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Sky marshal
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sky marshal (also known as air marshal or flight marshal) is a popular term for an undercover law enforcement or security officer on board a commercial aircraft, to counter aircraft hijackings ('skyjackings'). In the United States, on selected flights, for example, Swiss (since 1970; formerly Swissair), El Al, Sri Lankan Airlines, Air India, Indian Airlines Pakistan International Airlines(on selective routes), United Airlines and British Airways there can be sky marshals assigned to the flight. The majority of domestic and foreign commercial flights originating in Israel have armed sky marshals. Sky marshals became an issue in late 2003 when United States ordered foreign airlines to have armed guards on flights to and from the country as a precaution against terrorist attacks. Many of the involved countries and carriers have expressed great reservation towards the idea since they fear that having weapons on board only increases the risk of terrorist actions. Others maintain that these reservations are unfounded, citing the record of El Al, which has a number of armed marshals on each flight, and has only been the victim of one successful hijacking, in 1968 (before sky marshals were routinely on all El Al flights). Sky marshals may be provided by the various airlines or by government agencies such as the US Federal Air Marshal Service.
Ocean-going cruise ships have similar officers, known as sea marshals.
The term "sky marshal" has seen reference in some works of science fiction, albeit in a very different context. In Robert A. Heinlein's Starship Troopers, the Sky Marshal is the uniformed commander-in-chief of the Terran Federation military who has risen to the highest rank in both the naval and infantry branches of the military. The Terran Federation of the Starfire universe has a Sky Marshal in the exact same position. This usage is somewhat akin in the air force rank of air marshal.
In the film Executive Decision, the fictional Oceanic Airlines Flight 343 carried a Sky Marshal armed with a pistol, who played a minor role in subduing the Algerian hijackers.
The movie Anger Management starts off with a confrontation between Adam Sandler's character and an air marshal (played by Isaac C. Singleton Jr).