Federal Air Marshall James J. Dial

Who are they? Federal Air Marshals have been protecting U.S. flagged aircrafts more than 50 years. Their position is intricately woven into the fabric of history which was born almost a century ago, when the first aircraft was hijacked in Peru. Since that initial spark, a fire has raged in civil aviation security, to tame the many criminal and terrorist threats that have threatened the entire aviation system.

The below rates are basic pay rates and do not include locality pay basic $157, adjusted pay rates (base pay plus locality) are limited to $174,276.

What are they? "The Air Marshal Service is meant to promote confidence in civil aviation by effectively deploying federal air marshals (FAMs) to detect, deter, and defeat hostile acts targeting the United States."[2]Because of the nature of their occupation, federal air marshals (FAMs) travel often. They must also train to be highly proficient marksmen. A FAM's job is to blend in with other passengers on board aircraft and rely heavily on their training, including investigative techniques, criminal terrorist behavior recognition, firearms proficiency, aircraft specific tactics, and close quarters self-defense measures to protect the flying public."[2]terroristfirearmsself-defense

A look at the secretive world of Air Marshals the-secretive-world-of-air-marshals/

When did they? In 1961, President John F. Kennedy realized that the threat against aviation was a major problem, and called for the use of armed guards on select flights. The first group of air marshals was staffed by the Federal Aviation Administration a short time later, in March 1962.

Creators of the Federal Air Marshall Service

How do they? Since their initial inception, Federal Air Marshals have gone through a number of changes that have ebbed and flowed with the tide of terrorism and criminal acts targeting aviation. Throughout the long and proud history of air marshals, however, the most rapid changes to their ranks came after the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.

New footage of 9/11 attack on twin towers - video

9/11 On September 11, 2001, 19 al-Qaeda Islamic extremists hijacked American Airlines Flight 11, United Airlines Flight 175, American Airlines Flight 77, and United Airlines Flight 93 and crashed them into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center, the southwestern side of the Pentagon building, and Stonycreek Township near Shanksville, Pennsylvania in a terrorist attack. The 2,996 death toll makes the hijackings the most fatal in history.

Images from 9/11

Post 9/11 The first change to occur immediately after the Sept. 11 attacks was the need to standup 600 air marshals in one month, and thousands more after that. The U.S. had 33 air marshals working in a full time capacity, and the Bush Administration was pushing to expand the program fast. The increase in manpower for air marshals also brought more government oversight, and the FAA, with its decades of experience in civil aviation security, started slowly being replaced by a new organization: The signing of the Transportation Security Act by President George W. Bush, established the Transportation Security Administration in November 2001.

Conclusion The difference air marshals make as a deterrent and physical presence on U.S. flagged air carriers is necessary. The United States cannot afford another 9/11. The Federal Air Marshal stands in the face of this threat, and by understanding better their past, and the threat they face, they can use their own culture and history as a force multiplier in the protection of this most vital national security resource. Any Questions?