SAN ANTONIO (NBC) - Active military members will soon be able to clear airport screening faster than the rest of us.
Earlier this week, President Obama signed a law directing the TSA to produce and implement a plan to speed screening of traveling military personnel in uniform and traveling with military orders. The White House says the law, known as the Risk-Based Security Screening for Members of the Armed Forces Act, is intended to expedite screening, but not reduce security.
The TSA says expediting screening of military members allows them to focus more on higher-risk travelers.
The new security standards must be in place by early July.
Some believe the law is a bad idea and point to last Saturday's arrest of a North Carolina Army soldier caught by TSA screeners at two different airports with explosives in his carry-on bag.
The TSA is currently testing its ability to scan military ID cards, known as "common access cards." at California's Monterey Peninsula Airport. The TSA says it may incorporate military personnel into its "trusted traveler program" which allows pre-screened travelers to move through security quicker. The "trusted traveler program" is currently being tested at airports in Atlanta, Dallas, Detroit and Miami.
The program will expand to Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Minneapolis-St. Paul over the next few months.
