Assessment of Millimeter-Wave and Terahertz Technology for Detection and Identification of Concealed Explosives and Weapons (2007) / Chapter Skim
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1 Introduction
1 Introduction
Pages 7-14
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From page 7... ...
A number of aviation security programs have been implemented at public airports throughout the United States. However, weaknesses continue to exist.
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Certain locations are particularly vulnerable to a terrorist attack by explosion or release of chemical and biological agents; these are shown by the explosion symbol and the type of threat in boldface type near that symbol. Prior to the terrorist bomb that brought down Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, in December 1988, the focus of airline passenger security checkpoints was the detection and interdiction of metallic weapons, either carried on the person or concealed 1 Al Qaeda Training Manual.
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From page 9... ...
The TSA is taking steps to remedy these deficiencies, and although it is making progress in its checked-baggage screening operations, it continues to face technical, operational, and funding challenges in accomplishing the EDS screening of all checked and carry-on baggage as mandated by ATSA.3 The 9/11 Commission Report,4 issued in 2004, recommended that the Transportation Security Administration and the Congress improve the way screeners look for explosives at airports. "As a start, each individual selected for special screening should be screened for explosives." Former Navy Secretary John Lehman, a member of that commission, told the House Aviation Subcommittee that the prospect of suicide bombers boarding U.S.
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From page 10... ...
Inspection systems at airport security checkpoints include metal detectors for passengers and x-ray systems for hand-carried items. While effective, these systems have shortcomings, including the inability to address evolving threats.
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air transportation system continues to have a high priority for counterterrorism resources, both because of its economic importance and because of the intensified public perception of risk following the September 11, 2001, attacks. The air transportation system can also serve as a testbed for the development of defensive technologies and strategies that can subsequently be applied to other transportation modes.
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From page 12... ...
As requested by the TSA, this report serves as an evaluation of the potential of millimeter-wavelength and terahertz technology for threat detection and as an assessment of the research needed to bring this promising technology into wide-scale use. There has been widespread misuse of the term "terahertz" owing to the significant interest in what terahertz technology might potentially achieve.
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From page 13... ...
While numerous references are cited throughout the report they are not allinclusive, as the literature on millimeter-wavelength and terahertz technology is voluminous. A recent Internet search on the word "terahertz" alone generated over a million hits, and a formal bibliographic reference search will result in several hundred citations.
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From page 14... ...
. In light of such misconceptions, the committee decided that this report should briefly and systematically address expectations, both real and fictional, and help bring into focus cases in which this technology has promise and instances in which it offers no potential benefit as an antiterrorism technology.
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