Introduction to Transportation Security

Foreword

My long interest and connection with the world of transportation spans decades. That time has provided many memories, but none more vivid than September 11, 2001, when the airplanes crashed into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and a Pennsylvania field. As United States Secretary of Transportation, I stopped all flights in the country, grounding all the planes. That decision, a necessary and reasonable response, had consequences for millions of individuals and businesses. The economic costs both public and private were enormous, as were the emotional and actual losses. The use of planes as instruments for terrorism was a nightmare come true. We are still living with the consequences of that seminal event to this day.

As central ...