Checkpoints and Borders Policy Debate - GAO: Weaknesses Exist in TSA’s Process for Vetting Foreign Flight Students(7/18/2012)

The US Government Accountability Office has posted a new report about TSA... here's the link to their Highlights page:

US Government Accountability Office
Highlights: Weaknesses Exist in TSA's Process for Ensuring Foreign Flight Students Do Not Pose a Security Threat
GAO-12-875, Jul 18, 2012 (http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-875)

And here is the direct link to the full 51-page report, a PDF file:

United State Government Accountability Office
Report to Congressional Requesters
GENERAL AVIATION SECURITY
Weaknesses Exist in TSA’s Process for Ensuring Foreign Flight Students Do Not Pose a Security Threat
July 2012
GAO-12-875 (http://www.gao.gov/assets/600/592608.pdf)

Here's a quote from the "Why GAO Did This Study" section of the report:

This is a public version of a sensitive security report GAO issued in June 2012. Information TSA deemed sensitive has been omitted, including two recommendations on TSA’s vetting of foreign nationals.

(Apologies if this is a dupe -- I'm behind on reading FT and I wasn't able to find it posted by searching for a few keywords.)

A joke, like 90% of the knee jerk reactions post 9/11.

They think the US, or US instructors, is the only place you can learn to fly? Easiest for sure, but even in other countries there is no vetting against a list to get a student's license. Why don't we do driver's licenses next. Even more useless yet most terrorists have one :D

DUPE POST

Ok, I've scanned the report.... the big news seems to be that GAO has shown that TSA's vetting process would *not* have resulted in TSA to investigating the 9/11 hijackers, let alone catching them.

Here is a quote from page 25:

TSA continuously vets all new and existing FAA airmen certificate holders against the Terrorist Screening Database, which would include the foreign nationals identified through TSA’s analysis. However, this vetting does not occur until after the foreign national has obtained flight training. Thus, foreign nationals obtaining flight training with the intent to do harm, such as three of the pilots and leaders of the September 11 terrorist attacks, could have already obtained the training needed to operate an aircraft before they received any type of vetting.

If this is what TSA is willing to admit publicly, one wonders just how bad were the two recommendations that TSA deemed too sensitive to released?