Washington Wire: Most VWP Countries Adopt E-Passport

Most VWP Countries Adopt E-Passport
All but three of the 27 countries that participate in the Visa Waiver Program with the United States are ready to issue e-passports in compliance with new U.S. rules, the Department of Homeland Security said. DHS said the 24 countries that met the Oct. 26 deadline for compliance with the rule now use passports with microchips that include the holder's biographic information as well as a biometric identifier, such as a digital photograph of the traveler. "I applaud the many Visa Waiver Program countries in compliance with this requirement, and we continue to work closely with the remaining countries toward their speedy and complete compliance," DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff said. The three countries that have not yet met the deadline are Andorra, Brunei and Liechtenstein. Until e-passports are available, travelers from those countries, if they hold a passport issued on or after Oct. 26, will have to obtain a visa to enter the United States. The U.S. government believes e-passports will better identify individuals entering the country and help law enforcement agents keep terrorists and criminals out. The United States has spent two years working with countries to perfect the technology and help them meet the deadline. "The upgrade to e-passports is a significant advance in preventing terrorists from using lost or stolen passports to obtain entry into the United States," Chertoff said. The e-passports comply with technical standards established by the International Civil Aviation Organization. Travelers bound for the U.S. who don't yet have an e-passport still can enter the country with machine-readable passports and a digital photograph issued before Oct. 26, or machine-readable passports issued before Oct. 26, 2005. The inspection process at U.S. ports of entry is unchanged. The Visa Waiver Program applies to citizens of the 27 countries traveling to the United States for 90 days or less for tourism or business. Approximately 15 million people each year travel to the United States through the program.

ATA Protests 'Duplicative' Prescreening
The Air Transport Association is urging the Customs and Border Protection agency of the Department of Homeland Security to delay implementation of a new transcontinental passenger manifest screening system until it's determined that prescreening programs have been simplified and don't place undue burdens on carriers that must process passengers. The U.S. government rule, proposed in August after suspected terrorists were arrested in London and charged with plotting to explode U.S.-bound aircraft, would enhance prescreening of passengers. ATA, in comments filed last month, said airlines already were spending much money and resources trying to work with the Transportation Security Administration to accommodate Secure Flight, a passenger screening database it is developing. "Airlines cannot be required to bear the expense and inconvenience of operating under two uncoordinated passenger prescreening programs," ATA said. "Different or duplicative requirements generate unnecessary costs for both airlines and their customers. Agencies should not impose unilateral data requirements that go beyond a common, justifiable template."

DHS Awards Anti-Missile Contracts
The Department of Homeland Security awarded $7.4 million to three companies developing technologies to fight the threat posed to commercial aircraft by shoulder-fired missiles. Raytheon Co., Northrop Grumman Space Technology and L-3 Communications Avisys Corp. won the contracts, which are intended to develop anti-missile technology already used by the military to protect commercial aircraft, as ordered by Congress in 2003. The companies will work closely with DHS and the Department of Defense to assess the maturity and effectiveness of relevant technologies, application of resources to determine potential system approaches, and suitability in the civilian aviation environment, DHS said.