Thank you, Ken, for that kind introduction. Thank you also to McGraw Hill and Aviation Week for organizing this important summit on homeland security. And, thanks to all of you for taking time out of your own busy schedules to offer your contributions today.

I am always proud to share the dais with Richard Anderson, CEO of Northwest Airlines. Richard was one of the people I turned to soon after the events of September 11^th,   when I asked him to serve on my Rapid Response Team on Airport Security.

All of us here ought to understand that we have entered a new era in transportation, an era in which a determined and remorseless enemy has challenged one of America’s most cherished freedoms —   namely, the freedom of mobility. Under the leadership of President Bush, I am proud to tell you that the Administration has risen to meet this challenge.

Throughout the Department of Transportation, across every mode, we are moving rapidly to close any existing gaps between the current and desired level of protection for the most critical of our high-value, high-consequence transportation assets.

With every part of the agency on a wartime footing, the women and men of the DOT have gone above and beyond in their service to our great country. These efforts paid off last weekend, our first big test since September 11^th, and I appreciate their dedication and spirit.

More Americans traveled over the Thanksgiving holiday than at any time since the hijackings and terrorist attacks. And, thanks to the efforts of all the transportation workers and law enforcement personnel around our great Nation, they did so safely and without major incident.

This morning, I will focus my remarks on the newly created Transportation Security Administration, and on our efforts to implement it. I also want to talk briefly about maritime security issues, and the role of advanced technology in meeting the challenges of transportation security. And, I hope to leave time for a few of your questions.

In the days immediately following September 11^th, we took a number of steps to develop and deploy heightened security, some of them readily visible to the public, some of them more behind the scenes.

We immediately made funds available to the aviation industry to fortify cockpits, and all major domestic carriers made the needed modifications by the first of November.

We have begun complete criminal background checks on all employees with access to secure areas at our airports.

We established a zero tolerance policy for airport security breaches, a policy we will continue to enforce during the transition to the newly authorized federal screening system, and beyond.

Today, more federal air marshals ride our planes, and the National Guard patrols our airports. In uniform and in plainclothes, brave men and women watch over us all.

Now, with President Bush’s signature last week of the Aviation and Transportation Security Act of 2001, the USDOT stands poised to utilize the tools,  the resources and the authority of the Act to take the next important steps.

For the first time, aviation security will become a direct federal responsibility, overseen by a new undersecretary of transportation for security. I have already talked with a number of people about this critical position, and I expect to recommend a nominee to President Bush very shortly.

The Act directs the USDOT to build and staff a new law enforcement agency starting essentially from scratch —   an agency larger than the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Border Patrol combined —   and to get it done in the next 365 days.

The Act requires us to hire and train tens of thousands of federal agents, all of them citizens of the United States, to inspect passengers and screen baggage.

We must design a compensation and benefit structure that will help us to attract the highest quality employees. We must determine the terms and conditions of their employment. . And, we must develop a fair process that will allow us to quickly remove those who neglect their work

As you can appreciate, implementing just the aviation component of this new statute will involve a monumentally complex process —   and I pledge to you today that the USDOT will measure up to the job.

In the week since President Bush signed the Act, we have started putting into place the process management structure and the key personnel necessary to coordinate this undertaking. A War Room Core Team, chaired initially by Deputy Secretary Michael Jackson, and led ultimately by the new Undersecretary, will oversee day-to-day implementation. Kip Hawley will serve as the Core Team Coordinator.

We have identified key targets at which we will aim. For example, our goal in passenger screening is “No weapons, no waiting.”     We will strive to develop a screening process that prohibits weapons or other banned materials in airport sterile zones without requiring a wait of longer than ten minutes at any security checkpoint for passengers using U.S. airports.

As another example, our goal for cargo screening is “No danger, no delay.”     We want to have a cargo screening process that precludes dangerous materials from getting onboard U.S. aircraft, and does so without causing schedule delays due to the screening process.

The “On board, on duty” goal for the Federal Air Marshal Program entails getting several thousand new air marshals trained and deployed on flights by June 1, 2002, although the exact number will remain classified. And, so forth.

In addition, we have formed eight Go-Teams to address critical areas of aviation security, including teams focused on airport security analysis, baggage screening, explosive detection systems deployment, fast tracking background investigations, training for law enforcement officers, and managing the transition from private screening companies. I have asked these eight Go-Teams to move from issue identification to resolution in 30 days or less.

We intend to act crisply, but prudently, to build a strong foundation for this new Transportation Security Administration. The new law sets a number of extremely tight milestones, and we will hit each of them as soon as humanly possible.

While the new statute provides DOT with substantial rulemaking flexibility, we want constructive involvement from aviation community stakeholders and the traveling public. However, I regard this transition process as an all-out sprint, not a leisurely stroll —   and, as others have correctly pointed out, sprinting is not a team sport.

Although much of the recent media attention has focused on aviation safety, the Transportation Security Administration will also develop improved security procedures and heightened awareness across every mode of transportation.

In particular, we need to remain aware of the critical contribution of maritime transportation to the strength of our national economy. As you know, more than 90 percent of America’s imports and exports move via maritime transportation.

In addition,   U.S. ports handle more than 17 million marine containers each year. Containers raise a specific concern because they are, by design, intermodal. A container unloaded at a port on one day often ends up, without any inspection of its contents,   on a truck or train deep in America’s heartland on the next.

Our maritime transportation systems, whether at port facilities in coastal waters or along inland waterways, play a vital role in America’s transportation network. We cannot afford to ignore the potential vulnerability of these maritime systems to terrorist attacks.

We must improve the emergency planning structure and response capability in maritime transportation. We must develop a more consistent framework for threat assessment, and a set of standardized procedures and protocols to follow if, God forbid, terrorists strike again.

Even before the attacks of September 11^th, Senator Hollings had introduced legislation to address many of these important maritime security issues, and all of us are grateful for his leadership. The Bush Administration strongly supports the goals of Senator Hollings’ proposal, S. 1214, and I look forward to working with him and his staff on it

Finally, we believe good, old-fashioned American ingenuity will help us to improve transportation security at realistic costs and without undue delays. Recently, the Research and Special Programs Administration at the USDOT asked private industry, as well as the academic and government research communities, to submit white papers with ideas and innovative technologies to predict and detect threats in multi-modal transportation services and operations.

Ordinarily, when RSPA conducts this kind of formal search for new ideas, we expect to receive around 50 responses. So far, this most recent solicitation has generated almost 600 proposals, an overwhelming outpouring of ideas.

These white papers cover a full range of multi-modal transportation security applications, including proposals for new systems for infrastructure and disaster surveillance, and for terrorist identification, warning and control systems.

Other proposals outline new ID fraud detection systems, safe freight technology, emergency response systems, biometric access controls, tanker fuel security, and so forth. The DOT has established multi-agency technical review teams, and we plan to fully address all of these white papers before Christmas.

In times past, when challenging and complex situations faced the United States, our best minds have responded with advanced technology to meet our national needs. Once again, they have risen to meet the call.

In the days ahead, as we phase in the new Transportation Security Administration, some of the traveling public may experience a few minor inconveniences. But, the USDOT will do what we must in order to protect our citizens and transport workers —   with safety and security as our highest priorities. I trust that the public will understand the need for patience, recognizing that today patience represents a new form of patriotism.

And, as we move forward from September 11^th,  all Americans can —   and will —   continue to enjoy a transportation system that is safe, secure and stable. Thank you, and God bless America.

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Briefing Room