, going through the check
lines, everything is captured on video.
Senator Sullivan. Yes.
Admiral Pekoske. And oftentimes I assume that the TSA
officers have followed the guidance that's been provided, I
just think they need to be properly backed up by their
leadership throughout. So for me, it would be showing keen
interest in what they're doing, because that's very genuine on
my part. When I was in the Coast Guard, I spent the majority of
my time in the field trying to understand how the mission was
performing and what I could do, as one of the leaders of the
organization, to make the folks that we charge with actually
performing the mission more effective at performing it.
Senator Sullivan. Great. Well, I think that's going to be
an important focus.
We've talked about a number of areas in terms of security.
I want to highlight three and then get a sense from you how you
would prioritize these.
So we've obviously talked about air travel. And Senator
Nelson just mentioned the whole issue of soft targets outside
the security perimeter, which I think is a big issue. Senator
Booker talked a lot and the Chairman talked about mass transit,
and I also share their concerns. Obviously, Alaska doesn't have
the kind of mass transit that New Jersey does, but it certainly
looks like it's a potential for a soft target that terrorists
could take advantage of.
One that does impact my state that I'd like your views on
is critical infrastructure. You've spent time in Alaska. We
have the 800-mile trans-Alaska pipeline that's one of the most
important pieces of energy infrastructure in the country.
Admiral Pekoske. Right.
Senator Sullivan. So how do you prioritize those three
different areas--air travel, mass transit on the ground, and
critical infrastructure--when you're looking at your job
responsibilities?
Admiral Pekoske. Yes, sir, that's a significant challenge.
And if confirmed, I would apply the same principles that we
applied in the Coast Guard, which is what I understand TSA is
doing right now, and that's taking a risk-based approach to how
resources are allocated.
Senator Sullivan. Do you think TSA is giving enough
attention to critical infrastructure, not just the traveling
elements, the transportation elements of the responsibilities
of TSA?
Admiral Pekoske. Yes, sir. I don't know the answer to that,
but that's one of the answers I want to get if confirmed to
make sure that we are, because it's looking across the entire
transportation system, and you've got to have an effort to
focus on all of that so you can make those risk-based judgments
going forward.
Senator Sullivan. Well, I'd like your views on that once
you get confirmed.
Admiral Pekoske. Yes, sir.
Senator Sullivan. And, again, I look forward to supporting
your confirmation.
Let me finish with, you know, DHS is moving forward with
the implementation of the REAL ID standards for air travel in
2018. And as states are working their way through compliance,
how do you foresee getting ahead of trying to mitigate what are
bound to be and in some circumstances are already happening,
passenger confusion and frustration at airport screening
checkpoints, that are going to result from that law?
Admiral Pekoske. Yes, sir. If confirmed, I think
communications is critical to make sure that folks understand.
I think the worst thing that could happen is somebody shows up
at the airport, they tried to find the information and couldn't
find it somewhere. And so good communication is absolutely
critical----
Senator Sullivan. Or that they know that they've got to
come to the airport with certain IDs?
Admiral Pekoske. Yes, sir, that's what I'm talking about.
So that they know what IDs are acceptable at the airport.
Senator Sullivan. OK. Well, I think having a focus on that
is going to be important----
Admiral Pekoske. Yes, sir.
Senator Sullivan.--so we can mitigate a bottleneck across
the country once that implementation happens.
Admiral Pekoske. Yes, sir. Absolutely.
Senator Sullivan. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
The Chairman. Thank you, Senator Sullivan.
Senator Cantwell.
STATEMENT OF HON. MARIA CANTWELL,
U.S. SENATOR FROM WASHINGTON
Senator Cantwell. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
And, Mr. Pekoske, thank you for your willingness to serve.
Sea-Tac Airport has been one of the fastest growing large hub
airports in the United States for the last 3 years. It was
designated to handle about 25 million passengers, but last year
it handled 45 million passengers, and it's going to continue to
grow. So these issues of how we plan for security and
efficiency are very critical to us. We have had many
conversations, and TSA has been to Sea-Tac, tours, all of this,
and has committed to adding additional staffing as the season
demands, and I hope you would continue to do the same thing.
Admiral Pekoske. Yes, Senator, I would.
Senator Cantwell. Thank you. Then we will definitely be
following up with you on details.
OK. My colleague from Nevada brought up the K9 units and
their effectiveness. To me, post what's happened in
international airports and our own facility, you mentioned
deterrents, which I love the fact that these K9 units can be
deterrents out in the outer perimeters of the airport, which is
just a great added layer of security. And also they can help
make for a more expedient line, which is one of the ways that
we handle Sea-Tac because if you're built for 25 million and
you're handling 45 million, you need some tools. And so they've
been a very viable tool there.
One of the ideas that we have been looking at, because I
think nationally we need about 300 to 500 more K9 units, and
the training does take a long time and the certification takes
a long time.
Admiral Pekoske. Right.
Senator Cantwell. What about looking at--would you be
willing to look at information and material about doing some of
this training in facilities outside of Laughlin if it meet
Laughlin standards?
Admiral Pekoske. Yes, absolutely. As long as it meets the
standards, I think how it's sourced is something we ought to
take a look at. And as you mentioned, Senator, the supply is
limited. And so if you have a desire to increase your capacity,
you need to look at alternate sources of supply at the same
time.
Senator Cantwell. Well, thank you for that. That's a great
commitment. And that's where I am. And just for the record, I
know that some airports are anxious. Our airport is willing to
pay for this. Sea-Tac has seen the cost effectiveness and the
security aspect of it. And just as they pay for other airport
improvements, they're willing to pay for this one. It's not
letting the Federal Government off of any hook, they're just
willing to help deal with the capacity issues.
Admiral Pekoske. Sure.
Senator Cantwell. So I hope that some of our colleagues
would look at that as well and discuss with TSA this ability to
give us more capacity. There is no better security than these
dogs, no better security that we can get. So their ability to
detect explosives, people talk about what happened in Brussels,
you know, that a K9 unit would have been able to target that
activity well in advance. So I can't emphasize enough how much
I think we need to make this investment. So thank you for your
willingness to do the same.
Admiral Pekoske. Thank you.
The Chairman. Thank you, Senator Cantwell.
Senator Blumenthal.
STATEMENT OF HON. RICHARD BLUMENTHAL,
U.S. SENATOR FROM CONNECTICUT
Senator Blumenthal. Thanks, Mr. Chairman.
Thank you for your service, and I appreciate you being here
this morning.
One troubling area of threat around the world, and
certainly at our transportation facilities, is the use of
everyday implements, vehicles, in causing the kinds of mass
attacks that we've come to associate with other forms of
weapons, use of vans, for example, most recently in Britain and
Brussels. I wonder if you could share with us your insights as
to how those kinds of attacks can be prevented, if they can be,
what TSA is doing to research this area of threat, and how
you're working with other agencies?
Admiral Pekoske. Sure. Senator, I don't know specifically
how TSA is dealing with this kind of threat right now, but if
confirmed, I would certainly take a very close look at that.
I'm going to make an assumption, though, based on what I know
about intelligence operations in my Coast Guard experience, is
that they are looking at threats writ large across the board
and closely coordinating with Federal, state, and local
agencies to gather information, and also through social media
to see what's on social media so they can get ahead of what
might be chatted about on the World Wide Web. So, sir, I commit
to you that I will take a very close look at that to ensure the
intelligence is properly focused, if confirmed.
Senator Blumenthal. Well, I hope you will. You know, it's
obviously an area of great urgency, and we tend to focus on the
TSA screeners at the airports. And by the way, I want to join
in thanking them for their service, as I do the Coast Guard. I
try to thank the TSA screeners at the airports where I go. I
have a feeling I'm in the minority of people they see in
expressing my appreciation. But certainly they're very
dedicated, they have tough work to do, and they perform an
important service----
Admiral Pekoske. Yes, sir.
Senator Blumenthal.--and you will be providing them with
leadership.
And I want to say that 2 years ago I asked your predecessor
at his nomination hearing about the task that Senator Booker
raised, the task of our rail and transit network, its
vulnerability, and the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission.
He committed to completing the task of requiring railroads to
properly vet and train employees and have plans in place to
prepare for and avert terrorist attacks at our rail and other
transit facilities.
Now we have a new administration and now the rules
unfortunately are still languishing. But making matters worse,
the new administration has pursued a regulatory freeze and a
hiring freeze, which may have impacts on the ongoing effort to
implement these programs. So my question to you is, are you
committed to completing these congressional mandates?
Admiral Pekoske. Yes, sir, I am committed to going back and
reexamining what the congressional mandate is so I understand
it completely and getting a very thorough assessment as to
where TSA is with respect to meeting those commitments. This is
in law, so it's something that TSA is bound to comply with. So
I will take a very close look at that, sir, if confirmed. And
then I would like to get on your schedule to come back and talk
with you about it.
Senator Blumenthal. I apologize that my schedule prevented
us from getting together before now.
Admiral Pekoske. Sure.
Senator Blumenthal. But I would welcome and be very eager
to sit down with you.
Admiral Pekoske. Sure.
Senator Blumenthal. Let me ask, finally, in the short
remaining time I have, last month Homeland Security Secretary
Kelly said in an interview, television interview, on Fox, and
I'm paraphrasing, that passengers are trying to avoid check bag
fees, cramming their belongings into carry-on bags, and that
makes it harder for the TSA to screen bags. And the full quote
is people trying to avoid the $25 or $50 or whatever it is to
check a bag are now stuffing your carry-on bags to the point
of, well, they can't get any more in there, so the more you
stuff in there, the less TSA professionals that are looking at
what's in those bags through the monitors, they can't tell
what's in the bags anymore, end of quote. Would you agree with
that assessment?
Admiral Pekoske. I would say guilty as charged. I do the
same thing. I watch the TSA screeners try to make sense of what
I have in my briefcase because I've got a lot of things in
there, and I know it's incredibly difficult for them to do it.
They do a very good job of trying to discern what's there.
Oftentimes they have to refer to a supervisor to validate some
of the conclusions they might make. But I agree with you, that
there's an incentive to bring your bag with you, and therefore
you put everything that you can in that bag, and it makes it
harder for the screeners.
Sir, I also think that, if confirmed, we ought to look at
the technology that might enable us to see better what's in
those bags knowing that that's what passengers are doing.
Senator Blumenthal. But there is a very low-tech solution
here, which is to eliminate the bag fees.
Admiral Pekoske. Right.
Senator Blumenthal. And to eliminate a lot of the incentive
for people stuffing everything they own into the bags.
Admiral Pekoske. Right.
Senator Blumenthal. That's kind of obvious.
Admiral Pekoske. Right.
Senator Blumenthal. And the only reason it hasn't been
adopted is that the airlines are making money from it, a lot of
money.
Admiral Pekoske. Yes, sir.
Senator Blumenthal. And so, as a matter of fact, Senator
Markey and I have written to Secretary Kelly seeking additional
information, and I hope that we can follow up with both you and
him on this issue.
Admiral Pekoske. Yes, sir.
Senator Blumenthal. And I wish you well in your new role,
as a Connecticut native, born in Meriden----
Admiral Pekoske. Yes, sir.
Senator Blumenthal.--and raised in Southington, we would
welcome you back. I hope you will come back and visit us----
Admiral Pekoske. Thank you, sir.
Senator Blumenthal.--and the Coast Guard Academy, where you
spent I hope a number of happy years.
Admiral Pekoske. Yes, sir. I did. I did. Except for the
first 3 months, everything else was very happy. I'm just
kidding. It was a great experience. And actually I was assigned
back in Connecticut for 2 years as the Captain of Port of Long
Island Sound. Many members of my family are still in
Connecticut. We're up there often. So thank you, sir.
Senator Blumenthal. Great.
The Chairman. Thank you, Senator----
Senator Blumenthal. Well, let me know when you visit. Thank
you.
The Chairman. Thank you, Senator Blumenthal.
Senator Peters.
STATEMENT OF HON. GARY PETERS,
U.S. SENATOR FROM MICHIGAN
Senator Peters. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Thank you, Admiral Pekoske, for your testimony here today.
In recent years, I know a number of airports have been putting
substantial investments in their infrastructure in order to
deal with safety, but threats continue to get more complex.
You're also getting increased threats in non-sterile areas as
well. So I think there is certainly a tremendous need for
additional security improvements from an infrastructure
standpoint throughout airports. But I've heard from airports in
my state of Michigan that when they talk to the FAA about
funding airport security initiatives in their individual
airports, the FAA always says it's the responsibility of the
TSA and then when they go talk to the TSA, the TSA says it's
the responsibility of the FAA. So they're finding this kind of
finger-pointing back and forth, pretty frustrating, as I do.
I'm a member of this Committee which has jurisdiction over
the TSA. I'm also a member of the Homeland Security Committee.
So we're going to try to work through this and find out how we
can coordinate better to make the kind of necessary security
improvements that we need to make.
Right now I'm working on legislation that will allow
airports to use the passenger facility charge that they collect
for security infrastructure projects. I'd like to hear from
you, if confirmed, would you ensure that the TSA does its part
to help airports with security infrastructure projects?
Admiral Pekoske. Yes, sir. If confirmed, I think one of the
first things to do is to make sure that people are brought to
the table and talk with each other. At an airport, bring the
TSA Federal Security Director, the FAA lead in that airport,
and the airport authority together to have a conversation as to
what each other's roles and responsibilities are and
expectations. So ideally they can all align and find a path
forward.
What I will commit to you, sir, is I will take a look, a
very close look, at the issue. I am not familiar with the
funding streams that would be associated with that, but I will
certainly take a look at it, given that you've raised it, sir,
and get back to you.
Senator Peters. Well, that was my second question, if you
would support the creation of an airport security-focused grant
program, something you probably aren't prepared to answer now--
--
Admiral Pekoske. Right.
Senator Peters.--but if confirmed, is that something that
you would put some effort into?
Admiral Pekoske. Yes, sir, I would definitely take a look
at that potentiality.
Senator Peters. Do you support the House proposal that
would redirect airline passenger security fees, which are right
now used to offset unrelated government funding? Would you
support bringing that back for aviation security purposes?
Admiral Pekoske. Sir, I support adequate funding for TSA
overall. And however that funding arrives at TSA, whether it's
through fees or through appropriated funds, as long as I get
the funding that is needed to provide the security that we're
charged in law to provide, I'm happy.
Senator Peters. The FAA Extension included a number of
provisions to respond to insider threats and improve the
screening of airport workers, such as requiring the recurrent
vetting of airport workers as part of the FBI's Rap Back
program.
Admiral Pekoske. Mm-hmm.
Senator Peters. The Detroit Metropolitan Airport has been
very proactive in implementing these requirements, and they've
even gone further by rebadging all 18,000 employees every year,
establishing a thorough and standardized inspection process for
all the deliveries that are coming into the airport as well,
which, of course, is a way to get contraband and dangerous
articles into the airport.
Admiral Pekoske. Right.
Senator Peters. What programs or improvements do you hope
to implement to address the issue of insider threats, if
confirmed?
Admiral Pekoske. Yes, sir. Insider threats are a
significant issue. And I think a lot of good work has already
been done in that regard. One is to increase the random
screening of airport workers, not to the point yet of 100
percent screening. Some airports do, do that on their own. But
from a TSA perspective, as I understand it, to increase the
random frequency at which those workers are checked.
The other thing, as I understand it from my briefings with
TSA to get ready for this hearing, is that they're trying to
reduce the number of checkpoints so that the access points in
the airport are fewer in number so that you can have greater
control over the flow of workers back and forth.
Senator Peters. Very good. As you know, the TSA Screening
Passengers by Observation program is designed to identify and
engage individuals who may be high risk on the basis of their
actions or verbal cues that TSA officers are watching. And I
know it has been an important program for the detection and
deterrence of individuals, but I also know that there are folks
who believe that this can lead to racial profiling as a whole,
and I've certainly heard individual complaints from folks,
particularly in the greater Detroit area with a large Muslim
American community that I represent. And although I'm aware
that Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv is also one of the most
secure airports in the world, and they implement a variety of
these techniques there, so it is a balance that we have to
make.
But I'm curious as to what your thoughts are on the TSA
Screening Passengers by Observation program. Do you think it's
working? And how would you improve it if confirmed?
Admiral Pekoske. Yes, sir. I don't have enough information
to be able to assess whether or not it's working. Some
information that I would get, if confirmed, and I get into the
Agency and can better understand it. As I understand it,
though, from public reports, that behavior detection officer
function has been embedded with the regular TSA workforce as
well, which makes to me a lot of good sense because you've got
more eyes looking at passengers as they're going through.
I do think, and I appreciate your comment about racial
profiling or profiling of any nature, that's something that we
just don't do. And I think if you get a report or a complaint
in that regard, you need to look into it quickly to make sure
that if it did happen, that you quickly adjust your procedures
and your training to make sure it doesn't recur. But
unfortunately, that will happen on occasion. You just need to
look at it quickly and address it right up front.
Senator Peters. Great. Thank you so much.
Admiral Pekoske. Thank you.
The Chairman. Thank you, Senator Peters.
Senator Hassan. Oh, sorry, Senator Klobuchar is back.
Senator Klobuchar. No, no, no, I----
The Chairman. Senator Klobuchar is back, so she is----
STATEMENT OF HON. AMY KLOBUCHAR,
U.S. SENATOR FROM MINNESOTA
Senator Klobuchar. That's OK. OK. All right. We'll spend
all of our time going back and forth. That will be lovely.
[Laughter.]
Senator Klobuchar. Mr. Pekoske, thank you so much for being
here, and the important work that needs to be done here. We
recently had an all-Senator security briefing on threats to
aviation security. You're probably aware of that, including the
recent laptop ban on flights from some of the international
airports. As a TSA Administrator, you will oversee screening
travelers and baggage for over 1.8 million passengers a day at
450 of our Nation's airports. Given your military service and
your experience in operational leadership, what do you think
are the biggest challenges associated with aviation security?
Admiral Pekoske. Senator, the biggest challenges in my view
is, first and foremost, the training of the TSA workforce and
the support of the TSA workforce. Those are the individuals who
do an outstanding job, in my view, and if confirmed, I would
look forward to joining them in this effort. But they need to
have guidance that makes good sense. And I'm not saying that
they don't have it right now, it's just something that I would
look at because I haven't been privy to that at this point in
time.
And also the discretion to make judgments on their part
when they see something that might not fit for them. That's
very much a Coast Guard model. We place authority at the point
of service delivery in the Coast Guard and give our young petty
officers and young officers a lot of discretion as to how they
apply the guidance that we provide. I think that's important
for the TSA workforce as well. Plus, as an individual, I kind
of like that, I like people to give me some leeway into how I
do my job.
Senator Klobuchar. Yes.
Admiral Pekoske. So for me, an absolute focus on the
workforce. And then second, Senator, would be a focus on giving
the workforce the tools to best do the job, and that's through
the Innovation Task Force that I understand TSA has and has
produced some good results, putting the technology in place
that will make them more successful in their jobs.
You know, to give the example of the individual that
screens carry-on baggage. I mean, when you look at those
screens, if you get a chance to glimpse around and see that
screen, it's very hard to discern good versus bad within that
image, and so providing some better equipment to make that job
better and more effective for those individuals I think is
critically important.
Senator Klobuchar. Right. And I would also add just the new
technology that we keep testing it.
Admiral Pekoske. Right.
Senator Klobuchar. We just are debuting something new at
the Minneapolis Airport, Delta is doing it there in Atlanta,
with facial recognition.
Admiral Pekoske. Right.
Senator Klobuchar. And then also has some self-checking of
bags. I don't know. I read it, it looked complicated. I was
like, ``No!'' But I think it's good to try new things and----
[Laughter.]
Senator Klobuchar.--I don't really mean that, it's probably
a good thing, but just trying to find those new things. I know
you talked at length about VIPR teams, you and I have talked
about that and how important that has been in our airports when
we have those huge lines, nightmarish waits, and we were able
to speed it up with Admiral Neffenger, and we were able to do
some new things. It was a big change.
And that leads me to the efficiency issue. According to the
U.S. Travel Association, reducing TSA waits, you can do it
without compromising security, which is, of course, our number
one goal, security, and it could generate an additional $85
billion in travel, and which, of course, means a lot of jobs.
Which areas of TSA operations do you think are
opportunities to reduce traveler hassle without compromising
security?
Admiral Pekoske. Senator, I think one of the key ways would
be to bring more people into the Trusted Traveler Program,
whether it's through PreCheck or Global Entry. That would be
critical to improving the flow, but when you do that, you get
more people into the TSA PreCheck lines, you've got to make
sure that you process them through the lines expeditiously as
well because you can't have a longer queue in the PreCheck line
than you have in the standard line and expect people to want to
do that.
So I think that bringing more people into those kinds of
programs is really, really important.
Senator Klobuchar. And I know--I think Senator Blumenthal
may have asked you about this, but the Federal hiring freeze?
Admiral Pekoske. Right.
Senator Klobuchar. How will the partial continuation of the
hiring freeze affect our homeland security?
Admiral Pekoske. Senator, as I understand the TSA budget,
the impact on the hiring freeze is going to be mostly felt on
the support end of TSA. And that helps the operations continue,
but it does have--you know, I've watched this dynamic in the
past in my Coast Guard service. At some point you can't trim
support too deeply because then you start to affect the ability
of the frontline forces to get their job done, too. So it's a
very careful balance. But----
Senator Klobuchar. Right. And you and I had a good
discussion about the morale issue as well.
Admiral Pekoske. Right. Yes.
Senator Klobuchar. Just last question. General aviation
industry, we have Cirrus that makes jets in Minnesota, and they
use a few of them in South Dakota. Many of the TSA's existing
security guidelines rely heavily on the general aviation
community to detect and report suspicious activity. For this
strategy to be effective, it is important that pilots and
airport personnel know who to contact with security concerns.
What steps would you take to work with the general aviation
community to improve security?
Admiral Pekoske. Well, I, first off, Senator, if confirmed,
would make sure they know who to call. I mean, I think that's
pretty important.
Senator Klobuchar. That's a good beginning. We like that, a
simple answer. That's good.
Admiral Pekoske. Right. Right. And, you know, the Federal
Security Directors, as I understand the structure, have
responsibility for some of the smaller airports as well. That
Federal Security Director, in my view, ought to be a visible
presence on occasion at the smaller airports so people actually
put a face to a name and know who it is.
Senator Klobuchar. All right. I really appreciate your
answers. Thank you very much.
Admiral Pekoske. Thank you.
The Chairman. Thank you, Senator Klobuchar.
Now Senator Hassan.
STATEMENT OF HON. MAGGIE HASSAN,
U.S. SENATOR FROM NEW HAMPSHIRE
Senator Hassan. Thank you, Mr. Chair. And, Admiral, it is
very nice to see you again. Thank you for taking the time to
come by my office. I appreciated your willingness to do that
and our conversation very much.
I would just add my voice as we talked a little bit about
in that meeting to the request that you all take a look very
closely at the impact of baggage fees on the way we do business
and the cost to TSA, because the other concern I have, hearing
the concerns of my colleagues, is that as people work to keep
all their belongings with them to avoid the fees, it creates a
lot of congestion, we've got more bags to check, and we're
really taking a cost through TSA on that perhaps should be
borne by the airlines.
So I would love it if you would continue to look at the
impact of baggage fees on our security as well as convenience
in operations.
Which leads me to another issue that we touched on and
colleagues have touched on here. We know that we've seen a
number of troubling incidents of violence in the public areas
of non-sterile areas of our airports, the Los Angeles incident
in 2013 in which an active shooter killed five people--sorry,
where an officer was killed, and then it was the Fort
Lauderdale Airport where five people were killed in a baggage
claim area. A year ago, suicide explosions occurred in the
public areas of Brussels Airport and Istanbul Ataturk Airport,
killed 61 people.
And you've heard questions from my colleagues about the
reductions to VIPR teams and to grants to state and local law
enforcement in the budget. What I would ask you to think about
is that these soft areas of airports are really important. You
know, the basic understanding I have of security is it's always
better to push the threat farther away. And so I will tell you,
as a former Governor, if the local and state grants go away,
you will see personnel reductions at our airports. It's a fact,
because there just aren't the state and local budgets to match
it. It may have started out as a boost to help people get up to
speed after 9/11, but we're dealing with an evolving threat all
the time, and the need to change and coordinate across the
country in our air traffic system is really an important one.
So I would ask you, you weren't part of developing this
budget, I would ask you to stand up for that principle, that we
have a national interest in protecting the soft areas of our
airports and their perimeters, and that we really do need to
help our local and state folks be partners with that.
So I just hope you will commit to looking at that closely
and standing up for that principle.
Admiral Pekoske. Yes, yes, Senator, I will look at all of
the things you've asked me to look at. TSA, as I understand it,
has held some public area security summits, four so far this
year, which are designed to look at the framework that was
established for public area security, and then kind of talk
through in individual airport situations how the various
entities, the agencies, law enforcement, public safety, TSA
would respond, for instance. So I think that's really important
to continue to exercise.
And the other thing I would mention, Senator, is the use of
what's called advanced screening lanes, which is if you look at
the screening process, there are certain obvious bottlenecks.
Senator Hassan. Right.
Admiral Pekoske. One of the obvious bottlenecks, to me
anyway, as a passenger is when the individual is looking to try
to discern what's in your checked bag.
Senator Hassan. Yes.
Admiral Pekoske. The other one is as passengers try to put
their bags on the conveyor belts, some take longer because
they're not as familiar or might have different things in their
bags.
Senator Hassan. Yes.
Admiral Pekoske. And so these advanced screening lanes,
which I think are in 16 airports, as I recall, around the
country allow that process to move faster as well.
Senator Hassan. That would be very helpful. The other thing
I wanted to talk on, and I was at another hearing, so I may
have missed somebody else asking this question, but I wanted to
touch on, as I understand the FAA Extension bill from last
Congress helped to increase the vetting of U.S. airport workers
in order to prevent against insider threats. And you've talked
a little bit about that.
We obviously, though, don't have complete authority over
foreign airports. In two recent attacks, one at Mogadishu
International Airport in Somalia in 2016 and one at Sharm El
Sheikh Airport in Egypt in 2015, foreign airport workers were
believed to be complicit in aiding the attack.
From your perspective, do you think foreign airports,
especially those that are points of last departure to the
United States, are effectively screening their workers in order
to root out potential terrorist threats?
Admiral Pekoske. Senator, great question, and I don't know
the answer to that.
Senator Hassan. Yes.
Admiral Pekoske. I haven't delved into that, but if
confirmed, I will certainly look at that. I know that that's
also something Secretary Kelly has looked at with respect to
the laptop.
Senator Hassan. Yes. OK. Thank you very much.
And thank you, Mr. Chairman.
The Chairman. Thank you, Senator Hassan.
Senator Capito.
STATEMENT OF HON. SHELLEY MOORE CAPITO,
U.S. SENATOR FROM WEST VIRGINIA
Senator Capito. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And thank you,
Admiral Pekoske, for taking this I think daunting challenge
really on, and I certainly will be supportive. And thank you
for the visit to my office. When you were in my office, we
talked about not only your long and very admirable Coast Guard
history, which I'm very much in awe of, we talked about K9
teams, something I've become very interested in.
In April, when we passed our legislation to ask TSA to
develop a risk-based strategy, the bill included immediate
expansion of additional K9 teams because they are such a
reliable source. And I don't know if you've addressed this
issue before I got into the room, but I'm curious to know what
your perspective on the effectiveness of K9 teams would be, but
also I know through my work with the Capitol Police that the
resources to acquire and whether there are enough canines to
actually fulfill the desired needs is another issue.
So could you just address that issue? And I think that
would be very helpful in terms of all aspects of
transportation, not just in the lines, but in the perimeter
when people are getting dropped off to the airport. So if you
could just talk about that a little bit.
Admiral Pekoske. Yes, thanks, Senator. And thank you for
your time in your office. I greatly appreciate the time that
you spent with me.
With respect to canines, I have some experience with
canines. The Coast Guard used a limited number of K9 teams in
their Maritime Safety and Security Teams. From my perspective,
they're incredibly effective at detecting whatever it is the
canine is trained to detect. And importantly, they're also very
effective in deterring. People see a K9, that either causes
some behavior that people might notice or causes a person that
might be thinking of doing something to not go through with it
based on the canine.
And I think you're absolutely right, that the supply of
canines are limited, and it takes, as I understand it, about a
year to get the team trained. It's the handler and the canine.
Senator Cantwell asked me if we would consider other sources
beyond the source that we currently use, as I understand it,
down at Laughlin Air Force Base, and that's something that I'm
hoping to explore if I'm confirmed, is to look at other sources
of doing this, provided that they meet the same standard.
But I agree with your comment completely, that they're very
effective at what they do.
Senator Capito. I'd like to talk--and you touched on this a
little bit as I've listened to your testimony, but I think, at
least my impressions on certain occasions of going through the
lines at the airports, that--this isn't a universal thought,
but I would imagine the challenge of the morale. You know, a
TSA Agent on the front line right there has to be pretty
patient because you've got elderly people, you've got kids, you
have people who have never been through a line before, you've
got people who are mad because their flight is late, and
they've got an attitude, and then you've got everybody else,
and maybe they've been waiting in line for 15, 20 minutes, and
they're tired of it.
But I am concerned about the morale issue. How do you
propose to address that? And has there been a deep dive into
what the actual job satisfaction of a TSA agent is and what
improvements could be made? I learned actually over in my
Appropriations Committee that, believe it or not, Park Service
personnel don't like their job. And we all would think working
at a national park would be something everybody would like to
do.
Admiral Pekoske. Right.
Senator Capito. So I'm curious to know, because I think
this is a really important issue to be effective.
Admiral Pekoske. Senator, I couldn't agree with you more. I
think it's one of the most important things for a potential
Administrator of TSA to take a look at. And I think it's
critically important that the workforce views me, if I'm
confirmed, as someone who understands the challenges that they
face day in and day out beyond what a normal passenger going
through the line will see. And I accept your points that it's a
hard job, and you've got to be right all the time.
But I would reemphasize with the workforce, that what they
do is so critically important, and I'm not--I think they need
to be reminded of that day in and day out because I think if
you're doing it day in and day out, you might lose focus on it.
Senator Capito. Right.
Admiral Pekoske. They are, in many cases, the last line of
defense for somebody getting through our security process
because the gate check is really not much of a security check
at all. And so I would, if confirmed, spend a lot of time with
the frontline workforce, and I would want to make sure
everything else TSA does enables that frontline workforce.
They're the ones that are the face of TSA. They're the ones
that are providing direct security both for aviation and for
surface transportation in terms of guidance and support and
inspections.
I would just want to make sure that they are as supported
as they need to be to get their job done, appreciated by the
leadership, and have leadership that understands completely
what they're dealing with. So really good communications and
presence I think are important.
The final thing I would add to that is top leadership
interest is one thing, but you have to have interest throughout
the entire line of leadership within an organization. And so
their first-line supervisor has to be completely engaged with
our employees and really trying to find out what will make them
become more engaged in the workforce. I'm concerned with the
survey results I see and some of the reports I see as well.
Senator Capito. I appreciate that. And just a final
comment. I know you're going to be confirmed. After you're
confirmed, I'm sure you're going to be traveling across the
country to many airports. I would encourage you to go, and I'm
sure you will, to go to the smaller rural airports to see the
different challenges----
Admiral Pekoske. Yes. Right.
Senator Capito.--and also to see how successful they are at
meeting the challenges that they have in the smaller regional
airports. So thank you very much.
Admiral Pekoske. Thanks, Senator. I look forward to doing
that. Thank you.
The Chairman. Thank you, Senator Capito. And you can start
in South Dakota and West Virginia--right?--checking out those
smaller airports where all the Park Service employees are very
happy. It's in Minnesota that they're not happy, I think.
[Laughter.]
The Chairman. I think that's everybody that we have,
Admiral. So again welcome, and we appreciate so much your
remarks this morning and your response to our questions and
your willingness to serve our country in this very important
role. And we hope to be able to move your nomination fairly
quickly.
And so given that, we're going to keep the hearing record
open until this Friday, June 23, in the next couple days. If
Senators can get their questions for the record submitted as
quickly as possible, and if you could respond as quickly as
possible, we would like to be able to have you on our markup
agenda next week.
So I think with that, again thank you. We appreciate your
cooperation and the cooperation of all the members of the
Committee. And with that, this hearing is adjourned.
Admiral Pekoske. Thank you, sir.
[Whereupon, at 11:32 a.m., the hearing was adjourned.]
A P P E N D I X
Response to Written Questions Submitted by Hon. Deb Fischer to
Vice Admiral David P. Pekoske
Question 1. I understand that some transportation facilities would
like to use TWIC as part of their security plans. What do you think
about the voluntary use of TWIC for other modes of transportation, such
as pipelines, for facility security plans?
Answer. I am open to exploring the use of TWIC as part of facility
security plans. If confirmed, I will look closely into TSA's work on
this and would welcome the opportunity to discuss it further with you.
Question 2. Attacks on rail carriers in France in 2015 and Brussels
in 2016 highlight the vulnerabilities to our passenger rail systems.
These systems are naturally open, which can make them soft targets. TSA
does not directly manage passenger rail security, but provides support
for passenger rail systems through training and exercise programs. In
your opinion, how can we better protect and prepare passenger rail
systems to lessen their vulnerability?
Answer. In my opinion, we can better protect and prepare passenger
rail systems through vulnerability assessments, security plans and
exercises. Additionally, continued promotion of the ``See Something/Say
Something'' campaign would enlist passengers' help to provide
information to security personnel for evaluation and response, if
needed.
Question 3. In your opinion, do the Visible Intermodal Prevention
and Response, or VIPR (pronounced Viper) teams add to our
transportation security?
Answer. VIPR teams augment the security of any mode of
transportation and have been in use for over 10 years. In my opinion,
they contribute to transportation security by augmenting response and
deterrent capability, as part of an overall transportation security
system. If confirmed, I look forward to briefings on the evolution of
the use of VIPR teams.
______
Response to Written Questions Submitted by Hon. Bill Nelson to
Vice Admiral David P. Pekoske
Recent Attacks. There has been a series of tragic terrorist attacks
both abroad and here at home--from Belgium, France, and the U.K. to New
York and New Jersey. In the last year, we have also experienced a
tragic shooting at Fort Lauderdale's airport and most recently a
stabbing at Flint's airport. These attacks and threats are alarm bells
calling for us to reevaluate our transportation security systems in the
face of an evolving and persistent terrorist threat.
Question 1. What lessons have you learned in your career that will
enable you to best prevent these attacks?
Answer. In my career, I have learned that close cooperation and
communication among agencies and stakeholders is critical to prevent
security incidents from occurring and should they occur, to providing a
rapid and coordinated response to the incident. I think intelligence
analysis and sharing are very important to understanding the risk to
transportation systems and contributing to the planning and exercising
that are critical to overall transportation system security readiness.
Question 2. What should the Federal Government be doing to prevent
tragic surface transportation terrorist threats?
Answer. The Federal Government should be assessing the threat and
disseminating information as appropriate to state and local law
enforcement agencies and facility owners and operators. In my opinion,
the Federal Government should also allocate resources based on a
careful assessment of the risks to all transportation modes.
Funding for Surface Security. Experts have noted and international
experience shows that the opportunity for attacks on maritime and
surface transportation systems may be as great or greater than that of
aviation. Yet less than two percent of TSA's budget is devoted to
protecting surface transportation.
Question 3. Do the resources TSA directs to surface transportation
adequately reflect the risks?
Answer. If confirmed, I will assess TSA's resource allocation to
surface transportation security to determine whether relative resource
allocation is appropriate, and work with the Administration to address
funding priorities.
Agency's Challenges. Your predecessor was well regarded and led the
agency through some difficult times--whether it was testy interactions
with the public, long lines, or employment training and culture--while
accomplishing the mission.
Question 4. What do you think are the challenges the agency still
faces and how will you continue to improve how the public views TSA and
how TSA employees view themselves?
Answer. TSA still faces challenges with employee satisfaction. This
is reflected in workforce attrition rates and annual employee survey
results. Perceived employee morale issues and relatively high employee
attrition can affect employee performance and public confidence in the
agency. The TSA workforce is critical to the agency's mission success.
If confirmed, I will place great emphasis on improving employee
satisfaction, training, recognition, and leadership development.
Technology and process improvements are being made. Accelerating
the pace of these improvements to improve security effectiveness and
efficiency would further improve public opinion. If confirmed, I will
champion TSA innovation programs and a more rapid acquisition process.
TSA Precheck enrollment rates need to be improved. This is good for
security, the TSA workforce and travelers. If confirmed, I will review
the TSA Precheck program to identify ways that traveler participation
can be increased.
TSA Dispute. I am aware of a dispute between TSA and SecurityPoint
Media, a small business based in Florida that provides equipment and
services to airport authorities around the country. TSA has decided to
effectively block the company from expanding its operations beyond the
forty airports that it currently services.
Question 5. Will you commit to examining why TSA's General Counsel
has declined to revise its memorandum of understanding to allow airport
authorities to contract with SecurityPoint Media and providing an
update to the Committee?
Answer. If confirmed, I will examine the issue and provide an
update to the Committee.
Responding to Congress. For Congress to fulfill its constitutional
duty to conduct oversight, all members of Congress must have access to
testimony, briefings, and other information from the executive branch.
Question 6. Will you commit to promptly responding to all
congressional requests for information, including requests from members
in the minority?
Answer. If confirmed, I will commit to being responsive to all
requests from Congress.
______
Response to Written Question Submitted by Hon. Brian Schatz to
Vice Admiral David P. Pekoske
Minority Members' Oversight Requests. White House and the Office of
Legal Counsel have recently asked Federal Government agencies to only
answer oversight requests from committee chairmen, rather than all
members of Congress, including the ranking member.
Question. Do you personally commit to responding to oversight
requests and letters from minority members of Congress in a timely
manner?
Answer. If confirmed, I will commit to being responsive to all
Members of Congress.
______
Response to Written Questions Submitted by Hon. Cory Booker to
Vice Admiral David P. Pekoske
Canines, VIPER Teams, Soft Targets, Funding
Question 1. Mr. Pekoske, will you advocate for continued funding
and use of bomb-sniffing K9 teams at airports around the country?
Answer. If confirmed, I will advocate for K9 teams and allocate
those teams based on security risks to airports and transportation hubs
around the country.
Question 2. I also strongly support funding for Visible Intermodal
Prevention and Response (VIPR) teams, which are deployed by TSA in
coordination with other intelligence levels based on threats levels in
order to improve safety. Do you support ensuring use of VIPR teams in
reducing potential threats?
Answer. I support the use of VIPR teams in reducing potential
threats.
Question 3. As you know, in 2016, extremely long TSA wait times
plagued busy airports around the country including Newark Airport.
While we have seen improvements, these recent problems indicate a lack
of security resources at many of the busiest airports in the country.
Can you commit to ensuring that TSA continues to work with me and my
team to ensure that TSA has adequate staffing levels at Newark Airport?
Answer. If confirmed, I commit to ensuring that TSA continues to
work with you and your team to make the best use of currently available
screening resources at airports around the country. I view the role of
TSA Administrator as being a strong advocate for adequate resources to
complete the mission of the agency. If confirmed, I look forward to
working with you and your team to review the staffing levels at Newark
Airport in light of actual and projected passenger throughput.
Question 4. The Aviation Security Advisory Committee in 2015
identified the urgent need to better protect non-secure ``soft target''
areas of airports. Do you support ensuring that the Urban Area Security
Initiative (UASI) and State Homeland Security Grant Program (SHSGP) are
used for airport security, including securing ``soft target'' areas and
for training exercises?
Answer. If confirmed, I commit to thoroughly reviewing ASAC's
recommendations for non-secure ``soft target'' areas of airports. If
confirmed, I would be pleased to follow up directly with you or your
staff.
Air Marshals
Question 5. My office has received complaints from Federal Air
Marshals about the way they are being scheduled and utilized. I have
heard from some air marshals that they are often sleep deprived,
leading to health problems and creating a situation where the air
marshals could potentially not be at their best physically should a
problem arise on a flight. I have also heard that air marshals suffer
high rates of alcoholism and suicide. All of this seems very serious to
me--if confirmed, would you make it a priority to look into the working
conditions of our Federal air marshals?
Answer. Yes, if confirmed, I will make it a priority to look into
the working conditions of our Federal Air Marshals.
TSA Precheck
Question 6. The TSA indicates that higher rates of enrollment in
TSA Precheck is an effective way to reduce wait times and improve
security. Will you commit to work with me and my team to identify ways
to increase participation in TSA PreCheck?
Answer. Yes, if confirmed, increasing participation in TSA PreCheck
would be a priority and I will commit to working with you and your
team.
TSA Morale
Question 7. I was encouraged that in your questionnaire submitted
to the committee you have indicated a commitment to prioritize
workforce engagement. I often point out that while we always hear about
any incidents where TSA staff have made mistakes, there is rarely any
attention around the countless actions taken by dedicated
transportation service officers to protect millions of Americans and
save lives. Can you commit to work with me to find new ways to improve
morale at TSA in part by making sure we do more to recognize the hard
work of tens of thousands of dedicated transportation security officers
around the country?
Answer. If confirmed, I would welcome the opportunity to work with
you in finding ways to improve the morale at TSA. Recognizing the
strong dedication, high performance and hard work of the TSA workforce
is very important and a key function of leadership in DHS and in
Congress.
______
Response to Written Questions Submitted by Hon. Tammy Duckworth to
Vice Admiral David P. Pekoske
Airport Law Enforcement Support. Vice Admiral Pekoske, thank you
for your distinguished service to our country. Events like the shooting
at the airport passenger terminal in Fort Lauderdale earlier this year
and the 2013 airport shooting at LAX highlight the need for law
enforcement presence and response capabilities in terminals and at
passenger screening checkpoints.
Unfortunately, the President's FY18 budget calls for elimination of
the $45 million annual program that reimburses state and local law
enforcement agencies for providing support at passenger checkpoints.
Question 1. What challenges do you foresee in maintaining airport
law enforcement support at current levels if Federal funding is
eliminated as proposed?
Answer. I think the challenges in maintaining airport law
enforcement support at current levels, if Federal reimbursement is
eliminated as proposed in the President's FY18 budget request, will
vary by local law enforcement jurisdiction. If confirmed, I will ensure
TSA works closely with those law enforcement agencies, who are key
partners, to mitigate the effect of any potential reductions in
support.
Question 2. As TSA Administrator, what is your plan to ensure that
law enforcement presence at airports is not diminished and that TSA has
adequate support at passenger screening checkpoints?
Answer. If confirmed, I will review TSA's, airport owners' and
operators', and local law enforcement agencies' efforts to provide
adequate support at passenger screening checkpoints. I think the
partnerships that exist within our airports are critical to providing
security for all who use them.
Security and Screening Efficiency. Concerns have been raised that
increased numbers of carry-on bags and dense packing of those bags are
significantly impacting screening efficiency and effectiveness. TSA has
announced trial programs at selected airports that require passengers
to remove books and other paper products, tablets and other electronic
devices, and food items for separate screening.
Question 3. In your opinion, how will TSA balance concerns
regarding evolving terror threats with industry and passenger concerns
over disruptions and airport checkpoint delays?
Answer. In my opinion, TSA's primary mission is to ensure that
security operations are effective at countering the evolving terror
threats. I understand industry and passenger concerns for efficient
screening and, if confirmed, will work to ensure TSA operations remain
effective and efficient through the use of intelligence information and
process and technological innovation. Maximizing the use of trusted
traveler programs, in my opinion, also provides a key means of
achieving this balance.
Question 4. From your perspective, what are the tradeoffs between
security effectiveness and possible impacts on screening efficiency,
passenger wait times, and TSA staffing and resources?
Answer. From my perspective, all are interrelated. As a passenger,
I want my travel to be secure while at the same time, I expect an
efficient and professional workforce that is well trained and has the
proper tools at hand to accomplish screening with efficiency. My
personal experience as a traveler interacting with screening personnel
is very positive and I greatly appreciate the work they do. As
passenger volumes increase and threats continue to evolve, I believe
continued investment in the TSA workforce is needed. This needs to be
complemented by technological and process improvements in passenger
screening to include increasing the number of pre-vetted trusted
travelers.
Risk-Based Approach. A September 2016 report by the DHS Inspector
General concluded that TSA lacked an ``intelligence driven, risk-based
approach'' for allocating budget resources across all transportation
modes. This criticism was particularly directed toward the surface
modes for which the TSA lacked a formal mechanism for funds to be
allocated based on an assessment of the threat, vulnerabilities, and
consequences of a terrorist attack.
Question 5. In your opinion, how should TSA go about developing a
risk-based approach to allocating resources among transportation modes?
Answer. In my opinion, TSA should continue to mature the risk-based
approach to allocating resources across all modes of transportation. It
is my understanding that significant work is already underway within
TSA on this approach. If confirmed, I will become very familiar with
TSA's current efforts and will be personally involved in its continued
development.
TWIC Program. In the aftermath of 9/11, Congress enacted the
Maritime Transportation Security Act that, among other things, requires
workers to undergo a security screening before being allowed into a
seaport. TSA conducts the security screening and issues a
Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) card to those
who successfully pass the criminal history, immigration, and terrorist
watch list checks.
A 2016 Inspector General audit found that TSA appeared to be more
concerned with customer service matters--like issuing the cards in a
timely manner--than with careful scrutiny of applicants. It found that
applicants believed to be providing fraudulent identification documents
were nevertheless issued a TWIC.
In February 2016, Federal investigators announced that they had
uncovered a ``document mill'' producing fraudulent TWIC cards in Los
Angeles. Congress enacted the Essential TWIC Assessment Act to improve
TSA's vetting process, including fraud detection. The law also requires
DHS to commission an outside organization to conduct a comprehensive
assessment of the benefits and costs of the TWIC card.
Question 6. What is your view regarding the efficacy of the TWIC
program and do you have ideas for improving it?
Answer. In my opinion, program effectiveness is essential and I am
very concerned with the reports cited above. I would welcome an
opportunity to discuss my ideas for improving the TWIC program with you
after I have been able to look more closely at this matter.
TSA Credentials for Veterans. I am also interested in helping
servicemembers better transition to civilian life. A key component is
making sure employers understand the skills and training of American
Veterans and how these talents can increase efficiency in recruiting
and hiring these individuals. For example, Veterans who are honorably
discharged and possess an active security clearance should be eligible
to obtain a TWIC card without TSA having to invest limited resources
into a duplicative background investigation. Presumably, if our Nation
already trusts these individual to properly handle classified
information, we can also trust them to work in controlled access areas.
Question 7. If confirmed, will you commit to working with me to
ensure that TSA maximizes the use of increasingly scarce resources by
ensuring that Veterans with the appropriate clearances are able to
automatically, or through an expedited process, receive TSA
credentials?
Answer. I would welcome the opportunity to work with you on this,
if confirmed.
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