The mission of the TWIC program is to design and field a common credential for all transportation workers requiring unescorted physical access and logical access to secure areas of the nation’s transportation system and their associated information systems. In its development, the TWIC has been designed as a standards-based program, and conforms to the standards referenced in this document. This specification enables varying levels of control in support of threat level risk mitigation plans.
This specification was initially developed by the National Maritime Security Advisory Committee (NMSAC) in response to a request from the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and the U.S. Coast Guard. The NMSAC TWIC Working Group included members of the maritime industry with support from representatives from the security technology industry who are affiliated with such organizations as the International Biometric Industry Association (IBIA), the Security Industry Association (SIA) and the Smart Card Alliance. The original specification developed by the NMSAC TWIC Working Group has been modified to accommodate TSA security and privacy requirements.