Permanent Emergency Inside the TSA and the Fight for the Future of American Security

by Hawley, Kip; Means, Nathan

• ISBN13: 9780230120952
• ISBN10: 0230120954
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2012-04-24
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Summary

Since 2001 the TSA has accepted responsibility for protecting over two million people a day at U.S. airports and managing transportation operations around the world. But how effective is this oft-maligned agency, and is it really keeping us safe from terrorism? In this riveting expose, former TSA administrator Kip Hawley reveals the secrets behind the agency's ongoing battle to outthink and outmaneuver terrorists, illuminating the flawed, broken system that struggles to stay one step ahead of catastrophe. Citing numerous thwarted plots and government actions that have never before been spoken of publicly, Hawley suggests that the fundamental mistake in America's approach to national security is assuming that there is a protocol for every contingency. Instead, he claims, we must learn to live with reasonable risk so that we can focus our efforts on long-term, big-picture strategy, rather than expensive and ineffective regulations that only slow us down.

Author Biography

Kip Hawley left his job in Silicon Valley a month after 9/11 to help build the TSA. In mid-2005 he became the fourth administrator in the agency's troubled three-year existence. During his tenure he facilitated a transformationof theTSA's culture and operations, improving training, upgrading technology, and dramatically extending public outreach. Since leaving the TSA Hawley has been a regular guest commentator for print media (The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, USA Today, The Washington Post, and theAssociated Press, among others), television (ABC, CBS, the Discovery Channel, CNN, NBC, and FOX News, among others). Today Hawley is a private consultant living in Pebble Beach, California.

 

Nathan Means has worked on a variety of non-fiction books, including New York Times bestseller In Fed We Trust and other well-received titles such as Arab Voices and The India Way. He lives in Portland, Oregon.

Table of Contents

Author's Notes	p. v
Preface	p. vii
Acknowledgments	p. ix
A Darkened Land	p. 1
Find Something and Do It	p. 9
Sprinting through the Airport	p. 21
How to Look Without Seeing	p. 39
After the Party	p. 55
Yesterday's Agency	p. 67
Betting on Chaos	p. 81
Where's the Action?	p. 97
Searching for a Pocketknife in a Haystack	p. 107
Why We Watch Out for Weddings in Chicago	p. 117
The Sports Drink's Secret	p. 135
Making Waves	p. 149
Dialing Up 3-1-1	p. 157
The Network Chase	p. 171
Shoe Scanners, Stolen Babies, and the End of the Baggie	p. 187
The Predator	p. 205
Zero Hour	p. 221
Resolve	p. 227
Glossary of Names	p. 239
Glossary of Terms	p. 242
Timeline	p. 254
Notes	p. 256
Index	p. 257
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