Project partners: Zurich State Police and Stiftung Risiko-Dialog
How do airport security measures affect potential offenders? What steps are taken during the planning and execution of an attack? Where might vulnerabilities exist? And how do passengers experience airport security measures?
Answers to these questions were provided by the three-year collaborative project “Ready”, conducted by Zurich State Police and Risiko-Dialog, and HF Partners. A key strength of the project was the integration of the complementary expertise of the three organizations, which contributed significantly to its success.
Deterrence by Design through Security Measures
Airports are part of every country’s critical infrastructure. It is therefore crucial that effective security measures and concepts are in place to deter potential offenders and ensure the safety of passengers, visitors, and staff at all times. How is the airport security system perceived from the perspective of potential offenders? Which aspects are relevant for target selection and attack planning, and where can the impact of security measures be strengthened without negatively affecting the perceived safety of passengers, visitors, and staff? Our interdisciplinary collaboration team examined these questions in greater depth within the Ready project in the context of Switzerland and Europe.
Red Teaming as a Valuable Methodological Approach
Throughout the project, red teaming proved to be a highly effective approach for analysing and assessing airport security. This approach focuses on adopting the perspective of potential offenders in order to identify possible security gaps. This method, already well established in other contexts, also proved valuable in the airport environment. By deliberately placing different actors in the role of potential offenders, valuable insights can be generated for prevention, intervention, training and professional development, as well as for further applied research. In addition, vulnerability scans were conducted to complement the qualitative insights with selected quantitative results.
Insights into Offender Information Behaviour, the Impact of Security Measures, and the Relevance of AI
Over the course of the project, the team was able to identify trends in the information-seeking, planning, and execution behaviour of potential offenders, as well as to gain initial insights into the effectiveness of different security measures—from the perspectives of potential offenders, passengers, and airport staff. One concrete tool developed within the project is a table-top exercise designed to raise awareness among police officers working at Zurich Airport. Through perspective-taking and the deliberate adoption of a meta-perspective, new potentials become visible and established routines and workflows can be critically examined. This guided team reflection exercise enables shared mental rehearsal, in the form of mental “if-then” loops that officers can draw upon during real operations to better cope with complexity, high uncertainty, and dynamic situations.
In addition, the project initiated dialogue on the topic of AI and security. This included exploring how offenders may already be using AI today and identifying both opportunities and risks associated with AI for aviation security—both in defensive security measures and in future active threat management. This created an important foundation for further exchange, both regarding AI as a potential risk in future attacks and as a tool within aviation security.
Anchoring the Project Results in Practice
The insights generated by the Ready project are diverse and relevant for the different actors involved in the airport security ecosystem. Airport security (with a focus on security operations) remains a highly dynamic and important field. The project generated a range of findings and practical recommendations for the Swiss airport system, addressing the police, airport operators, and research institutions alike. There is strong interest in applying and disseminating the project results in practice. The project team agrees that continued work on these topics, as well as the targeted testing and further development of tools and prototypes, will be essential in order to build on the insights gained. In the long term, aviation security benefits most when the status quo is constructively questioned, different perspectives are brought together, and ideas are developed collaboratively.
A heartfelt thank you to the entire Ready team for the valuable and enriching collaboration over the past three years, and to the Federal Office of Civil Aviation (FOCA) for making this project possible.