Critics say TSA is understaffed and ill-equipped for pipeline security mission

In addition to screening bags and patting down passengers at airports all over the country, the Transportation Security Administration has an additional little-known responsibility -- overseeing the security of the nation’s pipeline network, including the Colonial Pipeline targeted last weekend by a ransomware attack. While the TSA employs nearly 50,000 transportation security officers to keep America’s skies secure, the number of TSA personnel devoted to securing 2.7 million miles of pipeline that crisscross the country is surprisingly small. The agency has just 34 staff positions, including headquarters personnel, policy planners and field inspectors, to perform its pipeline and cybersecurity mission, according to a TSA official. Of those, only eight have attended any specialized cybersecurity training. Critics in Congress say the TSA is understaffed and ill-equipped for the pipeline security mission.