Originally Posted by
TSORon
One of the major problems I have expressed here and elsewhere that I have with the TSA is its decision to hire its upper level management almost exclusively from the ranks of the retired military. Dont get me wrong, I am ex-military, but putting that “taste” of the military way of doing things in a civilian environment was a significant mistake IMO. OTOH, they needed to get all levels in place in a hurry(Congressional mandate) and they had a ready pool of experienced managers and administrators in the retired and ex-military members. Why not use that experience? Rock, meet hard spot. They did what they had to do.
Over the last 5 years or so there has been a slow exodus of senior management, retiring, and they seem to be putting emphasis on hiring civilian managers and administrators to replace them. Yet there still remains that “military taste” to TSA policies which civilians will find unacceptable. I don’t know if it will ever go away, that military mentality, but I see it having less and less effect every day on our daily operations and the policies that continue to evolve.
I think, Ron, that the "military way of doing things" hasn't managed to find its way to line personnel. Which is a contradiction in itself. In a military hierarchy, an order (policy/procedure/change) finds its way down the ranks to the lowliest buck private accurately and tout de suite. Command staff at each level of the hierarchy is absolutely responsible for the actions of the levels below them. High-level careers are made or broken by the actions of the platoon or squad. I see very little (if any) of this in the functioning of the TSA.
I've worked with the military on-and-off for nearly 30 years. It's my experience that they're consistently very by-the-book, very disciplined, very respectful and excruciatingly polite. I can't say that I consistently see those qualities in the general day-to-day operation of checkpoints. If, for example, a buck private is responsible to recognize 500 (hyperbole, I know) forms of ID, that buck private knows those IDs before (s)he is posted. Do mistakes happen? As they do with TSA, yes. Are they widespread and repeated as we see routinely reported here? Unlike TSA, absolutely no. Do they invariably apply their orders as given? As with TSA, of course not; the military is made up of human beings. Is there widespread failure to know and apply orders? Unlike TSA, absolutely not.
Frankly, Ron, if your argument is that TSA was originally organized to a para-military model, then the entire command staff gets an epic fail. Had it been done properly, it would (IMHO) have been far better than what we have today. Personally, I'd be happy to see a little
more effective military-type management and a little more effective discipline at the line level. I'd be
ecstatic to deal with polite, respectful and disciplined troops who know and understand their orders and apply them consistently.
~~ Irish