General
Meet a Federal Air Marshal. She May Have Been Sitting Next to You on a Flight.
Working for a federal agency shrouded in mystery, Esther Fausett shared what she could about her career in in-flight law enforcement.
Little is released to the public about how, why and where federal air marshals operate. As they transit through airports and board flights, they resemble passengers just like us — napping occasionally, watching rom-coms and eating bland airplane food. But air marshals are working undercover, with concealed guns and the power to make arrests. Because of their top-secret security clearance, the number of flights they work, the looming threats behind assignments, the alarming behaviors they are monitoring and even the size of the Federal Air Marshal Service are shrouded in mystery.
Since 1962, federal air marshals have been ensuring aviation safety in the United States, flying in airline cabins to and from domestic and international destinations. In recent decades, the responsibilities of air marshals have expanded to include securing the country’s entire transportation system. Marshals operate at airports, but also on ferries, trains, buses and on the U.S. border with Mexico. They also support transit security at events that draw large crowds like the Super Bowl, the Indy 500 and the United Nations General Assembly.
I learned more about the profession in a conversation with Esther Fausett, 43, an assistant supervisory air marshal in charge. Based in Washington, D.C., she oversees teams of both flying and ground-based air marshals.
Our conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity.
What drew you to becoming a federal air marshal?
I was studying cellular biochemistry in college, on a pre-med track, when 9/11 occurred. I instantly felt like I could do something more daring or impactful related to safeguarding our national security and the lives of others. But I wasn’t sure in what capacity.
In 2005, the Federal Air Marshal Service was hiring and I saw it as a great opportunity. I didn’t hear back from the agency for a little over two years; I just thought they forgot about me. Once I received a biology degree, I became an agricultural specialist with Customs and Border Protection at the seaport in Miami.
But in 2007, when I was 25 years old, I got a call. I started that year as a flying federal air marshal at the Boston field office. Then, I moved to a ground-based assignment in the service’s investigation division and later I served as a liaison to the F.B.I., Customs and Border Protection, and Department of Homeland Security’s Center for Countering Human Trafficking.
