The Importance of Defence Intelligence in Ensuring Aviation Security within the Air Transport System

Informational support is a fundamental element in decision-making processes. Although the importance and necessity of intelligence has been demonstrated throughout history in armed conflicts, other events with impact on society, such as the terrorist attacks on 11 September 2001, have imposed a change in perception regarding the intelligence support areas of application within the air transport system. Even though aviation safety is the basis of air operations, civil or military, aviation security has become vital due to rapidly and unpredictably changing global security challenges. Nowadays, in the context of global security challenges, lessons learned have led to the involvement of defence information support (intelligence) in ensuring global aviation security; artificial intelligence and advanced technologies enable a quick response to identified threats and risks, an aspect recently demonstrated in the civil air transport system.