Sky marshal

A sky marshal (also known as air marshal, flight marshal, or, in the United States, FAM) is a covert law enforcement or counter terrorist agent on board a commercial aircraft to counter aircraft hijackings. Sky marshals may be provided by airlines such as El Al (who provide sky marshals on every flight), or by government agencies such as the Austrian Einsatzkommando Cobra, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, German Federal Police, National Security Guard in India, Metropolitan Police SO18 (Aviation Security Operational Command Unit), Pakistan Airports Security Force or US Federal Air Marshal Service.

The history of in-flight security began in March of 1962 with the US Federal Aviation Administration-directed program to combat airplane hijackings. In that same year alone, there were numerous airplane hijackings (all happening one after another) in the USA that were planned with the ultimate aim to fly to Cuba. In response, the Federal Aviation Administration created the title of FAA Peace Officer. FAA Peace Officers were the first people to ever provide armed security onboard commercial aircraft. The original 18 In-Flight Security Officers, currently known worldwide as IFSOs, were the predecessor to all current in-flight security programs that exist today.

In response to the September 11 incidents, the Commonwealth instituted an Air Security Officer (ASO) Program under the Australian Federal Police in December 2001. These officers are generally referred to in the media as Sky Marshals. The ASO Programme provides a discreet anti-hijacking capability for Australian civil aviation by providing armed security personnel on board aircraft. This involves both random and intelligence-led placement of armed ASOs on flights operated by Australian registered air carriers, on both domestic and international flights.

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