Rod Allison, director of the Federal Air Marshal Service, is pushing back at a New York Times report that said the agency has problems with alcohol abuse, harassment and low morale, and he insists the airline safety program is successful, CBS News is reporting.
The program has about 3,000 officers and an annual budget of $800 million. It is designed to be a deterrent to terrorism and prevent airliners from being used as weapons. About half of its force is made up of military veterans working undercover as passengers on planes, according to the network news.
The agency has faced criticism from some who say it needs to be reformed or completely shut down.
But Allison said: "In my mind, success is the security of the traveling public and the fact that we haven't had any major incidents since 9/11."
However, he conceded he is not able to point to one attack that his marshals stopped.
"Well, I can't point to one that says this particular plot was disrupted," he said. "Now we have seen a number of plots, obviously, over the years, of which the air marshal service has provided added security."
But The New York Times reported last month the program is in disarray. The newspaper said alcohol abuse among some in the program is rampant and officials have to monitor whether the armed guards show up sober for their flights.
It also said female and minority air marshals claim they faced discrimination at work.
The Government Accountability Office will begin a view of the agency’s working environment next month, CBS News noted. And last year an inspector general report found "limitations with…contributions to aviation security" and recommended shutting down some operations to better use resources, the network news reported.
Meanwhile, Rep. John Duncan, a Tennessee Republican, wants to shut down the program.
"It's just money going down a rat hole and doing no good whatsoever," Duncan said. "If it was up to me we wouldn't still have them. Because I think it's the most needless, useless. wasteful organization in the federal government and that is saying a lot."
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