Answering questions at a Senate transportation committee, TSA administrator David Pekoske admitted no arrests have been made or any known terrorist plot were foiled under the controversial ‘Quiet Skies’ covert surveillance program.
The program has been secretly monitoring targeted passengers for many years, which came to light recently in a Boston Globe report.
Quiet Skies has been tracking certain US citizens which are monitored by air marshals on flights and in airports.
Individuals can be flagged for surveillance depending on their travel history or affiliation to any groups which may set off a red flag, even if they are not on a watch list.
"I am confident that it has reduced risk for nearly seven years and I would note that we are fortunate to have the air marshal capability supporting this program," Pekoske told lawmakers.
"There is, I assure you, strong oversight of this program from the department."
Around 30 peiople have been under surveillance on a daily basis and has included business travelers, flight attendants, and law enforcement officers.
Before the hearing, Democrat Sen. Ed Markey said: "The American public does deserve to know the extent to which they are being surveiled."
The Globe report cited misgivings from several air marshals who raised concerns over its effectiveness, claiming the program diverts funding from more important aviation security work.
However one air marshal told NBC News the program an important tool to ensure safety in the skies.
"The program essentially gives a little bit of information about certain individuals when they travel and when we deem it appropriate, we will staff those flights with air marshals and we’ll be able to observe behaviors of this individual as well as behaviors of other passengers," the air marshal said on condition of anonymity.
"My mission every day is to work the flight that I am assigned and make sure it goes up wheels up to wheels down without incident."
