From the FAA FAQ: “Will armed officers be put on flights? Yes, FAA Federal Air Marshals who are armed and trained in the use of firearms on board aircraft will be flying anonymously. Federal Air Marshals are FAA civil aviation security specialists who are specially trained for deployment on anti-hijacking missions. The FAA will not reveal the number or identities of the marshals. The DOT is working with the Department of Defense to see if other highly trained agents may be deployed to augment the Federal Air Marshal force.”

Here’s a fact sheet on the FAA Federal Air Marshal Program. It is “an expansion of the Sky Marshal program of the 1970s designed to stop hijackings to and from Cuba”. “What can be said publicly is that the Federal Air Marshals are a full-time dedicated force that continuously deploys throughout the world on all the major U.S. carriers in areas where terrorist activities indicate the highest probability of attacks. Federal Air Marshals fly every day of the year.” Now I’m always going to wonder about that guy sitting in our row. What are they trained to say if you strike up a conversation? “I’m flying to New York on business.” and then they pretend to read magazine? I’m guessing they always get seated at the back so they can watch the entire plane. And here’s a bulletin warning about bogus sky marshals.