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have learned that the hijackers took over the airliners on September
11 in teams of three to five each, armed with knives, box cutters,
and pepper spray, and the threat of a bomb on board. Apparently,
two more groups of terrorists were planning the same thing on Thursday,
but they were stopped before boarding. Terrorism is no longer a
problem that's just going to go away.
The fight against terrorism will range from diplomacy and military
action to the nuts and bolts of what happens on board an airplane
that hijackers want to take over. To better understand "the
nuts and bolts," I interviewed two experts in security, counter-terrorism,
and self-defense.
Harry Humphries
is the president of Global
Studies Group, Inc., one of the world's leading security service
providers. Humphries is a former Navy SEAL and trainer of SEALs
who runs security operations for major entertainment events and
corporations. He is also an instructor for law enforcement agencies
and provides training for SWAT teams.
Humphries was very critical of the faulty security procedures on
commercial airlines. Obviously this begins with the screening process
at check-in, but Humphries also cited the ending of the armed Air
Marshal program several years ago as key to our vulnerability. Today
Air Marshals are placed randomly on overseas flights, but have been
removed from domestic flights. Humphries said one reason for this
was that the airlines felt they lost too much revenue providing
seats for Marshals.
The Israelis have been using Air Marshals for several years, effectively
bringing an end to hijacking. We need to take a lesson from their
success. As Humphries points out, contemporary terrorists are a
new breed. It used to be that terrorists simply committed their
crimes to get attention for their views, e.g. the Unabomber. The
"postmodern terrorist," he said, "is not interested
in a bully pulpit." They are clandestine, wanting to immobilize
their targets with terror and then keep on fighting. Stronger measures
are needed to counter this kind of terrorism.
Humphries explained that cockpit crews and flight attendants do
not have to be trained in self-defense. If he could design the security
on planes, he said, we would have well-armed and trained pilots,
armed Air Marshals, a significant physical barrier between the cockpit
and the rest of the cabin (such as one built from ballistically-sound
polymer), and a special bathroom for the pilot, co-pilot, and navigator.
One of Humphries's instructors is Marshall Teague. A former military
kickboxing champion, Teague today teaches for GSGI when not acting
in movies such as Armageddon, Crossfire Trail, and
(in perhaps his most chilling role) Roadhouse. This is a
guy you want on your side in a fight. He's good at portraying violence
as an actor because he has faced the real thing.
Marshall said that the techniques used by the hijackers are well
known in the security community. There are easy ways to hide metal
knives, and ceramic, plastic, and bone knives don't set off metal
detectors. Instructional drills employ scenarios of three to five
people taking over a plane, because the security community knows
a group this small can take over a plane. If we know this, Marshall
asked, why are we not taking adequate steps to counter it?
Teague echoed Humphries's remarks about the door to the cockpit,
saying that it could easily be kicked in, pried open, or even broken
open with a shoulder. He has done this in demonstrations.
Marshall also
advocated arming pilots and placing Air Marshals on planes, pointing
out that there is only minimal risk of "frangible bullets"
penetrating the shell of a plane. Even if a bullet did rupture a
wall, the pilot could repressurize the cabin and bring the plane
in for a safe landing, he said.
Teague praised the three men who apparently thwarted the hijackers
on the plane that crashed in Pennsylvania. He pointed out that when
we hear about rowdy passengers on planes, other passengers always
seem to be the ones who deal with them. Teague added that we make
ourselves more vulnerable to terrorist attacks by not training flight
attendants in self-defense, and by failing to be trained ourselves.
I asked Teague
what one should do in a life-and-death situation, such as on board
a hijacked plane. Mental attitude is number one, he replied. Know
that in countering a knife attack you are probably going to get
cut — but do you want to be cut, or die? Teague further noted
that the detachable seat cushions are very effective shields, and
that everyone needs to understand they are not defenseless. We are
all armed: pencils, pens, silverware, and chopsticks can be very
effective weapons. A key chain can become brass knuckles. A rolled-up
magazine can be a very effective offensive or defensive weapon.
Teague says we have become a "nation of sheep": We've
lost our will to form teams to survive, except when going for the
money on TV reality shows. "When sheep are confronted with
wolves, they huddle up in fright. That is why ranchers put llamas
and special breeds of dogs in with sheep — because when attacked,
they fight back." Teague feels that a grass-roots approach
to countering terrorism must begin with us all accepting the fact
that terrorism is part of the world we live in. Once we've accepted
that, we can start working together to thwart it.
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