This is the accessible text file for GAO report number GAO-14-506 
entitled 'Transportation Security Information Sharing: Stakeholder 
Satisfaction Varies; TSA Could Take Additional Actions to Strengthen 
Efforts' which was released on June 24, 2014. 

This text file was formatted by the U.S. Government Accountability 
Office (GAO) to be accessible to users with visual impairments, as 
part of a longer term project to improve GAO products' accessibility. 
Every attempt has been made to maintain the structural and data 
integrity of the original printed product. Accessibility features, 
such as text descriptions of tables, consecutively numbered footnotes 
placed at the end of the file, and the text of agency comment letters, 
are provided but may not exactly duplicate the presentation or format 
of the printed version. The portable document format (PDF) file is an 
exact electronic replica of the printed version. We welcome your 
feedback. Please E-mail your comments regarding the contents or 
accessibility features of this document to Webmaster@gao.gov. 

This is a work of the U.S. government and is not subject to copyright 
protection in the United States. It may be reproduced and distributed 
in its entirety without further permission from GAO. Because this work 
may contain copyrighted images or other material, permission from the 
copyright holder may be necessary if you wish to reproduce this 
material separately. 

United States Government Accountability Office: 
GAO: 

Report to Congressional Committees: 

June 2014: 

Transportation Security Information Sharing: 

Stakeholder Satisfaction Varies; TSA Could Take Additional Actions to 
Strengthen Efforts: 

GAO-14-506: 

GAO Highlights: 

Highlights of GAO-14-506, a report to congressional committees. 

Why GAO Did This Study: 

The U.S. transportation system—composed of multiple interconnected 
modes, including aviation, freight and passenger rail, highway, public 
transit, and pipelines—moves billions of passengers and tons of goods 
yearly. The system's size and importance to the country's safety, 
security, and economic well-being make it an attractive target for 
terrorists. The Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission 
Act of 2007 mandated GAO to conduct a biennial survey of satisfaction 
of recipients of transportation security–related information. GAO last 
conducted this survey in 2011. 

This report addresses the extent to which (1) stakeholders report they 
are satisfied with TSA's security-related products and mechanisms used 
to disseminate them and TSA has used GAO's prior survey information to 
identify any areas for improvement, and (2) TSA obtains, documents, 
and incorporates stakeholder feedback. To do this, GAO conducted a 
survey of 481 stakeholders from November 2013 through January 2014 and 
received a 70 percent response rate. While the responses cannot be 
generalized, they provide insight. GAO also analyzed 2013 TSA survey 
data and conducted interviews with agency officials. An electronic 
supplement-—[hyperlink, http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-14-488SP]—-
provides survey results. 

What GAO Found: 

Satisfaction with the Transportation Security Administration's (TSA) 
security-related products and the mechanisms used to disseminate them 
varied by transportation mode, and TSA has not used the results of GAO'
s 2011 survey of stakeholders to identify the causes of information-
sharing gaps or actions to address them. For example, in the survey 
conducted for this report, 59 percent of stakeholders (196 of 335) 
indicated they were satisfied with the products they received from 
TSA, but less than half of aviation stakeholders (71 of 149) reported 
being satisfied. Similarly, 59 percent of stakeholders (195 of 331) 
indicated that they were satisfied with the mechanisms TSA uses to 
disseminate transportation security–related information, while 39 
percent of highway (9 of 23) and 46 percent of rail (40 of 87) 
stakeholders reported they were satisfied. Further, both GAO's 2011 
and 2013 survey found stakeholders from certain modes were more likely 
to report that they received each of TSA's product types, and not all 
stakeholders reported that they were familiar with TSA's mechanisms. 
Assessing the results of GAO's current survey could better position 
TSA to look for causes of such gaps and identify solutions to improve 
its information-sharing efforts. 

Figure: Percentage of Stakeholders Who Reported Being Satisfied with 
TSA Products and Mechanisms, by Mode, 2013: 

[Refer to PDF for image: vertical bar graph] 

Percentage satisfied with products: 

Mode: Aviation; 
Percentage satisfied with products: 48%; 
Number satisfied: 71; 
Total number of respondents to applicable survey questions: 149; 
Percentage satisfied with mechanisms: 60%; 
Number satisfied: 89; 
Total number of respondents to applicable survey questions: 148. 

Mode: Highway; 
Percentage satisfied with products: 54%; 
Number satisfied: 13; 
Total number of respondents to applicable survey questions: 24; 
Percentage satisfied with mechanisms: 39%; 
Number satisfied: 9; 
Total number of respondents to applicable survey questions: 23. 

Mode: Public Transit; 
Percentage satisfied with products: 89%; 
Number satisfied: 32; 
Total number of respondents to applicable survey questions: 36; 
Percentage satisfied with mechanisms: 81%; 
Number satisfied: 29; 
Total number of respondents to applicable survey questions: 36. 

Mode: Pipeline; 
Percentage satisfied with products: 79%; 
Number satisfied: 30; 
Total number of respondents to applicable survey questions: 38; 
Percentage satisfied with mechanisms: 76%; 
Number satisfied: 28; 
Total number of respondents to applicable survey questions: 37. 

Mode: Rail; 
Percentage satisfied with products: 57%; 
Number satisfied: 50; 
Total number of respondents to applicable survey questions: 88; 
Percentage satisfied with mechanisms: 46%; 
Number satisfied: 40; 
Total number of respondents to applicable survey questions: 87. 

Mode: All Respondents; 
Percentage satisfied with products: 59%; 
Number satisfied: 195; 
Total number of respondents to applicable survey questions: 335; 
Percentage satisfied with mechanisms: 59%; 
Number satisfied: 195; 
Total number of respondents to applicable survey questions: 331. 

Source: GAO analysis of survey responses. GAO-14-506. 

[End of figure] 

TSA has some mechanisms in place to collect stakeholder feedback, such 
as surveys attached to its products and informal feedback collected at 
meetings with stakeholders, but TSA has not systematically obtained, 
documented, and incorporated stakeholder feedback to improve 
information sharing. TSA is beginning to take steps to systematically 
obtain stakeholder satisfaction survey data. However, TSA is in the 
initial planning stages of this effort and has not determined whether 
or how it plans to document informal feedback—used by the majority of 
stakeholders GAO surveyed—or identified how it plans to incorporate 
all of the feedback collected. Consistent with customer service best 
practices, TSA could better ensure it is meeting stakeholder needs by 
including in its planned framework a systematic process to document 
informal feedback, and how it plans to incorporate all of the feedback 
it receives, both formal and informal. 

What GAO Recommends: 

Among other things, GAO recommends that TSA assess GAO's survey 
results to identify causes of information-sharing gaps and actions to 
address them, and systematically document and incorporate stakeholder 
feedback. DHS concurred. 

View [hyperlink, http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-14-506]. For more 
information, contact Jennifer Grover at (202) 512-7141 or 
groverj@gao.gov. 

[End of section] 

Contents: 

Letter: 

Background: 

Stakeholder Satisfaction Varied by Mode, and TSA Has Not Used Our 
Survey Results to Identify Causes of Information-Sharing Gaps or 
Actions to Address Them: 

TSA Could Enhance Its Efforts to Systematically Document and 
Incorporate Feedback to Improve Information-Sharing Efforts: 

Conclusions: 

Recommendations for Executive Action: 

Agency Comments and Our Evaluation: 

Appendix I: Objectives, Scope, and Methodology: 

Appendix II: Comments from the Department of Homeland Security: 

Appendix III: GAO Contacts and Staff Acknowledgments: 

Tables: 

Table 1: Primary TSA Information-Sharing Products: 

Table 2: TSA Information-Sharing Mechanisms: 

Table 3: TSA's Feedback Collection Mechanisms: 

Table 4: Stakeholder Groups That Received and Completed the Survey: 

Figures: 

Figure 1: Percentage of Stakeholders Who Reported Being Satisfied with 
TSA's Products, by Mode: 

Figure 2: Percentage of Stakeholders Who Reported Being Satisfied with 
TSA's Information-Sharing Mechanisms, by Mode: 

Figure 3: Stakeholders' Reported Receipt of TSA Security-Related 
Information Products: 

Figure 4: Percentage of Stakeholders Who Reported Having Heard of the 
Homeland Security Information Network, by Mode: 

Abbreviations: 

APTA: American Public Transportation Association: 

DHS: Department of Homeland Security: 

HSIN: Homeland Security Information Network: 

IPT: Information Sharing Integrated Project Team: 

OIA: Office of Intelligence and Analysis: 

OSPIE: Office of Security Policy and Industry Engagement: 

SBU: sensitive but unclassified: 

TSA: Transportation Security Administration: 

TSISE: Transportation Security Information Sharing Environment: 

TSISP: Transportation Security Information Sharing Plan: 

[End of section] 

United States Government Accountability Office: 
GAO:
441 G St. N.W. 
Washington, DC 20548: 

June 24, 2014: 

Congressional Committees: 

The U.S. transportation system--which is composed of multiple 
interconnected modes of transportation, including aviation, freight 
and passenger rail, highway, public transit, and pipelines--is an 
open, accessible, and complex system that moves billions of passengers 
and millions of tons of goods each year. According to the Department 
of Homeland Security (DHS) Transportation Systems Sector-Specific 
Plan, the system's size and importance to the country's safety, 
security, and economic well-being make it an attractive target for 
terrorists.[Footnote 1] Disrupted terrorist attacks in recent years 
demonstrate the importance of effective information sharing with 
public and private transportation security stakeholders. For example, 
the disruption of a planned attack on a passenger train operating 
between Toronto and New York City in April 2013, and February 2014 
intelligence that warned of possible attempts to attack passenger jets 
using explosives concealed in shoes, both illustrate the important 
role information sharing plays in transportation security. 

The Homeland Security Act of 2002 assigned DHS responsibility for 
sharing information with its federal, state, local, and private sector 
homeland security partners to assist in the prevention of and response 
to terrorist attacks.[Footnote 2] The Implementing Recommendations of 
the 9/11 Commission Act of 2007 (9/11 Commission Act) directed DHS to 
create a plan--now called the Transportation Security Information 
Sharing Environment (TSISE)--that was first issued in July 2008 and 
most recently updated in October 2012.[Footnote 3] The TSISE is 
designed to establish a foundation for sharing transportation security-
related information among public and private entities that have a 
stake in protecting the nation's transportation system. While multiple 
DHS components are responsible for information sharing, the 
Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is the department lead on 
providing transportation security-related information to other DHS 
components and public and private stakeholders, including owners and 
operators of critical transportation infrastructure. 

Our prior work on information sharing with private and public security 
stakeholders has shown that information sharing continues to be a 
challenge for the federal government.[Footnote 4] In January 2005, we 
designated the sharing of terrorism-related information as a high-risk 
area because the government faced significant challenges in analyzing 
and disseminating this information in a timely, accurate, and useful 
manner.[Footnote 5] We reported that information is a crucial tool in 
fighting terrorism and that its timely dissemination is critical to 
maintaining the security of our nation. This area remains on our high-
risk list.[Footnote 6] As a result of this designation, we monitor 
federal efforts to remove barriers to and better achieve information 
sharing. In addition, we have made a number of recommendations to DHS 
to strengthen this area and the agency has taken steps in response, 
such as expanding its efforts to share terrorism-related information 
with private sector entities and identifying state and local partners' 
information needs. The National Strategy for Information Sharing also 
discusses the need to improve information sharing, including enhancing 
the quantity and quality of specific, timely, and actionable 
information provided by the federal government to critical 
infrastructure sectors.[Footnote 7] DHS's continued progress in 
enhancing the sharing of terrorism-related information and responding 
to our findings and recommendations will be critical to supporting 
government-wide sharing and related efforts to secure the homeland. 

Section 1203 of the 9/11 Commission Act mandated us to conduct a 
biennial survey of the satisfaction of recipients of transportation 
security-related information distributed under the TSISE.[Footnote 8] 
In response to this mandate, in 2011, we assessed the satisfaction of 
recipients of transportation security-related information within the 
aviation, passenger and freight rail, and highway modes.[Footnote 9] 
We found that the transportation stakeholders we surveyed were 
generally satisfied with TSA's security-related information products, 
but we identified opportunities to improve the quality and 
availability of the disseminated information.[Footnote 10] We 
recommended that TSA (1) address stakeholder needs regarding the 
quality of analysis in its products, (2) conduct targeted outreach 
efforts to stakeholders to increase the number of stakeholders 
receiving security-related products, (3) establish outcome-oriented 
performance measures to assess the results of efforts to provide 
information through a key TSA information-sharing mechanism, (4) 
increase the functionality of its information-sharing mechanisms, and 
(5) define and document TSA's information-sharing roles and 
responsibilities. DHS concurred with our recommendations and, in 
coordination with TSA, implemented two of these recommendations by 
improving the quality of analysis in its products and developing a 
more user-friendly information-sharing mechanism. TSA has taken steps 
to implement the other recommendations but has not fully addressed our 
concerns, as discussed later in this report. This report addresses the 
following questions: 

* To what extent do stakeholders report they are satisfied with TSA's 
security-related products and the mechanisms used to disseminate them, 
and to what extent has TSA used GAO's prior survey information to 
identify any areas for improvement? 

* To what extent does TSA obtain, document, and incorporate 
stakeholder feedback on its information-sharing efforts? 

To answer the first question, we surveyed transportation stakeholders 
from the aviation, freight and passenger rail, highway, public 
transit, and pipeline modes.[Footnote 11] We conducted the survey from 
November 2013 through January 2014 and included 481 stakeholders; we 
received responses from 337 stakeholders (70 percent of those 
surveyed). We sent the survey to security officials at commercial 
passenger air carriers, Category X and I commercial airports, air 
cargo carriers, Amtrak, Class I freight rail carriers, short line and 
regional railroads that carry toxic inhalation hazards or operate in 
high-threat urban areas, public transit agencies, pipeline companies, 
and members of two groups that are composed of key highway 
stakeholders--the Highway and Motor Carrier Sector Coordinating 
Council and the Peer Advisory Group.[Footnote 12] We sent the survey 
to the entire known population of these aviation and rail 
organizations, as well as all members of highway groups; no sampling 
was conducted. We surveyed 46 of the 896 U.S. public transit agencies, 
which represent about 84 percent of total 2011 ridership.[Footnote 13] 
We also surveyed the 52 energy companies that operate the 100 most 
critical pipeline systems.[Footnote 14] While the survey responses 
cannot be used to represent the opinions and satisfaction of all 
transportation stakeholders as a whole, the responses provide data for 
the population we surveyed. Because we surveyed different stakeholders 
and stakeholder groups in 2013 than in 2011, survey results cannot be 
directly compared with the 2011 survey results.[Footnote 15] The 
survey document and percentages of responses received for each 
question are reproduced in an electronic supplement we are issuing 
concurrent with this report--[hyperlink, 
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-14-488SP]. To obtain additional 
narrative and supporting context from stakeholders, survey respondents 
were given multiple opportunities to provide additional open-ended 
comments throughout our survey. We also interviewed officials from 16 
transportation industry associations, selected to achieve a variation 
across transportation modes and sectors; TSA officials responsible for 
developing security-related information products and coordinating with 
industry stakeholders; DHS officials responsible for the department's 
primary information-sharing mechanism; and six individual survey 
respondents, selected to achieve a variation across modes, to obtain 
additional context about their responses. While the opinions expressed 
in the interviews cannot be generalized to all stakeholders or modes 
of transportation, they provided important perspective to our 
analysis. We also reviewed documents and plans that describe 
recommended practices for effective information sharing, such as the 
2012 TSISE. Finally, we compared TSA's efforts to identify and take 
appropriate actions based on stakeholders' responses to our surveys 
with best practices in performance management.[Footnote 16] 

To answer the second question, we obtained 2012 and 2013 customer 
satisfaction survey data--the most recent data available--from surveys 
TSA distributes with its information-sharing products, and public 
transit customer satisfaction survey data collected through surveys 
administered by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) 
in August 2011, January 2012, December 2012, and October 2013--all of 
the surveys administered as of April 2014. We questioned knowledgeable 
TSA and APTA officials regarding completeness, accuracy, and 
management of the data. Limitations with these data are discussed 
later in this report. In addition, we asked questions about the type 
of feedback stakeholders provide TSA in our customer satisfaction 
survey described above. We also analyzed fiscal year 2014 through 2016 
TSA strategic plans and planning efforts to develop a systematic 
process to collect and analyze customer feedback. We compared this 
information against customer service best practices and best practices 
for customer satisfaction[Footnote 17] as well as Standards for 
Internal Control in the Federal Government.[Footnote 18] In addition, 
as noted above, we interviewed officials from 16 industry 
associations, 6 stakeholders, and TSA officials responsible for 
coordinating with stakeholders and collecting stakeholder feedback to 
determine what other mechanisms TSA uses to obtain and incorporate 
stakeholder feedback. Appendix I provides more details about our 
objectives, scope, and methodology. 

We conducted this performance audit from June 2013 to June 2014 in 
accordance with generally accepted government auditing standards. 
Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain 
sufficient, appropriate evidence to provide a reasonable basis for our 
findings and conclusions based on our audit objectives. We believe 
that the evidence obtained provides a reasonable basis for our 
findings and conclusions based on our audit objectives. 

Background: 

The Aviation and Transportation Security Act, enacted in November 
2001, assigned TSA responsibility for security in all modes of 
transportation, which includes aviation, maritime, public transit, 
highway and motor carrier, freight rail, and pipeline.[Footnote 19] 
The act included requirements for deploying a federal screening 
workforce at airports that is responsible for screening all passengers 
and property transported from or within the United States on 
commercial aircraft.[Footnote 20] TSA has a direct role in ensuring 
the security of the aviation mode through its management of a 
passenger and baggage screener workforce that inspects individuals and 
their property to deter and prevent an act of violence or air piracy. 
However, TSA has a less direct role in securing other modes--such as 
freight rail and highway and motor carrier--in that it generally 
establishes voluntary standards, conducts inspections, and provides 
recommendations and advice to owners and operators within those modes. 
Responsibility for securing these modes is shared with other federal 
agencies, state and local governments, and the private sector. 
However, TSA has responsibility for receiving, assessing, and 
distributing intelligence information related to transportation 
security in all modes and assessing threats to the transportation 
system. 

Within TSA, the Office of Security Policy and Industry Engagement 
(OSPIE) is responsible for setting policy for all modes of 
transportation and is the primary point of contact for sharing 
information with private sector stakeholders. TSA's Office of 
Intelligence and Analysis (OIA) receives intelligence information 
regarding threats to transportation and designs intelligence products 
intended for officials in TSA, other parts of the federal government, 
state and local officials, and industry officials with transportation 
responsibilities that include airline, rail, and pipeline security 
coordinators; airport and public transit law enforcement officials; 
and transportation associations, among others.[Footnote 21] OIA 
receives and assesses intelligence from within and outside of the 
intelligence community to determine its relevance to transportation 
security.[Footnote 22] OIA also has deployed field intelligence 
officers throughout the United States, who, among other duties, serve 
as liaisons with state and local law enforcement officials as well as 
with fusion centers.[Footnote 23] Sources of information outside the 
intelligence community include other DHS components, law enforcement 
agencies, and owners and operators of transportation system. OIA 
disseminates security information to stakeholders representing the 
various transportation modes through several security-related 
information products, as shown in table 1. 

Table 1: Primary TSA Information-Sharing Products: 

Product: Reports; 
Description: Provide information or analysis on specific issues, 
topics, or suspicious activities, or provide situational awareness of 
an ongoing or recent event. 

Product: Assessments; 
Description: Typically include analysis of the threat and a discussion 
of potential actors, targets, and tactics, and may include an outlook 
or review of potential countermeasures or vulnerabilities. TSA 
produces various assessments, including modal threat assessments 
(multimodal, aviation, freight rail, pipeline, highway, public 
transit); special events threat assessments; and tactics, techniques, 
and procedures assessments. 

Product: Briefings; 
Description: Security-related information, including details on 
threats, vulnerabilities, and suspicious activities is shared with 
transportation stakeholders during unclassified or classified 
briefings. These briefings may be provided on an as-needed basis or 
more regularly to entire industries at forums such as trainings, 
workshops, and conferences. 

Product: Posters; 
Description: One-page unclassified graphical products focusing on a 
single topic or issue. Posters are developed primarily for 
transportation security officers and can cover a variety of topics, 
including concealment techniques, and tactics, techniques, and 
procedures that may be encountered on the front lines of 
transportation security[A]. 

Product: Encounter Reviews; 
Description: Intelligence-based, analytical products related to select 
terrorist watch list encounters or events of particular concern or 
focus regarding air travel of known or suspected terrorists that are 
distributed to passenger air carriers[B]. 

Source: GAO analysis of information provided by the Transportation 
Security Administration (TSA). GAO-14-506. 

Notes: This list does not include all of TSA's information-sharing 
products, but rather those identified by TSA officials and 
transportation stakeholders as the primary products produced by TSA. 

[A] In general, transportation security officers conduct the screening 
of passengers, baggage, and cargo at airports. 

[B] The federal government's consolidated terrorist watch list 
contains records with identifying biographical information--such as 
name and date of birth--of foreign and U.S. citizens with known or 
appropriately suspected links to terrorism. As used in this report, 
the term "encounter" refers to any incident where a screening or law 
enforcement entity has contact with a person who is positively matched 
to a record in the terrorist watch list. 

[End of table] 

TSA is one of several sources of security-related information for 
transportation stakeholders. These stakeholders may also receive 
information from other federal agencies such as the Federal Bureau of 
Investigation, the Department of Defense, and the Department of 
Transportation, as well as, among others, state and local fusion 
centers and industry associations. 

TSA uses multiple mechanisms to distribute these products, some of 
which are described in table 2. Other mechanisms that transportation 
stakeholders may use to obtain security-related information include 
those operated by regional, state, and local entities such as law 
enforcement agencies and emergency operations centers, as well as 
industry-sponsored mechanisms such as the Association of American 
Railroads' Railway Alert Network, among others. 

Table 2: TSA Information-Sharing Mechanisms: 

Mechanism: Homeland Security Information Network (HSIN); 
Description: Web-based platform operated by the Department of Homeland 
Security (DHS) to facilitate sensitive but unclassified information 
sharing and collaboration among federal, state, local, tribal, and 
private sector entities. DHS describes HSIN as its primary information-
sharing mechanism. HSIN is made up of a network of communities, called 
communities of interest. These communities are organized by state 
organizations, federal organizations, or mission areas such as 
emergency management and critical infrastructure. 

Mechanism: Transportation Security Administration's (TSA) Aviation Web 
Boards; 
Description: Websites devoted to aviation security-related 
information. In addition to regulatory and policy documents, TSA posts 
security-related information on the Web Boards. There are designated 
Web Boards for divisions of aviation operators including airports, 
passenger air carriers, and air cargo carriers. 

Mechanism: E-mail alerts; 
Description: As a part of its information-sharing efforts, TSA's 
Office of Security Policy and Industry Engagement occasionally 
disseminates e-mails to transportation organizations that include 
unclassified and sensitive but unclassified security-related 
information. This TSA mechanism is intended to provide transportation 
stakeholders with information such as suspicious incident and 
situational awareness reports. 

Source: GAO analysis of information provided by DHS. GAO-14-506. 

[End of table] 

Stakeholder Satisfaction Varied by Mode, and TSA Has Not Used Our 
Survey Results to Identify Causes of Information-Sharing Gaps or 
Actions to Address Them: 

Stakeholder Satisfaction and Familiarity with TSA's Products and 
Mechanisms Varied by Mode: 

Our survey results indicate that the extent to which stakeholders 
reported that they are satisfied with TSA's security-related products 
and the mechanisms used to disseminate them varied by mode, with 
satisfaction ranging from 48 percent (aviation) to 89 percent (public 
transit) for products and 39 percent (highway) to 81 percent (public 
transit) for information-sharing mechanisms.[Footnote 24] 
Specifically, in terms of stakeholders' satisfaction with TSA's 
security-related products, 59 percent (196 of 335) of stakeholders who 
responded to our survey question concerning overall satisfaction with 
TSA's products reported that they were satisfied with the products 
they received in 2013.[Footnote 25] However, aviation stakeholders 
were less likely to report being satisfied with the TSA products they 
received than stakeholders from the other four modes we surveyed. As 
shown in figure 1, the majority of highway, public transit, pipeline, 
and rail stakeholders, but less than half (48 percent) of aviation 
stakeholders, reported being satisfied. 

Figure 1: Percentage of Stakeholders Who Reported Being Satisfied with 
TSA's Products, by Mode: 

[Refer to PDF for image: vertical bar graph] 

Mode: Aviation; 
Percentage satisfied: 48%; 
Number satisfied: 71; 
Total number of respondents to applicable survey questions: 149. 

Mode: Highway; 
Percentage satisfied: 54%; 
Number satisfied: 13; 
Total number of respondents to applicable survey questions: 24. 

Mode: Public Transit; 
Percentage satisfied: 89%; 
Number satisfied: 32; 
Total number of respondents to applicable survey questions: 36. 

Mode: Pipeline; 
Percentage satisfied: 79%; 
Number satisfied: 30; 
Total number of respondents to applicable survey questions: 38. 

Mode: Rail; 
Percentage satisfied: 57%; 
Number satisfied: 50; 
Total number of respondents to applicable survey questions: 88. 

Mode: All respondents; 
Percentage satisfied: 59%; 
Number satisfied: 196; 
Total number of respondents to applicable survey questions: 335. 

Source: GAO analysis of survey responses. GAO-14-506. 

Note: Survey respondents were asked to rate their organization's 
satisfaction using the following terms: "very satisfied," "somewhat 
satisfied," "neither satisfied nor dissatisfied," "somewhat 
dissatisfied," "very dissatisfied," and "don't know." We use the term 
"satisfied" to describe organizations that indicated they were either 
"very satisfied" or "somewhat satisfied" and "dissatisfied" to 
describe organizations that indicated they were either "somewhat 
dissatisfied" or "very dissatisfied." Thirteen percent of aviation 
respondents (20 of 149), 21 percent of highway respondents (5 of 24), 
5 percent of pipeline respondents (2 of 38), and 16 percent of rail 
respondents (14 of 88) were dissatisfied. No public transit 
stakeholders responded that they were dissatisfied. Since satisfaction 
and dissatisfaction were not the only possible responses, it does not 
necessarily mean that all respondents who were not satisfied were 
dissatisfied. 

[End of figure] 

Further, satisfaction with TSA's products varied by sector within the 
aviation mode. Specifically, 70 percent of passenger air carrier 
stakeholders (30 of 43) reported that they were satisfied, while 42 
percent of airport stakeholders (27 of 64) and 33 percent of air cargo 
stakeholders (14 of 42) reported being satisfied with the TSA products 
they received. Eight of the 42 air cargo stakeholders who responded to 
our survey provided open-ended comments that the information TSA 
provides is not relevant or targeted to air cargo operations. In 
addition, security coordinators we met with from three separate air 
cargo operators stated that the security-related information TSA 
provides is sometimes dated. Further, representatives at two airport 
associations we met with expressed similar concerns with TSA products, 
including comments that the products do not contain new information 
and the information is not always timely. Airport and air cargo 
stakeholders may receive information that is not directly relevant or 
targeted to their operations because, according to TSA officials, TSA 
makes an effort to share information on general and specific threats 
to all transportation modes with all stakeholders, regardless of mode 
or sector, because some stakeholders find this information useful. 
Further, according to TSA officials, TSA shares new information with 
stakeholders as soon as possible after ensuring its accuracy, but TSA 
must declassify certain products before distributing them, which can 
be a lengthy process. Further, if no new information is available, TSA 
may continue to include information it has shared previously in its 
products if the information remains accurate. 

As with stakeholder satisfaction with TSA's products, the majority of 
stakeholders reported that they were satisfied with the mechanisms TSA 
uses to disseminate security-related information, but satisfaction 
with these mechanisms also varied by mode. Specifically, 59 percent of 
stakeholders (195 of 331) who responded to our survey question 
regarding overall satisfaction with TSA's mechanisms reported that 
they were satisfied. In addition, our survey asked stakeholders about 
their satisfaction with each of TSA's information-sharing mechanisms 
separately, and we found that stakeholders were generally satisfied 
with the individual mechanisms they accessed to receive security-
related information in 2013.[Footnote 26] Specifically, the majority 
of stakeholders who logged on to Web Boards (107 of 142, or 75 
percent) and HSIN (74 of 110, or 67 percent) responded that they were 
satisfied with their ability to locate information on the site, and 79 
percent of stakeholders who received a TSA e-mail alert (151 of 192) 
responded that they were satisfied with the timeliness of the e-
mail.[Footnote 27] However, highway and rail stakeholders were less 
likely to report being satisfied with the mechanisms TSA uses to 
disseminate its security-related products than with the other modes we 
surveyed. As shown in figure 2, the majority of aviation, public 
transit, and pipeline stakeholders responded that they were satisfied 
with TSA's mechanisms, while 39 percent of highway respondents and 46 
percent of rail respondents reported that they were satisfied. 

Figure 2: Percentage of Stakeholders Who Reported Being Satisfied with 
TSA's Information-Sharing Mechanisms, by Mode: 

[Refer to PDF for image: vertical bar graph] 

Mode: Aviation; 
Percentage satisfied: 60%; 
Number satisfied: 89; 
Total number of respondents to applicable survey questions: 148. 

Mode: Highway; 
Percentage satisfied: 39%; 
Number satisfied: 9; 
Total number of respondents to applicable survey questions: 23. 

Mode: Public Transit; 
Percentage satisfied: 81%; 
Number satisfied: 29; 
Total number of respondents to applicable survey questions: 36. 

Mode: Pipeline; 
Percentage satisfied: 76%; 
Number satisfied: 28; 
Total number of respondents to applicable survey questions: 37. 

Mode: Rail; 
Percentage satisfied: 46%; 
Number satisfied: 40; 
Total number of respondents to applicable survey questions: 87. 

Mode: All respondents; 
Percentage satisfied: 59%; 
Number satisfied: 1965; 
Total number of respondents to applicable survey questions: 331. 

Source: GAO analysis of survey responses. GAO-14-506. 

Note: Survey respondents were asked to rate their organization's 
satisfaction using the following terms: "very satisfied," "somewhat 
satisfied," "neither satisfied nor dissatisfied," "somewhat 
dissatisfied," "very dissatisfied," and "don't know." We use the term 
"satisfied" to describe organizations that indicated they were either 
"very satisfied" or "somewhat satisfied" and "dissatisfied" to 
describe organizations that indicated they were either "somewhat 
dissatisfied" or "very dissatisfied." Twelve percent of aviation 
respondents (18 of 148), 26 percent of highway respondents (6 of 23), 
8 percent of public transit respondents (3 of 36), 8 percent of 
pipeline respondents (3 of 37), and 9 percent of rail respondents (8 
of 87) were dissatisfied. Since satisfaction and dissatisfaction were 
not the only possible responses, it does not necessarily mean that all 
respondents who were not satisfied were dissatisfied. 

[End of figure] 

Officials at four of the five highway associations we met with and 
seven highway stakeholders who responded to our survey, in open-ended 
comments, described difficulties accessing and navigating HSIN as a 
concern. Five rail respondents also provided open-ended comments that 
identified concerns with TSA's information-sharing mechanisms. For 
example, these respondents identified issues with the usability of 
HSIN, including issues logging onto or navigating the system, or 
stated that HSIN and e-mails provide dated information available from 
other sources. In an interview with a survey respondent, one short 
line rail stakeholder stated that TSA's e-mail alerts would be more 
useful if TSA streamlined the information and focused on conclusions 
and recommendations targeted to short line railroads, since they may 
not have dedicated security staff with the time to read detailed 
background information. According to TSA officials, TSA does not 
generally provide specific recommendations to stakeholders in its 
products, since stakeholders receive information from other sources, 
such as associations, that summarize TSA products and includes 
operational guidance and recommendations. 

Our current survey results also indicate that, as we reported in 
November 2011, familiarity with TSA's security-related products and 
mechanisms varied by mode. We recommended in November 2011, among 
other things, that TSA conduct outreach to increase the number of 
stakeholders receiving transportation security-related information and 
those who are made aware of security-related information available 
through HSIN.[Footnote 28] In particular, in our current survey, 82 
percent of stakeholders (278 of 337) reported receiving one or more of 
TSA's reports in 2013, but fewer stakeholders reported receiving TSA's 
other product types, as shown in figure 3.[Footnote 29] 

Figure 3: Stakeholders' Reported Receipt of TSA Security-Related 
Information Products: 

[Refer to PDF for image: stacked horizontal bar graph] 

Type of product: Report; 
Yes: 82%; 
No: 13%; 
Don't know: 5%. 

Type of product: Assessment; 
Yes: 52%; 
No: 34%; 
Don't know: 14%. 

Type of product: Briefing; 
Yes: 63%; 
No: 31%; 
Don't know: 6%. 

Type of product: Poster; 
Yes: 31%; 
No: 60%; 
Don't know: 9%. 

Type of product: Encounter Review; 
Yes: 41%; 
No: 44%; 
Don't know: 15%. 

Source: GAO analysis of survey responses. GAO-14-506. 

Notes: Percentages may not sum to 100 because of rounding. 

[A] Percent of passenger air carriers that received Encounter Reviews. 
Encounter Reviews are distributed to passenger air carriers. 

[End of figure] 

In addition, as was the case in the 2011 survey, stakeholders from 
certain modes were more likely to report that they received each of 
TSA's product types.[Footnote 30] We surveyed stakeholders whom TSA 
had identified as points of contact who should receive TSA security-
related information products, and TSA officials reported that they 
provide reports, assessments, briefings, posters, and Encounter 
Reviews to transportation stakeholders on a routine basis. For 
example, TSA issued Multi-Modal Transportation Threat Assessments in 
2013 that provide threat information for all five of the 
transportation modes we surveyed. However, our survey results indicate 
that highway (16 of 24, or 67 percent) and public transit (31 of 36, 
or 86 percent) respondents received TSA assessments at a higher rate 
than aviation (71 of 150, or 47 percent), pipeline (15 of 38, or 39 
percent), and rail (42 of 89, or 47 percent) respondents. Similarly, 
public transit stakeholders were more likely to report that they 
received a poster than stakeholders from all other modes we surveyed. 
Specifically, over half of public transit stakeholders (19 of 36) 
reported that they received a poster, but less than one-third of 
stakeholders in the other modes reported receiving this product. 
[Footnote 31] TSA officials reported that they may target specific 
modes of transportation for the distribution of awareness materials, 
such as posters, and variance across modes is to be expected. However, 
TSA issued at least one poster in 2013 that provided information 
relevant to security professionals in all transportation modes, and 
our survey results indicate that stakeholders in some modes were less 
likely to receive it. 

Similarly, our survey results indicate that, as we reported in 
November 2011, some stakeholders are not aware of HSIN and familiarity 
with HSIN varied by mode.[Footnote 32] Overall, 58 percent of 
stakeholders (195 of 334 who responded to our survey question 
regarding familiarity with HSIN) reported that they had heard of HSIN, 
31 percent (104 of 334) reported that they had not heard of HSIN, and 
10 percent (35 of 334) reported that they were unsure. As shown in 
figure 4, more than 80 percent of highway, pipeline, and public 
transit stakeholders reported that they had heard of HSIN, while 44 
percent of aviation stakeholders and 53 percent of rail stakeholders 
reported that they had heard of HSIN.[Footnote 33] 

Figure 4: Percentage of Stakeholders Who Reported Having Heard of the 
Homeland Security Information Network, by Mode: 

[Refer to PDF for image: stacked horizontal bar graph] 

Mode: Aviation; 
Yes: 44%; 
No: 43%; 
Don't know: 13%; 
Number of respondents: 149. 

Mode: Highway; 
Yes: 96%; 
No: 0; 
Don't know: 4%; 
Number of respondents: 24. 

Mode: Public Transit; 
Yes: 82%; 
No: 12%; 
Don't know: 6%; 
Number of respondents: 34. 

Mode: Pipeline; 
Yes: 84%; 
No: 11%; 
Don't know: 5%; 
Number of respondents: 38. 

Mode: Rail; 
Yes: 53%; 
No: 36%; 
Don't know: 11%; 
Number of respondents: 89. 

Source: GAO analysis of survey responses. GAO-14-506. 

[End of figure] 

TSA and DHS officials reported that they have taken or are beginning 
to take some steps to conduct outreach to stakeholders to increase the 
number receiving security-related products and to increase awareness 
of HSIN: 

* TSA officials stated that they have conducted targeted outreach to 
public transit stakeholders. Although we did not include public 
transit stakeholders in the survey we reported on in November 2011, we 
conducted a similar review of public transit stakeholders in 2010 and 
found a lack of awareness of HSIN among the public transit agencies we 
surveyed.[Footnote 34] We recommended that TSA establish time frames 
for a working group of federal and industry officials to consider 
targeted outreach efforts to increase awareness of HSIN among transit 
agencies that are not currently using or aware of this system. In 
August 2012, TSA reported that the agency had compiled a "superlist" 
of more than 1,000 public transit agencies and sent members of this 
list a HSIN membership campaign letter. In addition, TSA officials 
stated that OIA provides a monthly threat briefing for public transit 
stakeholders. These outreach efforts may have increased public transit 
agencies' receipt of TSA's products and familiarity with HSIN, as 
public transit stakeholders were more likely than stakeholders from 
the other transportation modes in our current survey to respond that 
they had received each of TSA's products, and over 80 percent of 
public transit stakeholders who responded to our survey had heard of 
HSIN. 

* TSA officials stated that they have initiated efforts to increase 
outreach to stakeholders from other transportation modes. For example, 
in February 2014, TSA reconvened its Information Sharing Integrated 
Project Team (IPT), a team composed of offices across the agency, to 
develop a plan to conduct targeted outreach efforts to aviation, rail, 
and highway stakeholders, among other things.[Footnote 35] TSA 
officials stated that they have increased the frequency of 
interactions with stakeholders by, for example, conducting conference 
calls twice a month with air carriers and monthly conference calls 
with Class I railroads. However, TSA officials could not provide data 
demonstrating the extent to which more stakeholders are receiving TSA 
products based on its expanded outreach channels. According to TSA 
officials, producing these data would require an extensive effort, but 
the IPT is examining ways to accurately and efficiently capture this 
information. 

* TSA and DHS officials stated that they have taken other steps to 
increase stakeholders' awareness of HSIN. For example, according to 
TSA officials, field intelligence officers provide fliers regarding 
HSIN to stakeholders. In addition, DHS officials stated that the 
department is in the beginning phases of conducting stakeholder 
outreach and implementing its Stakeholder Management Plan, approved in 
December 2013, which includes, as part of one of its goals, 
identifying underrepresented users on the network. Further, TSA's IPT 
intends to develop a plan to increase awareness of the availability of 
information through HSIN and to measure the effectiveness of this 
outreach by developing outcome-oriented performance measures to help 
assess the results of efforts to provide useful and timely 
transportation security information through HSIN. HSIN usage 
statistics provided by DHS show an increase in the number of 
registered users of HSIN's aviation portal from November 2011 through 
March 2014, but as our survey results demonstrate, stakeholders from 
the aviation mode were less likely than stakeholders from other modes 
to report that they had heard of HSIN. In addition, HSIN usage 
statistics show a decline in the number of registered users of HSIN's 
public transit and rail portals over the same period, and our survey 
results show that 53 percent of rail respondents reported in 2013 that 
they had heard of HSIN.[Footnote 36] The number of registered HSIN 
accounts decreased after an upgrade of the HSIN system in the summer 
of 2013 because, among other reasons, DHS removed expired accounts, 
according to DHS officials. TSA's planned actions, if implemented 
effectively, should address the intent of our 2011 recommendation. 

TSA Has Not Used Our Prior Survey Data to Help Identify Causes of 
Information-Sharing Gaps and Actions to Address Them: 

We provided TSA with performance information on its information-
sharing efforts, including identifying gaps, such as variation in the 
receipt and awareness of products and mechanisms by mode, in our 
November 2011 report. In addition, we issued an electronic supplement 
concurrently with the report that included aggregate survey data. 
[Footnote 37] These survey data provide TSA with feedback from 
stakeholders on its information-sharing efforts, including its 
products and mechanisms. As discussed previously in this report, TSA 
has taken some steps to address specific recommendations made in our 
2011 report, such as improving the quality of analysis in its 
products; however, TSA has not systematically reviewed the results of 
the 2011 stakeholder survey to help identify the causes of the 
information-sharing gaps and has not sought solutions to address these 
identified gaps. 

Our current survey identified a number of the same gaps we reported in 
November 2011.[Footnote 38] Specifically, both our current and 
previous surveys found variations in satisfaction with products and 
mechanisms. For example, in both surveys, less than half of all air 
cargo respondents reported that they were satisfied with TSA's 
products. In addition, as discussed above, results from both surveys 
indicate that the majority of stakeholders received at least one of 
TSA's reports, but the number of transportation stakeholders who 
received TSA's other products and who were aware of HSIN varied by 
mode. Further, about half of stakeholders (49 percent) who responded 
to our previous survey said that they would prefer that TSA share 
transportation security-related information more frequently than it 
did in 2010. Our current survey results continue to show that about 
half of stakeholders from each mode who responded to our question 
regarding the frequency of TSA's information sharing would prefer that 
TSA provide information on a more frequent basis.[Footnote 39] 
According to TSA officials, TSA coordinates with other producers of 
transportation security-related information--such as the Federal 
Bureau of Investigation--to limit duplication, and stakeholders may 
receive TSA information from these sources in addition to the 
information they receive directly from TSA. In addition, TSA officials 
stated that they have taken steps to identify needed corrective 
actions based on our survey results, such as forming the IPT. However, 
TSA did not provide documentation showing a systematic review of the 
survey results to identify causes of information-sharing gaps and 
solutions to address these gaps. Moreover, our current survey 
identified some of the same gaps we reported in November 2011. 
Performance management best practices state that federal managers can 
use performance information to identify problems, to try to identify 
their causes, and to look for solutions and approaches that improve 
results.[Footnote 40] 

Assessing the results of our current survey on transportation 
stakeholder satisfaction with TSA's security-related products and 
mechanisms, which contain the most recent information on the gaps we 
identified, could better position TSA to look for the causes of such 
gaps and identify solutions to improve its information-sharing 
efforts. For example, our survey identified that some transportation 
stakeholders, such as air cargo and airport stakeholders, reported 
lower levels of satisfaction with TSA's products than other 
stakeholders. TSA could seek to identify why this is the case and what 
steps it could take to address this gap. By assessing the results of 
our transportation stakeholder satisfaction survey to help identify 
information-sharing gaps and actions to address them, TSA would be 
better positioned to reduce or eliminate information-sharing gaps and 
improve stakeholders' awareness of its information-sharing efforts. 

TSA Could Enhance Its Efforts to Systematically Document and 
Incorporate Feedback to Improve Information-Sharing Efforts: 

TSA currently has three mechanisms in place to obtain stakeholder 
feedback, but each has limitations in providing TSA systematic 
information to improve its information-sharing products and 
mechanisms, as shown in table 3. 

Table 3: TSA's Feedback Collection Mechanisms: 

Mechanism: Customer satisfaction surveys; 
Description: The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) attaches 
a survey to the back of its intelligence products that gauges, among 
other things, customer satisfaction with the usefulness of the 
information in its products[A]; 
Overview of feedback obtained: TSA's satisfaction data for fiscal year 
2013 indicate that stakeholders who responded to the surveys said that 
they were generally satisfied with the reports they reviewed during 
that time frame[B]; 
Limitations: 
Few responses: TSA received an average of fewer than two surveys per 
unclassified product distributed through the Homeland Security 
Information Network (HSIN) in fiscal year 2013. As of April 2014, TSA 
has not received any surveys on its classified products.[C]; 
About 62 percent (204 of 327) of respondents that completed our survey 
reported that they did not complete the surveys at the back of TSA 
products; 
Potential bias: Transportation stakeholders who read the TSA product 
and choose to provide feedback may not be representative of those 
stakeholders that decide not to read a product or read the product and 
choose not to complete the survey; 
Limited information: The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) 
publishes aggregate survey results in the department's Annual 
Performance Report as performance measures. However, TSA officials 
stated that the surveys provide limited insight into whether a product 
actually meets the stakeholder's needs because the rating system does 
not provide TSA with information it can use to improve products; 
Lack of systematic documentation: Although TSA officials told us that 
they review and consider survey feedback, TSA officials stated they do 
not have a process for responding to customer satisfaction surveys and 
do not systematically document how they incorporate survey results to 
improve information sharing. 

Mechanism: American Public Transportation Association (APTA) surveys; 
Description: TSA coordinates with APTA to administer surveys that 
gauge how satisfied public transit stakeholders are with, among other 
issues, the HSIN public transit portal and the Public Transportation 
Information Sharing and Analysis Center.[D]; 
Overview of feedback obtained: APTA survey results from August 2011, 
January 2012, December 2012, and October 2013 indicate that public 
transit stakeholders who responded to the surveys were generally 
satisfied with these information-sharing mechanisms; 
Limitations: 
Low response rates: Response rates were no higher than 20 percent for 
all surveys administered; 
Limited information: APTA surveys do not obtain feedback on all of 
TSA's information-sharing products (such as threat assessments and 
posters) and mechanisms that public transit stakeholders utilize (such 
as briefings) because APTA surveys are focused on satisfaction with 
the primary mechanisms for sharing security information with public 
transit agencies and not intended to capture this information. 

Mechanism: Informally (phone calls, e-mails, and regularly scheduled 
meetings); 
Description: TSA officials brief stakeholders on transportation 
security-related information during teleconferences, association 
meetings, and sector coordinating council meetings, or on an as-needed 
basis through phone calls and e-mails; 
Overview of feedback obtained: According to TSA officials, regular 
engagement with stakeholders allows TSA to solicit feedback on TSA's 
information-sharing efforts, and officials representing all 16 
associations we met with told us that they provide informal feedback. 
Also, in our survey of transportation stakeholders, we found that 53 
percent (177 of 332) of survey respondents provide feedback informally; 
Limitations: 
Potential bias: Informal feedback may not be representative of the 
entire population of stakeholders because interaction with TSA is 
voluntary, and TSA does not obtain the views of non-participants; 
Lack of systematic documentation: TSA does not systematically document 
how it incorporates the informal feedback to improve information 
sharing. 

Source: GAO analysis of information provided by TSA and APTA. GAO-14-
506. 

[A] TSA surveys include six questions that ask customers to rate how 
satisfied they are with the usefulness, relevance, and timeliness of 
TSA's products and also ask respondents to provide a narrative 
response on how the product could be improved. 

[B] We also obtained fiscal year 2012 customer satisfaction survey 
data, but TSA officials stated that the majority of the surveys 
returned were submitted by TSA officials, not owners and operators of 
critical transportation infrastructure. In contrast, because of an 
information system limitation that prevented TSA officials from 
completing surveys in 2013, the majority of fiscal year 2013 surveys 
were submitted by external stakeholders. 

[C] According to TSA officials, it is not possible to calculate a 
response rate because they do not know how many customers have read 
their products. 

[D] In response to a recommendation we made in September 2010, TSA 
coordinates with APTA to conduct surveys of public transit 
stakeholders to obtain feedback on its information-sharing efforts. 
The Public Transportation Information Sharing and Analysis Center, 
which is implemented by APTA under a cooperative agreement with the 
Federal Transit Administration, was designed to serve as the one-stop 
shop for public transit agencies seeking to obtain security-related 
information. The center collects, analyzes, and distributes security 
and threat information from the federal government and open sources 
through daily e-mails. 

[End of table] 

TSA has taken steps to improve information sharing based on feedback 
received through the mechanisms discussed in table 3. For example, in 
December 2012, the rail industry provided TSA with a list of areas for 
emphasis in intelligence analysis, and TSA initiated a product line 
focusing on indications and warnings associated with disrupted or 
successful terrorist attacks. TSA officials stated that they further 
refined one of the products as a result of a stakeholder requesting 
information on tactics used in foreign rail attacks. One official 
representing a railroad association told us that this product was 
valuable in helping to educate rail stakeholders about indicators of 
potential terrorist attacks and one survey respondent from the rail 
industry noted that this product was useful because it contained 
information that was used to develop suspicious activity training. 
Similarly, officials at one pipeline association told us that TSA 
routinely develops intelligence products and conducts monthly meetings 
based on pipeline operators' information needs and informal feedback. 
For example, TSA developed a product containing pipeline security best 
practices based on informal feedback from the industry. 

Transportation stakeholders we spoke with and surveyed identified 
additional ways to improve TSA's efforts to obtain feedback. For 
example, officials representing 6 of the 16 transportation 
associations we met with offered suggestions on how TSA could improve 
its efforts to obtain feedback from stakeholders, such as engaging in 
more of a dialogue and obtaining feedback on a more consistent basis. 
For example, according to a senior official representing one highway 
association, TSA officials often do not include feedback the 
association provides when developing transportation security-related 
products. In addition, 14 of the 31 survey respondents that provided 
comments on their experiences in providing TSA with feedback reported 
that they had negative experiences. The aviation sector had the most 
negative comments (10 of 14), which centered on the lack of awareness 
of or consistency in how TSA obtains feedback and lack of 
responsiveness to the feedback the sector provided. TSA officials told 
us that beginning in January 2013, TSA increased its efforts to 
actively engage the aviation sector by increasing the frequency of 
regular meetings with aircraft operator security representatives. 

Customer service best practices emphasize the need for agencies to 
develop a single, centralized management framework for receiving 
customer feedback so that all information about the customers can be 
linked together to facilitate a more complete knowledge of the 
customer.[Footnote 41] Further, these best practices suggest that 
multiple approaches to customer feedback, such as focus groups and 
customer interviews that provide both qualitative and quantitative 
data, and the integration of feedback data, are needed to effectively 
listen to and understand customers' needs and to take appropriate 
action to meet those needs.[Footnote 42] Relying on a single method, 
such as a customer survey, might be too narrow in scope and limited in 
its application to fully capture customers' concerns. 

TSA officials stated that the agency does not have a process in place 
to obtain, document, and incorporate feedback in a systematic manner, 
but that TSA has initiated an effort to improve how it obtains 
customer feedback. Specifically, TSA reported that beginning in 
November 2011, it planned to design a customer management system to 
document the method and frequency of TSA's interactions with 
stakeholders, and feedback to improve TSA's intelligence products and 
mechanisms. TSA officials stated that TSA realigned OIA and OSPIE from 
September 2011 through September 2013 to improve TSA's security-
related products and stakeholder outreach, and that it was necessary 
to complete the realignment before proceeding with development of the 
customer management system. According to TSA officials, now that the 
realignments are complete, TSA has reconvened its IPT to facilitate 
TSA-wide implementation of information-sharing processes, which, 
according to the IPT Charter, includes monitoring stakeholders' needs 
and measuring progress on the development and use of customer 
satisfaction surveys.[Footnote 43] The IPT Charter also includes 
milestones and time frames for developing a centralized management 
framework that is to capture stakeholder satisfaction survey data on 
all of TSA's security-related products and the systems used to 
distribute these products, such as HSIN. TSA officials told us that as 
a first step, they identified a comprehensive list of transportation 
stakeholders, including documenting how they receive information, and 
the types of products they receive, and expects to finalize this 
effort by the end of May 2014. According to an additional milestone in 
the IPT Charter, as described by a senior IPT official, TSA plans to 
determine the additional requirements for attaching surveys to 
specific distribution mechanisms by August 15, 2014 and test all 
systems and compile stakeholder satisfaction survey results by the end 
of February 2015. This official stated that the data are to include 
feedback gathered from surveys attached to TSA products as well as 
quarterly surveys fielded to stakeholders to help ensure TSA is 
getting the right information to the right people and responding to 
stakeholder needs. 

While TSA is beginning to take steps to improve how it obtains 
customer feedback, it is in the initial planning stages of this 
effort, has not committed to linking a key mechanism--informal 
feedback--into its centralized management framework to capture 
stakeholder feedback, and has not identified how it plans to 
incorporate formal survey feedback it plans to collect. For example, 
TSA completed the IPT Charter in February 2014 and revised the charter 
in April 2014 to include, among other things, the time frames and 
milestones discussed above. According to TSA officials, the IPT 
planning process is ongoing and dynamic, milestones and associated 
dates are subject to change, and the team plans to continue to assess 
the steps needed to implement a mechanism to best capture stakeholder 
feedback on intelligence products. However, the IPT Charter does not 
specify how TSA plans to systematically collect, document, and 
incorporate informal feedback--a key feedback mechanism used by the 
majority of the stakeholders we surveyed, and a mechanism TSA 
officials told us they utilize to improve information sharing. In 
2013, OIA built a system that tracks when OIA officials share 
information with stakeholders at meetings and conferences, through e-
mails, and other means, but TSA officials stated that the data are not 
used for operational purposes, and TSA has no plans to incorporate 
this system into its centralized management framework because the IPT 
decided to focus its initial efforts on developing a survey mechanism. 
In addition, neither TSA strategic planning documents nor the IPT 
Charter specifies how TSA plans to systematically document and 
incorporate the survey feedback it plans to collect. 

Because TSA lacks specific plans and documentation of how it plans to 
improve its efforts to incorporate all of its stakeholder feedback, it 
is unclear how, or if, TSA will systematically document, and 
incorporate both survey feedback and informal feedback to improve 
information sharing. Including in its planned centralized management 
framework a systematic process to document informal feedback and how 
it incorporates all of the feedback--both formal and informal--TSA 
receives could help TSA better ensure it is meeting stakeholder needs 
by providing the right information to the right people at the right 
time to enhance security. TSA would also be better positioned to 
measure the effectiveness of its information-sharing efforts, and 
target changes to its products and mechanisms, if necessary, or 
improve information sharing in general. 

Further, although TSA is beginning to develop a centralized management 
framework to capture stakeholder feedback, TSA officials stated that 
they have not developed any performance measures to assess their 
efforts to provide stakeholders with useful and timely information. In 
addition, the IPT Charter does not include time frames or milestones 
to develop performance measures to assess the results of 
transportation information sharing because the IPT's first priorities 
are to finalize a list of stakeholders and the products they receive 
as well as develop a more robust stakeholder survey mechanism, as 
discussed above. Key practices in performance management have shown 
that successful agencies develop performance measures that tell the 
organization how well it is achieving its goals.[Footnote 44] Further, 
Standards for Internal Control in the Federal Government states that 
managers need to compare actual performance against planned or 
expected results throughout the organization and analyze significant 
differences. As TSA progresses in its effort to improve how it obtains 
customer feedback, establishing performance measures could help assess 
the results of efforts to provide stakeholders with useful and timely 
transportation security information and identify where changes may be 
warranted to better respond to customer needs. 

Conclusions: 

Securing the nation's vast and diverse transportation system is a 
challenging task that is complicated by the ever-changing and dynamic 
threat environment. According to DHS, the system is an attractive 
target for terrorists, and it is critical that TSA provides the 
transportation industry with the right information at the right time. 
However, transportation stakeholders can only act on information they 
receive or can access, and the results of both our 2011 and 2013 
surveys of satisfaction of recipients of transportation security-
related information revealed gaps in the sharing of products and 
awareness of a key information-sharing mechanism. Assessing the 
results of our current survey on transportation stakeholder 
satisfaction with TSA's products and mechanisms could better position 
TSA to look for causes of such gaps and identify solutions to improve 
its information-sharing efforts. 

In the longer term, it is important for TSA to further develop its own 
processes and mechanisms to obtain and document feedback from 
transportation stakeholders, and incorporate this information in the 
production and dissemination of security-related information, as a 
means to improve information sharing. TSA is beginning to take steps 
to improve how it obtains stakeholder feedback. However, TSA is in the 
initial planning stages of this effort, and does not have specifics 
and documentation of how it plans to systematically obtain, document, 
and incorporate both stakeholder survey and informal feedback to 
improve information sharing as well as measure results. Including in 
its planned centralized management framework a systematic process to 
document informal feedback, and how it incorporates all of the 
feedback TSA receives could help TSA better ensure it is meeting 
stakeholder needs and providing the right information to the right 
people at the right time to enhance security. Further, establishing 
performance measures would help TSA assess the results of efforts to 
provide stakeholders with useful and timely transportation security 
information. 

Recommendations for Executive Action: 

To help strengthen information sharing with transportation 
stakeholders and ensure that stakeholders receive security-related 
information in a timely manner, we recommend that the TSA 
Administrator take the following three actions: 

* assess the results of our 2013 transportation stakeholder 
satisfaction survey to help identify the causes of information-sharing 
gaps and actions to address them; 

* include in its planned customer feedback framework a systematic 
process to document informal feedback, and how it incorporates all of 
the feedback TSA receives, both formal and informal; and: 

* establish performance measures to help assess the results of efforts 
to provide stakeholders with useful and timely transportation security 
information. 

Agency Comments and Our Evaluation: 

We provided a draft of this report and a draft copy of the 
accompanying e-supplement (GAO-14-488SP) to Amtrak and the Departments 
of Homeland Security and Transportation for comment. In an e-mail 
received May 30, 2014, the Amtrak audit liaison stated that Amtrak had 
no comments on the report. DHS provided written comments on the draft 
report, which are reproduced in full in appendix II. DHS concurred 
with the findings and recommendations in the report and described the 
efforts the department has underway or planned to address our 
recommendations, as summarized below. The Department of 
Transportation's Deputy Director of Audit Relations also replied in an 
e-mail received on June 4, 2014 that the department had no comments on 
the report. Amtrak and the Departments of Homeland Security and 
Transportation did not provide comments on the e-supplement. 

In its written comments, DHS stated that TSA has implemented improved 
information sharing processes since 2011 and has additional efforts 
underway that are to address the remaining open information sharing 
recommendations made in our November 2011 transportation security 
information sharing report.[Footnote 45] DHS stated our survey results 
provide valuable information but that we did not include comments 
provided by the survey participants or industry stakeholders we met 
with, which would have been beneficial to understanding the full 
context of the draft report. However, we believe that we included 
comments provided by both survey respondents and industry 
stakeholders, as appropriate. For example, we provided summary 
information from highway survey respondents and associations to 
explain why stakeholders from the highway mode might be less satisfied 
with TSA's information-sharing mechanisms than stakeholders in other 
modes. In addition, we described survey respondents' and associations' 
views on steps TSA has taken to improve information sharing based on 
feedback they have provided as well as the suggestions these 
stakeholders provided on how TSA could improve its efforts to obtain 
feedback. We included these examples, among others, to provide 
additional context to the report's findings. 

DHS also identified the project team that is to implement the three 
recommendations we made in the report and provided estimated 
completion dates. Specifically, DHS said that TSA's IPT is currently 
assessing the results of our 2013 survey and is to develop 
recommendations to adjust products and information sharing mechanisms 
by March 2015. In addition, the IPT is to continue to develop 
processes to document and incorporate all of the feedback TSA 
receives, both formal and informal, by March 2015. Further, DHS stated 
that the IPT plans to develop performance measures and customer 
satisfaction goals for each of TSA's transportation security products 
by December 2014. 

We are sending copies of this report to appropriate congressional 
committees. We are also sending copies to the Secretaries of Homeland 
Security and Transportation, and the President and Chief Executive 
Officer of Amtrak. In addition, the report is available at no charge 
on the GAO website at [hyperlink, http://www.gao.gov]. If you or your 
staff have any questions about this report, please contact me at 202-
512-7141 or groverj@gao.gov. Contact points for our Offices of 
Congressional Relations and Public Affairs may be found on the last 
page of this report. Key contributors to this report are listed in 
appendix III. 

Signed by: 

Jennifer Grover 
Acting Director, Homeland Security and Justice Issues: 

List of Committees: 

The Honorable Tim Johnson: 
Chairman: 
The Honorable Mike Crapo: 
Ranking Member: 
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs: 
United States Senate: 

The Honorable John D. Rockefeller IV: 
Chairman: 
The Honorable John Thune: 
Ranking Member: 
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: 
United States Senate: 

The Honorable Thomas R. Carper: 
Chairman: 
The Honorable Tom Coburn, M.D.
Ranking Member: 
Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs: 
United States Senate: 

The Honorable Michael McCaul: 
Chairman: 
The Honorable Bennie G. Thompson: 
Ranking Member: 
Committee on Homeland Security: 
House of Representatives: 

The Honorable Bill Shuster: 
Chairman: 
The Honorable Nick J. Rahall, II: 
Ranking Member: 
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure: 
House of Representatives: 

[End of section] 

Appendix I: Objectives, Scope, and Methodology: 

This report addresses the following questions: (1) To what extent do 
stakeholders report that they are satisfied with the Transportation 
Security Administration's (TSA) security-related products and the 
mechanisms used to disseminate them, and to what extent has TSA used 
GAO's prior survey information to identify areas for improvement? (2) 
To what extent does TSA obtain, document, and incorporate stakeholder 
feedback on its information-sharing efforts? 

To address the first question, we conducted a web-based survey of 
transportation stakeholders from the aviation, freight and passenger 
rail, highway, public transit, and pipeline modes.[Footnote 46] We 
based our survey on one we previously fielded to transportation 
stakeholders in 2011, and interviewed TSA officials responsible for 
developing security-related information products and coordinating with 
industry stakeholders and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) 
officials responsible for the Homeland Security Information Network 
(HSIN)[Footnote 47] to identify changes in the primary security-
related information-sharing products, mechanisms, and the stakeholders 
for whom TSA maintains contact information.[Footnote 48] In two 
instances, the modes selected for our survey differed from the ones 
surveyed in 2011. Specifically, we conducted reviews of pipeline 
security and public transit information sharing in 2010 and therefore 
did not assess the satisfaction of pipeline or public transit 
stakeholders in our November 2011 TSA information-sharing review. 
[Footnote 49] In addition, we did not always survey the same 
population for a particular mode or transportation sector across both 
surveys. For example, for our November 2011 review, we surveyed state 
departments of transportation or emergency management to collect 
highway stakeholders' views. However, in coordination with TSA, we 
decided a more appropriate population to include in our current survey 
was members of two highway working groups that coordinate with TSA on 
information sharing--the Highway and Motor Carrier Sector Coordinating 
Council and the Peer Advisory Group. Further, TSA officials provided 
us with a more comprehensive and inclusive list of short line and 
regional railroads than in 2011, which more than doubled the number of 
stakeholders in this sector. Because we surveyed different 
stakeholders and stakeholder groups in 2013 than for our 2011 review, 
survey results cannot be directly compared with the 2011 survey 
results. 

We designed draft questionnaires in close collaboration with our 
survey specialists. We conducted pretests with six security officials--
at least one from each of the modes we surveyed--in person and by 
telephone. 

We identified organizations and security officials at each 
organization to receive the survey using TSA's security information 
product distribution lists and, for public transit agencies, the 
Federal Transit Administration's National Transit Database on public 
transit ridership.[Footnote 50] We sent the survey to one security 
official at each of the organizations that we identified in our 
preliminary steps, including commercial passenger air carriers, 
Category X and I commercial airports, air cargo carriers, Amtrak, 
Class I freight rail carriers, short line and regional railroads that 
carry toxic inhalation hazards or operate in high-threat urban areas, 
public transit agencies, pipeline companies, and members of two groups 
that are composed of key highway stakeholders--the Highway and Motor 
Carrier Sector Coordinating Council and the Peer Advisory 
Group.[Footnote 51] We sent the survey to the entire known population 
of these aviation and rail organizations, as well as all members of 
highway groups; no sampling was conducted. We surveyed 46 of the 896 
U.S. public transit agencies, which represent about 84 percent of 
total 2011 ridership.[Footnote 52] We also surveyed the 52 energy 
companies that operate the 100 most critical pipeline systems. 
[Footnote 53] 

We included 481 transportation stakeholders in our web-based survey, 
which we launched on November 7, 2013. Log-in information was e-mailed 
to all contacts. We contacted by telephone and e-mailed those who had 
not completed the questionnaire at multiple points during the data 
collection period, and we closed the survey on January 16, 2014. A 
total of 337 organizations submitted a completed questionnaire with 
usable responses for an overall response rate of 70 percent, as shown 
in table 4. 

Table 4: Stakeholder Groups That Received and Completed the Survey: 

Stakeholder transportation sector and mode: Aviation; 
Number that received the survey: 206; 
Number that completed the survey: 150; 
Percentage of recipients that completed the survey: 73%. 

Stakeholder transportation sector and mode: Commercial passenger air 
carrier[A]; 
Number that received the survey: 57; 
Number that completed the survey: 43; 
Percentage of recipients that completed the survey: 75%. 

Stakeholder transportation sector and mode: Air cargo[A]; 
Number that received the survey: 67; 
Number that completed the survey: 42; 
Percentage of recipients that completed the survey: 63%. 

Stakeholder transportation sector and mode: Commercial airports[B]; 
Number that received the survey: 82; 
Number that completed the survey: 65; 
Percentage of recipients that completed the survey: 79%. 

Stakeholder transportation sector and mode: Rail; 
Number that received the survey: 144; 
Number that completed the survey: 89; 
Percentage of recipients that completed the survey: 62%. 

Stakeholder transportation sector and mode: Class I freight rail; 
Number that received the survey: 7; 
Number that completed the survey: 7; 
Percentage of recipients that completed the survey: 100%. 

Stakeholder transportation sector and mode: Short line and regional 
freight rail; 
Number that received the survey: 136; 
Number that completed the survey: 81; 
Percentage of recipients that completed the survey: 60%. 

Stakeholder transportation sector and mode: Amtrak; 
Number that received the survey: 1; 
Number that completed the survey: 1; 
Percentage of recipients that completed the survey: 100%. 

Stakeholder transportation sector and mode: Highway; 
Number that received the survey: 33; 
Number that completed the survey: 24; 
Percentage of recipients that completed the survey: 73%. 

Stakeholder transportation sector and mode: Public transit; 
Number that received the survey: 46; 
Number that completed the survey: 36; 
Percentage of recipients that completed the survey: 78%. 

Stakeholder transportation sector and mode: Pipeline; 
Number that received the survey: 52; 
Number that completed the survey: 38; 
Percentage of recipients that completed the survey: 73%. 

Stakeholder transportation sector and mode: Total; 
Number that received the survey: 481; 
Number that completed the survey: 337; 
Percentage of recipients that completed the survey: 70%. 

Source: GAO survey. GAO-14-506. 

[A] We compared the lists of commercial passenger and air cargo 
carriers provided by TSA and found that seven airlines were on both 
lists and had the same security contacts for both sectors. We placed 
each of the carriers in one sector based on its categorization in 
prior work we completed under the 9/11 Commission Act to maintain 
consistency in reporting. 

[B] The were 84 airports in our scope, but the Port Authority of New 
York and New Jersey, which operates three airports, submitted a 
consolidated response. As a result, we ultimately surveyed 82 airport 
security coordinators. 

[End of table] 

Since the air cargo and short line and regional freight rail sectors' 
response rates were lower than those of the other sectors (63 and 60 
percent, respectively), we conducted a nonresponse analysis.[Footnote 
54] We analyzed the extent to which air cargo respondents and 
nonrespondents differ by geography, TSA program they participate in, 
and size, and we analyzed short line nonresponse for geography and 
size. We determined, according to our analysis of survey data and 
discussions with air cargo and short line association officials, there 
is likely no programmatic or geographic nonresponse bias in the air 
cargo sector or geographic or size bias in the short line and regional 
rail sector. However, only one of the four large air cargo carriers 
responded to the survey, and that carrier's responses were more 
positive than for the sector as a whole. There may be a size-based 
response bias, but since there are only 3 nonresponding large carriers 
out of the population of 67 carriers, their responses would not likely 
have had an effect on the overall response of air cargo carriers. In 
addition, we interviewed 2 of the nonresponding large carriers to 
ensure that we could incorporate their views as appropriate. 

Because we did not conduct any sampling for our survey, our data are 
not subject to sampling errors. However, the practical difficulties of 
conducting any survey may introduce nonsampling errors. For example, 
differences in how a particular question is interpreted, the sources 
of information available to respondents, or the types of people who do 
not respond to a question can introduce errors into the survey 
results. We included steps in both the data collection and data 
analysis stages to minimize such nonsampling errors. As we previously 
indicated, we collaborated with our survey specialists to design draft 
questionnaires, and versions of the questionnaire were pretested with 
six members of the surveyed population. From these pretests, we made 
revisions as necessary to reduce the likelihood of nonresponse and 
reporting errors on our questions. Our analysts answered respondent 
questions and resolved difficulties that respondents had in completing 
our survey. We examined the survey results and performed computer 
analyses to identify inconsistencies and other indications of error 
and addressed such issues, where possible. A second, independent 
analyst checked the accuracy of all computer analyses to minimize the 
likelihood of errors in data processing. To obtain additional 
narrative and supporting context from stakeholders, survey respondents 
were given multiple opportunities to provide additional open-ended 
comments throughout our survey. While the survey responses cannot be 
used to generalize the opinions and satisfaction of transportation 
stakeholders as a whole, the responses provide data for our defined 
population. 

The final instrument is reproduced in an e-supplement we are issuing 
concurrently with this report--GAO-14-488SP--and displays the 
percentages of responses received for each question.[Footnote 55] The 
questionnaire asked those transportation stakeholders responsible for 
security operations to identify the modes of transportation they 
provide, the extent to which they receive and are satisfied or 
dissatisfied with TSA security-related products and briefings, the 
mechanisms they use to obtain security information, and their 
satisfaction with each of these mechanisms. 

For the purposes of this survey, we defined the five aspects of 
security-related information quality as: 

* timeliness: the degree to which you received the information within 
the time it was needed; 

* relevance: the degree to which the information was applicable to 
your organization; 

* completeness: the degree to which the information contained all the 
necessary details; 

* actionability: the degree to which the information enabled you to 
make adjustments to your security measures, if such a change was 
warranted; and: 

* accuracy: the degree to which the information was correct.[Footnote 
56] 

We reviewed documents and plans that describe recommended practices 
for effective information sharing, such as the 2012 Transportation 
Security Information Sharing Environment (TSISE). Finally, we compared 
TSA's efforts to identify and take appropriate actions based on 
stakeholders' responses to our surveys with best practices in 
performance management.[Footnote 57] 

We also interviewed officials from 16 transportation industry 
associations, selected to achieve a variation across transportation 
modes and sectors; TSA officials responsible for developing security-
related information products and coordinating with industry 
stakeholders; DHS officials responsible for the department's primary 
information-sharing mechanism; and six individual survey respondents, 
selected to achieve a variation across modes, to obtain additional 
context about their responses. While the opinions expressed in the 
interviews cannot be generalized to all stakeholders or modes of 
transportation, they provided illustrative examples of the 
perspectives of various stakeholders about TSA's information-sharing 
products and mechanisms and corroborated information we gathered 
through other means. 

To answer the second question, we obtained 2012 and 2013 customer 
satisfaction survey data--the most recent data available--from surveys 
TSA distributes with its information-sharing products, and public 
transit customer satisfaction survey data collected through surveys 
administered by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) 
in August 2011, January 2012, December 2012, and October 2013--all of 
the surveys administered, as of April 2014. We questioned 
knowledgeable TSA and APTA officials regarding completeness, accuracy, 
and management of the data. Limitations with these data are discussed 
in this report. In addition, we asked questions about the type of 
feedback stakeholders provide TSA in our customer satisfaction survey 
described above. We also analyzed fiscal year 2014 through 2016 TSA 
strategic plans and planning efforts to develop a systematic process 
to collect and analyze customer feedback. We compared this information 
against customer service best practices and best practices for 
customer satisfaction[Footnote 58] as well as Standards for Internal 
Control in the Federal Government.[Footnote 59] In addition, as noted 
above, we interviewed officials from 16 industry associations, 6 
stakeholders, and TSA officials responsible for coordinating with 
stakeholders and collecting stakeholder feedback to determine what 
other mechanisms TSA uses to obtain and incorporate stakeholder 
feedback. 

We conducted this performance audit from June 2013 to June 2014 in 
accordance with generally accepted government auditing standards. 
Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain 
sufficient, appropriate evidence to provide a reasonable basis for our 
findings and conclusions based on our audit objectives. We believe 
that the evidence obtained provides a reasonable basis for our 
findings and conclusions based on our audit objectives. 

[End of section] 

Appendix II: Comments from the Department of Homeland Security: 

U.S. Department of Homeland Security: 
Washington, DC 20528: 

June 12, 2014: 

Ms. Jennifer Grover: 
Director, Homeland Security & Justice Issues: 
U.S. Government Accountability Office: 
441 G Street, NW: 
Washington, DC 20548: 

Re: Draft Report GAO-14-506, "Transportation Security Information 
Sharing: Stakeholder Satisfaction Varies; TSA Could Take Additional 
Actions to Strengthen Efforts" 

Dear Ms. Grover: 

Thank you for the opportunity to review and comment on this draft 
report. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) appreciates the 
U.S. Government Accountability Office's (GAO's) work in planning and 
conducting its review and issuing this report. 

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) stakeholder survey 
results, and the observations and recommendations presented in GAO's 
draft report, provide valuable information, which TSA has heavily 
leveraged in its development of progressive information sharing 
initiatives. In addition, as highlighted in the draft report, TSA has 
improved the quality of analysis in its products and its creation of 
more user-friendly information sharing mechanisms. Additional 
information sharing improvements at TSA are also underway, including 
the efforts of the Information Sharing Integrated Project Team (IPT), 
which includes members from offices across the Agency. These efforts 
include: (1) working to strengthen TSA's intelligence and information 
sharing core capabilities and improve its ability to capture 
stakeholder feedback concerning transportation security information 
products, and (2) considering options to implement the processes and 
solutions necessary to address the remaining three open information 
sharing recommendations made in a previous GAO report.[Footnote 1] 

Based upon the survey information provided in the draft report, TSA 
has implemented improved information sharing processes and achieved 
incremental improvement in customer satisfaction since 2011. GAO did 
not, however, include comments provided by the survey participants or 
made during interviews with industry stakeholders in the draft report. 
TSA believes that analysis of this additional information would be 
beneficial to understanding of the full context of the draft report.
The draft contained three recommendations with which the Department 
concurs. Specifically GAO recommended that the TSA Administrator: 

Recommendation 1: Assess the results of our 2013 transportation 
stakeholder satisfaction survey to help identify the causes of 
information sharing gaps and actions to address them. 

Response: Concur. TSA is currently assessing the results of the 2013 
survey. As discussed in the draft report, TSA has established an 
Agency-wide Information Sharing IPT and among the tasks to be 
performed by the IPT is a detailed analysis of the GAO stakeholder 
survey results. The IPT is charged with formulating recommendations to 
adjust current products and information sharing mechanisms based upon 
survey results, and developing a proposal for an improved 
organizational structure that will facilitate a more efficient and 
systematic process for managing the information sharing cycle with 
stakeholders. Estimated Completion Date (ECD): March 31, 2015. 

Recommendation 2: Include in its planned customer feedback framework a 
systematic process to document informal feedback and how it 
incorporates all of the feedback TSA receives, both formal and 
informal. 

Response: Concur. Consolidation of TSA information sharing functions 
and creation of a centralized performance management/customer feedback 
tracking capability are objectives of the Information Sharing IPT. The 
IPT will continue to develop a customer management set of processes 
that ensures proper evaluation and consideration of all the feedback 
TSA receives, both formal and informal. ECD: March 31, 2015. 

Recommendation 3: Establish performance measures to help assess the 
results of efforts to provide stakeholders with useful and timely 
transportation security information. 

Response: Concur. The TSA Information Sharing IPT is evaluating the 
GAO survey results to formulate specific performance measures and 
recommended customer satisfaction goals (satisfaction percentage 
levels). The appropriate metrics and satisfaction goals will be 
established by December 2014 for each of TSA's transportation security 
products. Performance will be measured against the established 
customer satisfaction goals through a feedback framework approved by 
the IPT and TSA leadership. ECD: December 31, 2014. 

Again, thank you for the opportunity to review and provide comments on 
this draft report. Technical comments were previously provided under 
separate cover. Please feel free to contact me if you have any 
questions. We look forward to working with you in the future. 

Sincerely, 

Signed by: 

Jim H. Crumpacker, CIA, CFE: 
Director: 
Departmental GAO-OIG Liaison Office: 

Footnote: 

[1] GAO, "Transportation Security Information Sharing: Stakeholders 
Generally Satisfied but TSA Could Improve Analysis, Awareness, and 
Accountability," [hyperlink, http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-44] 
(Washington, D.C. Nov. 21, 2011). 

[End of section] 

Appendix III: GAO Contacts and Staff Acknowledgments: 

GAO Contact: 

Jennifer Grover, 202-512-7141 or groverj@gao.gov: 

Staff Acknowledgments: 

In addition to the contact named above, individuals making key 
contributions to this report include Leyla Kazaz and Jill Verret, 
Assistant Directors; Joanna Chan; Katherine Davis; Michele Fejfar; 
Eric Hauswirth; Paul Hobart; Tracey King; Erin McLaughlin; Linda 
Miller; Lisa S. Moore; and Janay Sam. 

[End of section] 

Footnotes: 

[1] DHS, Transportation Systems Sector-Specific Plan: An Annex to the 
National Infrastructure Protection Plan (Washington, D.C.: 2010). 

[2] Pub. L. No. 107-296, § 201(d)(9), 116 Stat. 2135, 2147 (2002). 

[3] Pub. L. No. 110-53, § 1203(a), 121 Stat. 266, 383-85 (2007) 
(codified at 49 U.S.C. § 114(u)(2)). The TSISE was formerly called the 
Transportation Security Information Sharing Plan (TSISP). In fiscal 
year 2013, TSA renamed the plan the TSISE to reflect that the TSISE is 
not a part of a plan, but rather a series of processes. 

[4] See, for example, GAO, Information Sharing: DHS Has Demonstrated 
Leadership and Progress, but Additional Actions Could Help Sustain and 
Strengthen Efforts, [hyperlink, 
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-809] (Washington D.C.: Sept. 18, 
2012), and Public Transit Security Information Sharing: DHS Could 
Improve Information Sharing through Streamlining and Increased 
Outreach, [hyperlink, http://www.gao.g]ov/products/GAO-10-895 
(Washington, D.C.: Sept. 22, 2010). 

[5] GAO, High-Risk Series: An Update, [hyperlink, 
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-05-207] (Washington, D.C.: January 
2005). 

[6] Every 2 years, we provide Congress with an update on our High-Risk 
Program, which identifies and helps resolve serious weaknesses in 
areas that involve substantial resources and provide critical services 
to the public. There are 30 areas on GAO's high-risk list. GAO, High-
Risk Series: An Update, [hyperlink, 
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-13-283] (Washington, D.C.: Feb. 14, 
2013). 

[7] The White House, National Strategy for Information Sharing 
(Washington, D.C.: October 2007). 

[8] Pub. L. No. 110-53, § 1203(a), 121 Stat. at 383-85 (2007) 
(codified at 49 U.S.C. § 114(u)(7)). 

[9] GAO, Transportation Security Information Sharing: Stakeholders 
Generally Satisfied but TSA Could Improve Analysis, Awareness, and 
Accountability, [hyperlink, http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-44] 
(Washington, D.C.: Nov. 21, 2011). 

[10] [hyperlink, http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-44]. 

[11] For the purposes of this report, we defined TSA stakeholders to 
be owners and operators of critical transportation infrastructure. We 
did not include maritime stakeholders in our review because the U.S. 
Coast Guard is the lead agency for maritime information sharing. 

[12] For purposes of this report, "commercial airport" refers to an 
airport within the United States operating in accordance with a TSA-
approved security program and at which TSA performs, or oversees the 
performance of, passenger and baggage screening activities. Category X 
airports represent the nation's largest and busiest airports as 
measured by the volume of passenger traffic and are potentially 
attractive targets for criminal and terrorist activity. TSA classifies 
the nation's airports into one of five categories (X, I, II, III, and 
IV) based on various factors such as the number of takeoffs and 
landings annually, the extent of passenger screening at the airport, 
and other security considerations. In general, Category X airports 
have the largest number of passenger boardings and Category IV 
airports have the smallest. As defined by revenue, for 2009, Class I 
railroads are freight rail carriers having an operating revenue of 
$379 million or more. The Highway and Motor Carrier Sector 
Coordinating Council is an industry advisory body that, as 
appropriate, coordinates the private industry perspective on highway 
and motor carrier security policy, practices, and standards that 
affect the transportation sector. According to TSA officials, the Peer 
Advisory Group includes 12 to 15 representatives from motorcoach 
companies that coordinate with TSA to, among other things, share 
security-related information. Our survey responses represent each of 
the stakeholder groups described but are not generalizable to entire 
modes of transportation such as aviation, rail, and highways. Because 
we surveyed different stakeholders and stakeholder groups in 2013 than 
for our 2011 review, current survey results cannot be directly 
compared with the 2011 survey results. 

[13] The total number of public transit agencies reflects those 
agencies that reported data to the National Transit Database in fiscal 
year 2011, the most recent year for which data were available when we 
initiated our survey. The National Transit Database is the nation's 
primary source for information and statistics on the transit systems 
of the United States. We surveyed 46 of the top 50 agencies as 
measured by fiscal year 2011 ridership. We omitted 4 agencies after 
learning that the security points of contact at 5 agencies were the 
same. 

[14] A pipeline system is considered critical if it is so vital to the 
United States that its incapacitation or destruction would have a 
debilitating effect on security, national economic security, public 
health or safety, or any combination thereof. TSA determined the most 
critical pipeline systems based on the amount of energy they carry. 

[15] In two instances, the modes selected for our survey differed from 
those in the satisfaction survey results we reported on in November 
2011. Specifically, we conducted reviews of pipeline security and 
public transit information sharing in 2010 and therefore did not 
assess the satisfaction of pipeline or public transit stakeholders in 
our November 2011 TSA information-sharing review. See GAO, Pipeline 
Security: TSA Has Taken Actions to Help Strengthen Security, but Could 
Improve Priority-Setting and Assessment Processes, [hyperlink, 
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-10-867] (Washington D.C.: Aug. 4, 
2010), and [hyperlink, http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-10-895]. In 
addition, we did not always survey the same population for a 
particular mode or transportation sector across both surveys. For 
example, for our November 2011 report, we surveyed state departments 
of transportation or emergency management to collect highway 
stakeholders' views. However, in coordination with TSA, we decided a 
more appropriate population to include in our current survey was 
members of the Highway and Motor Carrier Sector Coordinating Council 
and the Peer Advisory Group. Further, TSA officials provided us with a 
more comprehensive and inclusive list of short line and regional 
railroads than we reported on in November 2011, which more than 
doubled the number of stakeholders in this sector. 

[16] See, for example, GAO, Executive Guide: Effectively Implementing 
the Government Performance and Results Act, GGD-96-118 (Washington, 
D.C: June 1, 1996), and Managing for Results: Enhancing Agency Use of 
Performance Information for Management Decision Making, [hyperlink, 
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-05-927] (Washington, D.C.: Sept. 9, 
2005). This report identified (1) how federal agencies can use 
performance information to make management decisions and (2) practices 
that can facilitate the use of performance information. To determine 
the best practices for performance measurement, we reviewed relevant 
literature, including previous GAO reports, spoke to experts in using 
performance information, and held group discussions with federal 
program managers. 

[17] See GAO, Defense Logistics: Improving Customer Feedback Program 
Could Enhance DLA's Delivery of Services, [hyperlink, 
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-02-776] (Washington, D.C.: Sept. 9, 
2002). We conducted an extensive literature search of best practice 
organizations to determine popular techniques for collecting customer 
feedback that we used to evaluate activities related to defense 
logistics. In addition, see [hyperlink, 
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-10-895], in which we applied these 
best practices to public transit. 

[18] GAO, Internal Control: Standards for Internal Control in the 
Federal Government, [hyperlink, 
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO/AIMD-00-21.3.1] (Washington, D.C.: 
November 1999). 

[19] Pub. L. No. 107-71, § 101(a), 115 Stat. 597 (2001) (codified as 
amended at 49 U.S.C. § 114(d)). The U.S. Coast Guard is the lead 
agency for maritime information sharing. 

[20] For purposes of this report, "commercial aircraft" refers to a 
U.S.-or foreign-based air carrier operating under TSA-approved 
security programs with regularly scheduled passenger operations to or 
from a U.S. airport. At airports in the United States participating in 
TSA's Screening Partnership Program, screening activities are carried 
out by private, rather than federal, screening workforce employed by 
companies under contract to TSA. See 49 U.S.C. § 44920. 

[21] OSPIE was formerly known as the Office of Transportation Sector 
Network Management, and OIA was formerly known as the Office of 
Intelligence. TSA changed the names of these offices in September 2011 
as part of a realignment. 

[22] The U.S. intelligence community is a coalition of 17 agencies and 
organizations within the executive branch that work both independently 
and collaboratively to gather the intelligence necessary to conduct 
foreign relations and national security activities. Its primary 
mission is to collect and convey the essential information the 
President and members of the policymaking, law enforcement, and 
military communities require to execute their appointed duties. The 17 
member agencies are: U.S. Air Force, Intelligence, Surveillance, and 
Reconnaissance; U.S. Army, Army Military Intelligence; the Central 
Intelligence Agency; U.S. Coast Guard, Coast Guard Intelligence; 
Defense Intelligence Agency; Office of Intelligence and Counter 
Intelligence, the Department of Energy; Office of Intelligence and 
Analysis, the Department of Homeland Security; the Bureau of 
Intelligence and Research, Department of State; Office of Intelligence 
and Analysis, the Department of the Treasury; the Drug Enforcement 
Administration; Federal Bureau of Investigation; U.S. Marine Corps, 
Marine Corps Intelligence Activity; the National Geospatial-
Intelligence Agency; the National Reconnaissance Office; National 
Security Agency; U.S. Navy, Naval Intelligence, and the Office of the 
Director of National Intelligence. 

[23] A fusion center is generally a collaborative effort of two or 
more agencies that provide resources, expertise, and information to 
the center with the goal of maximizing their ability to detect, 
prevent, investigate, and respond to criminal and terrorist activity. 

[24] Survey respondents were asked to rate their organization's 
satisfaction using the following terms: "very satisfied," "somewhat 
satisfied," "neither satisfied nor dissatisfied," "somewhat 
dissatisfied," "very dissatisfied," and "don't know." We use the term 
"satisfied" to describe organizations that indicated they were either 
"very satisfied" or "somewhat satisfied." Similarly, we use the term 
"dissatisfied" to describe organizations that indicated they were 
either "very dissatisfied" or "somewhat dissatisfied" with the 
information they received. Because satisfaction and dissatisfaction 
were not the only possible responses, when we report that 59 percent 
of respondents reported being satisfied, for example, that does not 
necessarily mean that 41 percent were dissatisfied. 

[25] We describe results for five different modes: aviation (including 
commercial passenger air carriers, commercial airports, and air cargo 
carriers), rail (including Class I freight rail carriers, short line 
and regional railroads, and Amtrak), highway, public transit, and 
pipeline. We report overall satisfaction as the total number of 
stakeholders who responded that they were "very satisfied" or 
"satisfied" divided by the total number of stakeholders who responded 
to the relevant survey question. The overall satisfaction numbers and 
associated percentages are influenced by the size of the modes we 
surveyed. That is, modes with more survey respondents, such as 
aviation, will have a greater effect on the overall satisfaction 
numbers than modes with fewer survey respondents, such as highway. 
Although 337 transportation stakeholders responded to our survey, not 
all respondents provided answers to every question. The survey 
instrument and complete percentages of responses received for each 
question can be found in an electronic supplement we are issuing 
concurrently with this report-[hyperlink, 
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-14-488SP]. Our survey also measured 
stakeholder satisfaction with TSA products across five dimensions of 
quality-accuracy, actionability, completeness, relevance, and 
timeliness. See App. I for a description of each dimension of quality. 
The majority of stakeholders reported that they were satisfied with 
each dimension of quality. Satisfaction ranged from 51 percent of 
stakeholders satisfied with actionability of TSA's products to 58 
percent satisfied with timeliness, relevance, and completeness. Fifty-
six percent of stakeholders reported that they were satisfied with the 
accuracy of TSA's products. 

[26] Almost all aviation stakeholders (144 of 149 who provided 
responses to applicable survey questions) reported that they logged on 
to at least one part of TSA's Aviation Web Boards during 2013, about 
one-third of all stakeholders (110 of 334) reported that they logged 
on to at least one part of HSIN during 2013, and 58 percent of 
stakeholders (195 of 335) reported that they received a TSA e-mail 
alert during 2013. Not all stakeholders who responded that they 
accessed Web Boards or received a TSA e-mail alert during 2013 
responded to questions about their satisfaction with that mechanism. 

[27] Our survey measured stakeholder satisfaction with the quality of 
information available through TSA's mechanisms across four dimensions-
-relevance, completeness, actionability, and accuracy. In general, for 
each of TSA's three primary information-sharing mechanisms, about two-
thirds of stakeholders who had accessed information through the 
mechanism reported that they were satisfied with the information 
across these quality dimensions. Stakeholders reported less than two-
thirds satisfaction for one quality dimension of HSIN--56 percent of 
stakeholders reported that they were satisfied with the actionability 
of information available through this mechanism. 

[28] [hyperlink, http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-44]. 

[29] We reported in November 2011 that 78 percent of survey 
respondents received a TSA report, 62 percent received a briefing, and 
37 percent received an assessment. Posters and Encounter Reviews were 
not included in our 2011 survey because TSA did not consider posters a 
primary information-sharing product at that time and TSA did not begin 
distributing Encounter Reviews until after we conducted that survey. 

[30] We reported in November 2011 that the number of transportation 
security stakeholders who received TSA's assessments and briefings 
varied by mode. 

[31] Thirty-two percent of aviation stakeholders (48 of 150), 29 
percent of highway stakeholders (7 of 24), 21 percent of pipeline 
stakeholders (8 of 38), and 25 percent of rail stakeholders (22 of 89) 
reported that they received one or more of TSA's security-related 
posters in 2013. 

[32] [hyperlink, http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-44]. 

[33] Aviation stakeholders can access some TSA information through Web 
Boards, but TSA officials and one aviation association we met with 
stated that not all of the information available on HSIN is placed on 
the Web Boards. In addition, rail and other nonaviation stakeholders 
who had not heard of HSIN do not have access to the Web Boards. 

[34] [hyperlink, http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-10-895]. 

[35] According to TSA officials, TSA formed the IPT in 2009 but 
planning stopped because of multiple TSA organization realignments. 

[36] From November 2011 through March 2014, the number of registered 
users of HSIN's aviation portal increased from 143 to 264 and the 
number of registered users of HSIN's highway portal increased from 205 
to 285. Over the same period, the number of registered users of HSIN's 
public transit and rail portals decreased from 326 to 220 and from 229 
to 217, respectively. According to DHS officials, DHS is not able to 
provide statistics on the number of registered pipeline users of HSIN, 
since there is not a separate pipeline portal on HSIN. Pipeline 
stakeholders register for the HSIN Oil and Natural Gas portal, which 
also includes nonpipeline stakeholders. 

[37] GAO, Transportation Security Information Sharing: Results of 
GAO's Survey of Stakeholder Satisfaction with TSA Products and 
Mechanisms, an E-Supplement to [hyperlink, 
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-44], [hyperlink, 
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-67SP] (Washington D.C.: Nov. 21, 
2011). 

[38] [hyperlink, http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-44]. 

[39] The percentage of stakeholders who responded that they would 
prefer that TSA share information more frequently than it did in 2013 
ranged from 47 percent of rail stakeholders to 54 percent of aviation 
stakeholders. 

[40] [hyperlink, http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-05-927]. 

[41] [hyperlink, http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-02-776]. 

[42] Quantitative tools include such methods as customer satisfaction 
surveys and customer complaints, which can provide measurable data for 
use in performance scorecards. Qualitative tools include focus groups, 
personal interviews, and observation and are used by organizations to 
provide a more in-depth understanding of their customers. 

[43] According to the IPT Charter, IPT members include OIA, OSPIE, and 
other TSA components, as well as external entities, such as the DHS 
Office of Intelligence and Analysis, stakeholders and trade 
associations. One of the primary missions of the IPT is to evaluate 
TSA's information-sharing services across all modes of transportation. 

[44] [hyperlink, http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO/GGD-96-118]. 

[45] [hyperlink, http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-44]. 

[46] For the purposes of this report, we defined TSA stakeholders to 
be owners and operators of critical transportation infrastructure. We 
did not include maritime stakeholders in our review because the U.S. 
Coast Guard is the lead agency for maritime information sharing. 

[47] HSIN is a web-based platform operated by DHS to facilitate 
sensitive but unclassified (SBU) information sharing and collaboration 
among federal, state, local, tribal, and private sector entities. DHS 
describes HSIN as its primary information-sharing mechanism. HSIN is 
made up of a network of communities, called communities of interest. 
These communities are organized by state organizations, federal 
organizations, or mission areas such as emergency management and 
critical infrastructure. 

[48] We reported the results of the survey in GAO, Transportation 
Security Information Sharing: Stakeholders Generally Satisfied but TSA 
Could Improve Analysis, Awareness, and Accountability, [hyperlink, 
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-44] (Washington, D.C.: Nov. 21, 
2011), and Transportation Security Information Sharing: Results of 
GAO's Survey of Stakeholder Satisfaction with TSA Products and 
Mechanisms, an E-Supplement to [hyperlink, 
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-44], [hyperlink, 
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-67SP] (Washington D.C.: Nov. 21, 
2011). 

[49] See GAO, Pipeline Security: TSA Has Taken Actions to Help 
Strengthen Security, but Could Improve Priority-Setting and Assessment 
Processes, [hyperlink, http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-10-867] 
(Washington D.C.: Aug. 4, 2010), and [hyperlink, 
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-10-895]. 

[50] The Federal Transit Administration is an agency within the U.S. 
Department of Transportation that provides financial and technical 
assistance to public transit systems. 

[51] For purposes of this report, "commercial airport" refers to an 
airport within the United States operating in accordance with a TSA-
approved security program and at which TSA performs, or oversees the 
performance of, passenger and baggage-screening activities. Category X 
airports represent the nation's largest and busiest airports as 
measured by the volume of passenger traffic and are potentially 
attractive targets for criminal and terrorist activity. TSA classifies 
the nation's airports into one of five categories (X, I, II, III, and 
IV) based on various factors such as the number of takeoffs and 
landings annually, the extent of passenger screening at the airport, 
and other security considerations. In general, Category X airports 
have the largest number of passenger boardings and Category IV 
airports have the smallest. As defined by revenue, for 2009, Class I 
railroads are freight rail carriers having an operating revenue of 
$379 million or more. The Highway and Motor Carrier Sector 
Coordinating Council is an industry advisory body that, as 
appropriate, coordinates the private industry perspective on highway 
and motor carrier security policy, practices, and standards that 
affect the transportation sector. According to TSA officials, the Peer 
Advisory Group includes 12 to 15 representatives from motorcoach 
companies that coordinate with TSA to, among other things, share 
security-related information. Our survey responses represent each of 
the stakeholder groups described but are not generalizable to entire 
modes of transportation such as aviation, rail, and highways. 

[52] The total number of public transit agencies reflects those 
agencies that reported data to the National Transit Database in fiscal 
year 2011, the most recent year for which data were available when we 
initiated our survey. The National Transit Database is the nation's 
primary source for information and statistics on the transit systems 
of the United States. We surveyed 46 of the top 50 agencies as 
measured by fiscal year 2011 ridership. We omitted 4 agencies after 
learning that the security points of contact at 5 agencies were the 
same. 

[53] A system is considered critical if it is so vital to the United 
States that its incapacitation or destruction would have a 
debilitating effect on security, national economic security, public 
health or safety, or any combination thereof. TSA determined the most 
critical pipeline systems based on the amount of energy they carry. 

[54] Nonresponse analysis is an established practice in survey 
research that helps determine whether nonresponse bias (i.e., survey 
results that do not accurately reflect the population) might occur 
because of under-or overrepresentation of some respondents' views on 
survey questions 

[55] [hyperlink, http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-14-488SP]. 

[56] We developed these aspects of quality in consultation with GAO 
methodologists as well as public transit agency officials for the 
public transit stakeholder survey we reported on in September 2010. 

[57] See, for example, GAO, Executive Guide: Effectively Implementing 
the Government Performance and Results Act, GGD-96-118 (Washington, 
D.C: June 1, 1996), and Managing for Results: Enhancing Agency Use of 
Performance Information for Management Decision Making, [hyperlink, 
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-05-927] (Washington, D.C.: Sept. 9, 
2005). This report identified (1) how federal agencies can use 
performance information to make management decisions and (2) practices 
that can facilitate the use of performance information. To determine 
the best practices for performance measurement, we reviewed relevant 
literature, including previous GAO reports, spoke to experts in using 
performance information, and held group discussions with federal 
program managers. 

[58] See, for example, GAO, Defense Logistics: Improving Customer 
Feedback Program Could Enhance DLA's Delivery of Services, [hyperlink, 
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-02-776] (Washington, D.C.: Sept. 9, 
2002. We conducted an extensive literature search of best practice 
organizations to determine popular techniques for collecting customer 
feedback that we used to evaluate activities related to defense 
logistics. In addition, see [hyperlink, 
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-10-895], in which we applied these 
best practices to transit agencies in the past. 

[59] GAO, Internal Control, Standards for Internal Control in the 
Federal Government, [hyperlink, 
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO/AIMD-00-21.3.1] (Washington, D.C.: 
November 1999). 

[End of section] 

GAO's Mission: 

The Government Accountability Office, the audit, evaluation, and 
investigative arm of Congress, exists to support Congress in meeting 
its constitutional responsibilities and to help improve the 
performance and accountability of the federal government for the 
American people. GAO examines the use of public funds; evaluates 
federal programs and policies; and provides analyses, recommendations, 
and other assistance to help Congress make informed oversight, policy, 
and funding decisions. GAO's commitment to good government is 
reflected in its core values of accountability, integrity, and 
reliability. 

Obtaining Copies of GAO Reports and Testimony: 

The fastest and easiest way to obtain copies of GAO documents at no 
cost is through GAO's website [hyperlink, http://www.gao.gov]. Each 
weekday afternoon, GAO posts on its website newly released reports, 
testimony, and correspondence. To have GAO e-mail you a list of newly 
posted products, go to [hyperlink, http://www.gao.gov] and select 
"E-mail Updates." 

Order by Phone: 

The price of each GAO publication reflects GAO's actual cost of 
production and distribution and depends on the number of pages in the 
publication and whether the publication is printed in color or black 
and white. Pricing and ordering information is posted on GAO's 
website, [hyperlink, http://www.gao.gov/ordering.htm]. 

Place orders by calling (202) 512-6000, toll free (866) 801-7077, or 
TDD (202) 512-2537. 

Orders may be paid for using American Express, Discover Card, 
MasterCard, Visa, check, or money order. Call for additional 
information. 

Connect with GAO: 

Connect with GAO on facebook, flickr, twitter, and YouTube.
Subscribe to our RSS Feeds or E mail Updates. Listen to our Podcasts.
Visit GAO on the web at [hyperlink, http://www.gao.gov]. 

To Report Fraud, Waste, and Abuse in Federal Programs: 

Contact: 
Website: [hyperlink, http://www.gao.gov/fraudnet/fraudnet.htm]; 
E-mail: fraudnet@gao.gov; 
Automated answering system: (800) 424-5454 or (202) 512-7470. 

Congressional Relations: 

Katherine Siggerud, Managing Director, siggerudk@gao.gov: 
(202) 512-4400: 
U.S. Government Accountability Office: 
441 G Street NW, Room 7125: 
Washington, DC 20548. 

Public Affairs: 

Chuck Young, Managing Director, youngc1@gao.gov: 
(202) 512-4800: 
U.S. Government Accountability Office: 
441 G Street NW, Room 7149: 
Washington, DC 20548. 

[End of document]