Terrorism has, for a long time, been seen through the angle of attacks on the surface, such as bombing through airstrikes, planting bombs, and suicide bombing. However, terrorism is broad and involves various aspects, including the use of chemical weapons to cause death. Essentially, terrorism is the use of violence that is intended to harm people for political and religious reasons (Enoch et al., 2020). This definition explains that the acts of terrorism are bound to be prevalent due to the existence of very many interest groups inclined to religious groups and political allegiances.
Thesis Statement
There is an excellent connection between terrorism and the transport system, including the transport industry's role in enabling terrorist and criminal attacks by being primary targets or allowing the movement of weapons and terrorists. As a result of this relationship, the transport system has changed over the years as governments try to focus on managing instances of terrorism.
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Transport and Terrorism
The September 11 attack of 2001 on the United States of America’s soil exposed the transport system as vulnerable to attacks. In essence, the attack indicated that the transport system is a significant target for terrorist groups due to their accessibility. Another reason the transport system is vulnerable is the ability to attract comprehensive media coverage in the event of attacks. For instance, it is essential to consider that the transport system operates within and across borders. For this reason, attacks on various means, such as the air transport system, are likely to affect multiple states simultaneously (Carr et al., 2020). In most cases, there are citizens of various countries on the flight, making the air transport system a hot spot for attacks as it would easily catch the eye of the international media. This fact also offers a unique ground for terrorists and criminals to send their message and create a more significant impact.
Further, the transport system may, in most cases, be associated with national symbols. Most countries have flag carriers that enjoy the right to manage transportation on the surface and air. However, flag carriers such as airlines are easily identified as an asset of their countries, causing the risk of being targeted by enemy countries or terrorist groups. In most instances of terrorism, the terrorists have been seen to target buildings or airlines linked to a country. For example, the 2001 attack on the twin towers is considered the deadliest attack as it involved the hijacking of an aircraft and the bombing of the pentagon. The attack on particular sites such as the world trade organization building and the pentagon indicates the special attention by terrorists on assets that are national symbols such as the pentagon, which holds the federal government offices, and the WTO site, which is linked to the international community (Enoch et al., 2020). The attackers hijacked four airliners, which were used to cause damage on two different sites. These planes were instrumental in killing more than 3000 people, indicating the significance of managing the transport system in the war against terrorism.
Significantly, a total of 1033 terrorist and criminal activities were reported to have been aimed at the transportation system in 1998 alone. The United States this attacks indicated a 20% increase from the previous year and a 107% increase from attacks recorded in 1995 worldwide. Additionally, the attacks between 1995 and 1998 caused 1700 deaths and 2200 injuries (Enoch et al., 2020). This tremendous increase in attacks targeting the industry shows that there the sector was vulnerable and that there were crucial loopholes in policies and management of the systems.
Other means of transportation that have been targeted globally include the road transport systems, water, and rail carriers. The attempted train attack in Paris, where a gunman accessed the speed train on August 21, 2020, indicates that the railway transport system is a possible ground for attacks (Santarremigia et al., 2018). Additionally, in 1988 the city of Poros ship was attacked by a gunman who supports the argument that ships are also crucial targets for terrorist and criminal attacks. It is important to note that the civilian transportation infrastructure is significant in the movement of military equipment and forces in emergency instances. For instance, the USA government has used planes and vehicles to deploy troops within the country and foreign areas such as the Persian Gulf and Iran to keep the peace or protect the nation from local and international threats.
Changes in the Transport System
The 9/ 11 attack marked the beginning of a crucial revolution in the transport sector and other sectors in the country owing to the need to ensure more security. One of the vital changes in the transport systems is tightening security measures such as screening all passengers accessing the transportation terminals (Rose et al., 2017). The screening involves the use of metal detectors and screening booths. Governments worldwide have partnered with the private sector to ensure that all entrances and exits from airports and railway terminals are fitted with screening systems. Essentially, passengers are required to be frisked, and their luggage screened. This measure is crucial in making sure that weapons or materials that could be used in assembling weapons are detected before passengers access buildings or airliners, or trains. There is special attention on vehicles accessing terminals where the cars are screened using mirror detectors to ensure that bombings are avoided in airports (Bjelopera et al., 2016). These measures show that it is more difficult for terrorists to access the civilian transport infrastructure than before the 9/11 attack.
There has been the introduction of coordinated involvement of various government agencies in creating a multiagency approach towards the provision of security in the transport system. For instance, there has been an increase in units deployed to control security in airports. These units include the airport police, the K-9 unit, and agencies such as homeland security and the FBI (Rose et al., 2017). These agencies contribute in different ways to ensure that the security threats are detected and stopped before actualization. For instance, the K-9 unit uses police dogs to support the screening systems by sniffing to detect materials and weapons in the luggage.
With the advancement of technology used by the terrorists and criminals, the government and the stakeholders in the transport industry have continuously improved the screening systems and procedures. For instance, there have been cases of the trafficking of materials inside the bodies of criminals, which in the past has hindered detection making physical frisking ineffective. More advanced computerized screening systems have been set up in the terminals and in builds related to the transport system such as booking areas to manage such situations. This computerized system requires the individuals entering the airports and train stations to pass through booths that enable the body's scanning (Rose et al., 2017). The computerization of the screening system is crucial as it has also created efficiency by ensuring more checks within a short time. The use of all these measures together, including police dogs, has improved the procedure since the security personnel does not have to open up all luggage or to be in closed range with the passengers to detect suspicious individuals or materials.
The creation of the National Counter-Terrorism Center in 2004 is also a significant change that affects the transport system and security in all public spaces. The NCTC integrates various agencies such as the CIA, the FBI, and the department of defense among others, to ensure that there is a flow of communication and marshaling of resources in counter-terrorism. The NCTC chairs meetings on the capabilities of groups that pose a threat and analyze risks in the USA (HSC, 2016). This fact means that the body plays the role of finding, analyzing information on terrorism, and mobilizing resources such as agents. The body is also responsible for the dissemination of information through its website. This information is crucial in ensuring that there is an awareness of security threats and mechanisms that are recommended. In essence, the sharing of information is direct with local and external players such as the US government, enabling tightening and alertness in the country's transport system and other international stations within the transport network.
There are also changes in travel policies internationally and the USA. For example, travelers under the visa waiver program have to give their biographical data to the customs and border protection agents before living in the USA. This policy is because there are homegrown terrorists. On the other hand, the critical information act of 2002 has been crucial in ensuring that owners and operators of infrastructure, including roads and maritime, are provided with information on terror threats and risk areas (Yang et al., 2018). This measure is meant to provide protection of infrastructure and people using then from vulnerability.
The USA government, just like other governments such as the UK government, issues travels advisory to its citizen. This change that highly affects the transportation system is crucial as it provides warnings by marking areas that are prone to attacks. For instance, the US government issued a travel advisory to citizens planning to visit Mombasa's city in Kenya after the Mombasa terrorist attack of 2011. Such changes have been crucial in avoiding mass deaths and injuries caused by the attacks. The main focus has been on ensuring that there is preparedness by the USA and the international community to respond to threats to the transport sector by providing sharing of information and border to border partnership in maintaining stability. Specifically, there has been increased surveillance on roads, especially on border points, by establishing and enhancing technology on border checkpoints to avoid attacks on road users or transit of criminals and weapons across borders (Enoch et al., 2020). This measure was enhanced due to the increase in crossing borders by members of groups such as al Qaeda and al shabby by road to countries with fewer travel restrictions and then by air to other countries.
Transportation Security Administration
The TSA was formed in 2001 following the 9/11 attack and took over responsibility from the federal aviation administration. The TSA has been responsible for the employment of screening officers in the airports as well as armed marshals. This effort has been crucial in ensuring that there is more preparedness in the aviation industry (Carr et al., 2020). Essentially, the agency provides mobile teams of dog handlers as well as explosives experts to control the occurrence of attacks.
The TSA has evolved into a recruitment body for security experts explicitly trained to deal with the terrorist situation. Mainly, the agency has employed more than 47000 screening officers. However, the agency is faced with issues such as a lack of credibility by investigation officers who have been involved in the transit of illegal items. There is a need to ensure the creation of more policies to ensure that the officers perform duties with integrity (Carr et al., 2020). The agency has improved its delivery by training officers on critical thinking skills to be able to manage situations in an effort to avoid victimization of people based on religion in airports.
The transportation system has changed tremendously globally and in the USA in a bid to control terrorism. The transport sector is highly affected by terrorist activities as the system is an easy target for the terror groups. Since the occurrence of the 9/11 attack, there are various changes such as the enhancement of the counter terrorism measures that have been implemented. The formation of the TSA has seen the training of officers to investigate and screen passengers.
References
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Carr, A., Biswas, T., & Wheeler, J. V. (2020). Airport operations and security screening: An examination of social justice. Journal of Air Transport Management , 85 , 101814.
Enoch, M. P., Cross, R., Potter, N., Davidson, C., Taylor, S., Brown, R., & Grieg, D. (2020). Future local passenger transport system scenarios and implications for policy and practice. Transport policy , 90 , 52-67.
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Rose, A., Avetisyan, M., Rosoff, H., Burns, W. J., Slovic, P., & Chan, O. (2017). The role of behavioral responses in the total economic consequences of terrorist attacks on US air travel targets. Risk analysis , 37 (7), 1403-1418.
Santarremigia, F. E., Molero, G. D., Poveda-Reyes, S., & Aguilar-Herrando, J. (2018). Railway safety by designing the layout of inland terminals with dangerous goods connected with the rail transport system. Safety science , 110 , 206-216.
Yang, S., Hu, F., Thompson, R. G., Wang, W., Li, Y., Li, S., & Ni, W. (2018). Criticality ranking for components of a transportation network at risk from tropical cyclones. International journal of disaster risk reduction , 28 , 43-55.
