Increase planned for FAA's secret, armed marshals

NEW YORK -- They are among the most secretive of America's law enforcers -- a team of armed commandos who travel incognito on planes to watch for hijackers.

Most Americans have never heard of the Federal Air Marshals, and the government likes it that way. But the airborne attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon have led to promises from the Bush administration to expand the shadowy force, despite questions about whether they really deter terrorism.

Started by President Nixon in 1970, the air marshals are the Federal Aviation Administration's unit of high-tech sharpshooters. Dressed in civilian clothes, they board flights at random or in response to specific threats, carrying guns and special ammunition that is designed to kill without damaging the airplane.

"They have some of the highest, if not the highest, firearms qualifications in the federal government," said FAA spokeswoman Rebecca Trexler. "They don't miss."

The Transportation Department requested a "substantial increase" in the air marshal program as part of the $40 billion emergency spending bill passed by Congress on Friday, department spokes-man Bill Mosley said.

The Air Transport Association also called for more air marshals last week.