Offices

Office of Emergency Management

The Office of Emergency Management ensures the safest, most efficient aerospace system in the world through leading FAA’s incident and emergency preparedness, planning, monitoring, notification, and response. We support the continuous operation of key Agency functions and provide resilient communications capabilities in all operating environments.  

Responsibilities include:

  • Aviation Insurance – We direct the Agency's Aviation War Risk Program that insures commercial carriers flying missions in support of the Department of Defense.  
    Learn more about the Aviation Insurance Program here.
  • Washington Operations Center (WOC) – The WOC provides 24-hour monitoring of the National Airspace System (NAS) and functions as the FAA’s central point for the collection, analysis, and dissemination of critical information. During significant aviation events, the WOC serves as the focal point for the agency’s crisis management response. Our mission is to enhance global aviation safety and security through interagency information sharing and collaborative partnerships.
  • Emergency Preparedness and Response – The Emergency Preparedness and Response Division coordinates  the FAA's emergency management preparedness, planning, and incident response coordination activities, including Continuity of Operations (COOP), and maintains a 24/7 Emergency Incident Coordinator (EIC) function for enterprise-wide situational awareness of incidents and planned events that could affect FAA employees, facilities, the National Airspace System (NAS), or U.S. civil aviation operating worldwide. In addition, AXE-300 serves as the FAA Emergency Coordinator (EC) in support of the Department of Transportation and interagency emergency management activities.
    • Emergency Communications Branch (AXE-310) – We provide the FAA with resilient communications support utilizing PACE (Primary, Alternate, Contingency, Emergency) methodology in support of high optempo and priority steady state operations when commercial or common-carrier communications services are degraded. 
    • Emergency Facilities Branch (AXE-320)– We ensure the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) and Primary Alternate Facility (PAF), the agency’s alternative command and control facilities, are ready for immediate operations by senior FAA leadership and the Agency’s Emergency Response Group (ERG) in response to an incident that requires relocation from FAA Headquarters. 
  • Training and Exercise Support – We support organizational readiness and continuous improvement by planning, designing, delivering, and assessing structured training and exercise solutions.  

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Office of Infrastructure Protection

The Office of Infrastructure Protection protects critical National Airspace System (NAS) infrastructure through assessments that continuously evaluate the threats, vulnerabilities, and consequences of potential security risks. Working with facility managers, classified material and information custodians, and security system design and implementation teams, we ensure that every staffed facility mitigates identified physical security risks and implements a risk management process that protects the people, assets, and information critical to safety and operations of the NAS and the traveling public.

We provide program policy, guidance, and oversight and conduct facility security risk assessments and program compliance inspections for nearly 1,100 FAA-staffed facilities. Our Information Safeguards Program protects the Agency's Classified National Security Information (CNSI) and Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI), and ensures compliance with National Industrial Security Program (NISP) requirements in classified procurements. We accomplish this by providing national policy, program oversight, and compliance reviews which align with federal regulations and departmental and agency policy. We also respond to potential information breaches and assist information owners with required notifications and response and mitigation measures.

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Office of Hazardous Materials Safety

We ensure and promote the safe transportation of dangerous goods in air commerce through activities that include regulatory oversight of dangerous goods carried by the flying public or transported on aircraft. We apply risk-based decision-making principles and a Safety Management System approach to identify and address prioritized risks.

Our subject matter experts represent the FAA on international panels and committees and multidisciplinary groups to develop standards, regulations, and mitigation strategies for the safe transportation of dangerous goods by air globally. Of critical importance is the research, coordination, and oversight of rulemaking efforts and the special permits and approvals for air transport of dangerous goods through the Department of Transportation's Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA).

To learn more, read about the History of the Hazardous Materials Safety Program/Dangerous Goods Program.

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Office of Investigations and Professional Responsibility

We protect the national airspace system (NAS) and the flying public by initiating and conducting administrative investigations and special inquiries on FAA employees and contractors suspected of violating various FAA orders, regulations, and policies. 

We ensure the safety of the NAS by investigating airmen with specific alcohol and drug-related criminal offenses and motor vehicle actions to prohibit access to the NAS for those who exhibit reckless behavior or potential substance dependence issues that place those in the air and on the ground at risk. 

We also research, coordinate, and establish policies and standards for investigations, conduct technical investigations, and manage the Agency's e-Discovery and Digital Forensics programs.

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Office of Business and Mission Services

Our office is foundational to all Security and Hazardous Materials Safety mission areas, ensuring the quality of and support for high performing employees who efficiently and effectively execute critical safety and security functions. We play an integral role in supporting national security and the national airspace system (NAS) and aviation safety by applying our expertise in employee selection and development, fostering workforce engagement and organizational effectiveness, ensuring fiscal prioritization and management, and providing technical application support.

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Office of Personnel Security

We promote the safety and security of personnel in the workplace, support organizational effectiveness, and ensure that only appropriately-vetted personnel are granted public trust with access to critical FAA operational activities and information.

Our Personnel Security Program team initiates, reviews and adjudicates initial and recurring background investigations conducted on all FAA and contract employees for employment suitability and eligibility for national security clearances and access to classified national security information. We issue security clearances to approximately 12,000 FAA personnel, including providing national security indoctrination briefings and debriefings and monitoring annual training associated with the protection of classified national security information.

Our Identification (ID) Media Program team deploys and issues the Personal-Identity Verification (PIV) ID card and other ID media. The PIV card, carried by all FAA employees and contractors, satisfies the requirements of Homeland Security Presidential Directive (HSPD)-12 and is the basis for secure physical and logical access to FAA facilities and information systems. The program provides for lifecycle support of all FAA issued PIV cards and digital certificates and administers the public key infrastructure (PKI) used to validate the identity of the card holder. Please visit https://piv.faa.gov for additional information.

Please refer to the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency's website if have questions or need additional information regarding background investigations or security clearances including how to request a copy of your background investigation.

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