According to officials briefed on the results of a recent Homeland Security Inspector General's report, TSA agents failed 67 out of 70 tests, with Red Team members repeatedly able to get potential weapons through checkpoints.

While the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and international bodies do not release daily "failure" stats for security reasons, historical "Red Team" tests conducted by the Department of Homeland Security suggest that failure rates have reached 70% to 90% in covert operations. In these tests, undercover agents attempt to smuggle prohibited items (like mock explosives or weapons) through checkpoints. A 2017 leak indicated a failure rate in the "ballpark" of 80%, while a 2015 report found a staggering 95% failure rate at certain major US hubs. However, authorities argue that the primary goal of airport security is "layered deterrence"—creating a difficult enough environment that threats are discouraged or caught by other means (like intelligence, behavior detection, or K-9 units) before they reach the gate. In 2026, the introduction of CT scanners and AI-driven imaging is aimed at reducing these human-error failures by providing 3D views of baggage that are much harder to bypass.