profile
As cargo czar at the Transportation Security Administration, Ed Kelly is keenly aware of the challenges as- sociated with ushering in the stricter screening levels set to take effect in
August 2010.
The industry veteran, who traded retirement for
a demanding job at TSA, says “the most unnerving
concern” is the lack of awareness, particularly among
shippers, of the impact of the regulations on their
day-to-day activities.
Says Kelly: “It is a constant challenge to figure out how we can
convey to industry that the August
2010 deadline will not waver. We
are utilizing as many outlets as
possible to try to get these companies to understand the urgency of
what is ahead of them, yet there is
much more to be done.”
In Kelly’s view, TSA has embraced its mission with a positive
attitude and industry has reacted
quickly to emerging challenges.
Kelly finds “a shared can-do mind-set” and willingness to work hard
to accomplish missions and goals.
The TSA’s general manager of
air cargo transportation sector
network management says an upbringing in Rhode
Island and Pennsylvania by parents who stressed
hard work and accountability had a distinct impact
on his work. So did timing and a call to purpose after
deep personal reflections about Sept. 11, 2001.
Kelly was sailing his boat to Florida when he got
a call from a senior TSA official about openings with
extensive air cargo experience an essential skill set.
His first thought? Just say no.
But then Kelly considered his 37-year-old cousin,
Tim Kelly, who died in the Twin Towers attack. “Tim
was married with three kids, the youngest being only
one week old. I realized it would be a privilege to
share my institutional knowledge to help to secure
the nation.” Kelly applied and the rest is history.
Today, Kelly’s main challenge is to ensure that industry meets the 100 percent screening levels for all
cargo on passenger carriers. To get there, TSA must
educate unregulated entities in the supply chain and
bring together shippers, forwarders and carriers un-
der a single program. Another challenge facing TSA
is aligning U.S. requirements with global processes.
“We have made solid progress” but there is still
much to do, Kelly says. The 100 percent level is much
more challenging because it involves breaking apart
palletized shipments to screen at the piece level.
In this vein, TSA is prodding shippers and forward-
ers to join its Certified Cargo Screening Program.
There are now 488 certified cargo screening facilities
including 361 indirect air carriers, 38
independent cargo screening facili-
ties and 89 shippers.
What Kelly likes most about his
job is to see and hear directly from
the stakeholders “about the impact
of our programs.”
He also gets a kick from the challenge “of ensuring that we balance
the needs of security without disrupting commerce.”
When he’s not talking up CCSP,
Kelly can be found on his boat (he
once sailed from San Francisco
to the East Coast via the Panama
Canal) or with his family and grandchildren.
With 27 years of service at Emery
Worldwide, a stint as a consultant for UPS Supply
Chain Solutions and his role at TSA, Kelly has a rare
perspective on the airfreight business.
Twenty years ago, the concept of security was
centered on theft, the loss of products and the risk
of losing customers, he says. Then UPS, FedEx and
DHL injected new dynamics with just in time, sensitive and predictable cargo shipments. And later came
considerable consolidation in the industry.
After 9/11, air cargo security threats “elevated
to explosives on passenger carriers and a potential
stowaway on all cargo planes.” As a result, regulations
concerning the transport of air cargo have become
increasingly stringent and those in the industry must
expend “significantly more resources and efforts” to
be compliant with those measures, he says. ACW
Ed Kelly, Transportation Security Administration
