In September 2006, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) signed a $20 million contract with Boeing Co. to construct a virtual fence of monitoring towers along part of the Arizona and Mexican border. The 28-mile fence is set to be the starting point for the Secure Border Initiative (SBInet), a project where DHS plans to install similar surveillance towers along the entire Mexican and Canadian borders.
Currently, Boeing has constructed nine towers have been constructed along the 28-mile span, known as Project 28, yet technical glitches with radar and cameras have delayed the program’s previous June 2007 start date. Boeing is in the process of correcting t the technical glitches are in the process of being corrected and the contractor claims that the overall program is still on schedule.
As illegal immigration and drug smuggling continue to undermine US border patrol efforts, implementing the high tech towers along both borders could greatly enhance border patrol efforts.
Capabilities
Project 28 includes nine 98-foot towers equipped with high definition cameras and radar that utilize underground motion sensors to detect activity along the border. The ground sensors measure magnetic, seismic and acoustic variations and alterations. Border agents will patrol the area in vehicles equipped with laptop computers in synch with the tower surveillance equipment and its Global Positioning System (GPS). If the ground sensors pick up a suspicious reading, an agent can immediately view the exact location where the reading occurs.
This system of surveillance is an upgrade from current ground sensors that produce multiple false positives without a quick method of determining what caused the reading. For the tower protection, private security guards will stand guard.
Delays and Concerns
Although SBInet could potentially assist border security efforts, the program has already uncovered the following difficulties:
• Originally, DHS planned to launch the Project 28 into action on June 13, 2007. However, technical problems have delayed the start date. Specifically, the cameras and radars have reported inconsistent readings. DHS and Boeing Co. have not announced a future starting date has not been announced, yet both DHS and the contractor have maintained that the project’s overall schedule was unaffected by the technical glitches.
• With the towers installed approximately 10 miles from the border and nearby to small towns, local residents have expressed concerns over privacy issues. However, US Border Patrol authorities claim that intruders will be easier to detect in the rough terrain area between the border and the towers.
• A spokesman from the SBInet project has recently testified that the overall plan to secure both the Mexican and Canadian borders with the tower monitoring system would cost approximately $8 billion by the year 2013. However the Government Accountability Office has suggested that it is likely that the figure of cost will actually total about $30 billion.
Future Implications
Securing borders is a top priority for US national security. The US government is addressing border inefficiencies by hiring thousands of new border patrol officers. In 2006, US Border Patrol hired 12,000 officers while a total of 18,000 officers are expected to be hired by the end of 2008. By equipping border officers with a fully functional SBInet system, the threat of border infiltration could significantly decline.
