The Department of Homeland Security is requesting $54.3 million for the purchase of technology to help secure the U.S. border between land ports of entry, none of it for traditional fixed and mobile surveillance technologies.
The fiscal year 2022 request, which excludes procurement funding for the border wall system, is $68.7 million less than Congress provided in FY ’21. Congress provided nearly $1.4 billion for the border wall system in FY ’21.
Budget documents accompanying the FY ’22 request that was sent to Congress on May 28 show that the proposed funding under the Border Security Assets and Infrastructure End Items category includes $17.5 million for the common operating picture (COP), $8.8 million for small unmanned aircraft systems, $8.8 million for the team awareness kit, $4.3 million for counter-drone systems, and $15 million for the Border Enforcement Coordination Network.
The COP will integrate fielded Border Patrol sensor systems and provides a centralized capability to manage and control individual sensors. The funding will allow Customs and Border Protection to acquire a base software package and software licenses in support of the initial operating capability at the Douglas, Ariz. Border Patrol stations.
The TAK provides agents with a mobile map-based applications for improved situational awareness through integration with various fixed and mobile sensors.
For fixed and mobile sensor systems, including the Integrated Fixed Towers (IFTs), the budget documents say that funding provided in previous years is sufficient to complete deployments. For the IFTs, which are provided by Elbit Systems of America [ESLT], CBP says that prior funding will allow the program to achieve full operational capacity in six areas of responsibility during FY ’21.
For the Remote Video Surveillance Systems (RVSS), the documents says that previous funding will complete upgrade deployments in one southwest border sector and portions of another sector. General Dynamics [GD] is the RVSS contractor.
Even though the procurement request excludes funding for new fixed and mobile sensors, there is funding proposed in the operations and support account for some of these programs, including $27 million for the RVSS that go toward supporting deployed systems and the transition to a centralized security operations center. CBP says that the program is transitioning from contractor maintenance and logistics support to sustainment through the Federal Aviation Administration’s Logistics Center.
The documents say that CBP will delay a technology refresh on 20 relocatable RVSS, which may result in longer downtimes “due to equipment failures, resulting in lower operational availability. However, CBP feels this is an acceptable risk.”
CBP is also requesting $26.8 million within the operations and support account for IFTs but it’s unclear what that funding will go toward. The procurement account for the IFT program says that in FY ’21, CBP will complete the integration of IFT and RVSS in the Nogales, Ariz., area of responsibility.
At the ports of entry, CBP is requesting $32 million for spending on non-intrusive inspection (NII) systems to scan cargo entering the U.S. at two entry points on the northern border. CBP still has hundreds of millions of dollars to spend from prior congressional appropriations on large-scale and small-scale NII equipment.