NCJ Number
215895
Journal
Homeland Defense Journal Volume: 4 Issue: 7 Dated: July 2006 Pages: 20,22,24,26
Date Published
July 2006
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This article describes the measures and the technologies being used and planned by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to secure the Nation's borders.
Abstract
During the next few years, the U.S. Government plans to spend billions of dollars on new technology to help secure U.S. borders. Contracts that total $2 billion are due to be awarded this September to build the Secure Border Initiative network (SBInet), and billions more will be spent in the coming years as the latest technologies are developed to help strengthen America's borders and ports. Existing state-of-the-art technology is already being used to good effect in border security. Biometric technology has allowed U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents to arrest 40 felons in 7 days. A recent CBP seizure of 200 pounds of marijuana at a traffic checkpoint used a mobile X-ray truck operated by CBP inspectors. At the Nation's ports, the newest radiation portal monitors are being used to inspect some of the nearly 11 million cargo containers entering U.S. seaports every year. Proposed technology includes unmanned aerial vehicles for surveillance, more sophisticated sensors that can be integrated with remote cameras, and satellite technology. These and other measures will be coordinated under the SBInet, which will be designed to integrate multiple state-of-the-art systems and traditional security infrastructure into a single comprehensive border protection system. Five of the Nation's largest Federal contractors have announced that they will be competing to build the SBInet for the Department of Homeland Security. The main elements of the SBInet and the opportunities they present to vendors are expanding infrastructure and building a virtual fence, increasing personnel and assets along the borders, and enhancing immigration enforcement.