New TSA Administrator Announces Top Goals for Agency

News provided by

Transportation Security Administration

Jul 16, 2010, 01:01 ET

Pistole Also Begins Site Visits, Asks Traveling Public and Stakeholders to Provide Feedback

BOSTON, July 16 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Administrator for the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) John S. Pistole today visited Boston Logan International Airport. As Pistole begins his tenure with the agency, he announced his top goals and priorities, which include:

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20090401/TSALOGO)

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090401/TSALOGO)

Improving TSA's counterterrorism focus through intelligence and cutting edge technology
Supporting the TSA workforce
Strengthening the agency's relationships with stakeholders and the traveling public.

"Achieving these priorities will take time, energy and the hard work of the men and women at TSA," said TSA Administrator John Pistole. "But I believe they are essential to strengthening the ability of the agency to ensure the safety of the traveling public."

To support the goals outlined today, Pistole plans to conduct visits to airports and other transportation facilities to gain feedback from colleagues across the transportation security community and to hear from TSA staff.

In addition, Pistole is soliciting input and feedback from the public through an online forum called "Talk to TSA." Talk to TSA provides a forum for passengers to send comments, suggestions and feedback. Talk to TSA can be found at www.tsa.gov.

Pistole was sworn-in as TSA Administrator on July 1, 2010. Pistole came to TSA as a 26-year veteran of the FBI with extensive national security and counterterrorism experience. Most recently, Pistole served as the Deputy Director of the FBI. After the tragic events of September 11, 2001, he was put in charge of the FBI's greatly expanded counterterrorism program, eventually becoming the FBI's Executive Assistant Director for Counterterrorism and Counterintelligence before being named as Deputy Director in 2004.

TSA's mission is to protect the Nation's transportation systems to ensure freedom of movement for people and commerce through continuously setting the standard for excellence in transportation security through its people, processes, and technology. TSA's nearly 50,000 transportation security officers screen approximately 2 million people at 450 airports every day to keep the traveling public safe.