"Back in 1991, A LOT of soldiers were caught with contraband, including unexploded cluster munitions and other weapons."
That screening is done WWAAAYYY up front, in Iraq, by enlisted customs personnel who are much toughter than any TSA weener would ever think of being.
And yet, that soldier was able to get a dummy grenade into his luggage and into airport security.
Sure, it was a dud, but TSA aren't trained to know that or authorized to handle it to find out.
And ordinance has already made it past those tough screeners, on airplanes and in ship-borne containers.
"That screening is done WWAAAYYY up front, in Iraq, by enlisted customs personnel who are much toughter than any TSA weener would ever think of being."
Coming back from a Winter Reforger we had to go through the military customs, I was bringing back a few of the spring loaded knives Germany had then.
Just as I was walking past the last "amnesty box" and telling the guy I had nothing to declare one of those knives fell from it's hiding place, I was surprised at the guys hard nosed attitude, but whoever he went to, to turn me in, told him my unit was authorized to carry those type knives.
That spec 4 (or whatever) wanted my ass, which I found a little disturbing, oddly there was no follow up search, I was simply sent on.