Homeland Security Kills Secure Border Tech Program
(NextGov.com – Aliya Sternstein)
The Homeland Security Department has killed its beleaguered $1.1 billion program to control U.S. land borders with a virtual fence made up of surveillance tools, Secretary Janet Napolitano announced on Friday, after briefing Congress on her review of the Secure Border Initiative network program.
DHS officials had encountered major cost, schedule and operational problems with the system ever since entering a development pact with Boeing Co. in 2006. The department has decided it will cease construction of SBInet as originally conceived and recompete contracts to embark on a new technology plan.
The strategy will build off currently deployed tools tailored to the terrain and population density of each border region. Apparatus will include mobile surveillance units, unmanned aircraft, thermal imaging devices and remote video surveillance systems mounted on towers. Read more here.
Date: January 18, 2011
