For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
Contact: 202-282-8010
Glynco, Ga.—Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano today visited the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) in Glynco, Ga., to observe a demonstration of a flying-while-armed training for law enforcement and deliver remarks about FLETC’s role in training law enforcement agents and officers from dozens of federal, state, local and tribal agencies in order to help keep Americans and their communities safe and secure.
During her remarks, Secretary Napolitano discussed the diverse training FLETC provides to law enforcement professionals throughout the world—using advanced technology, real-life simulations, research and instruction to provide the latest tools and skills to guard against terrorism and other threats, secure U.S. borders, protect the traveling public and build more ready and resilient communities.
She highlighted the tactical flying-while-armed program—a simulation that has provided more than 25,000 law enforcement officers and agents with the training to detect, deter and defeat potential terrorist acts aboard aircraft since 2004.
Secretary Napolitano also discussed her visit to Tokyo last week—the third in a series of major international meetings intended to build consensus on enhancing global aviation security—where she met with top officials from the Asia/Pacific region and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to discuss ways to bolster global aviation security.
Following the meetings in Tokyo, Secretary Napolitano signed a joint declaration on a way forward to strengthen the international civil aviation system through enhanced information collection and sharing, cooperation on technological development, and modernized aviation security standards with Australia, Burma, Cambodia, Canada, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Nepal, New Zealand, Pakistan, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Secretary Napolitano also signed similar joint declarations to strengthen the international civil aviation system with Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, the Dominican Republic, Mexico and Panama on Feb. 17, and with the European Union on Jan. 21.
FLETC serves 88 federal agencies—including the Transportation Security Administration, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Federal Protective Service, the U.S. Secret Service, U.S. Coast Guard and five other DHS agencies—as well as many state, local, tribal, and international partners. FLETC headquarters in Glynco trains tens of thousands of students, including 67,000 in fiscal year 2009, who participate in consolidated training programs to better protect our nation and critical infrastructure.
For more information, visit www.fletc.gov.
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