The USA’s Secure Border Initiative, a complex network of high-tech surveillance equipment to police the entire northern border (with Canada) and southern border (with Mexico), has been cancelled.
While agents in the field were said to “love the gear”, Janet Napolitano (US Homeland Security Secretary) testified before Congress that the project “has been plagued with troubles from day one… It has never met a deadline, it hasn’t met its operational capacities, and it doesn’t give us what we need to have”.
Instead of fulfilling lucrative contracts with Boeing and Raytheon, the USA will instead procure surveillance systems, UAVs, thermal imaging and other equipment from the commercial market.
Defence Industry Daily has published a detailed dossier describing all the goings on.
26 January 2011 at 8:01 pm
[…] Neoconopticon is reporting that the Secure Border Initiative (SBI) project is to be shelved and replaced with off-the shelf surveillance equipment (UAVs etc.). […]
26 January 2011 at 8:02 pm
Hi Ben – blogged here with some further speculation: http://ubisurv.wordpress.com/2011/01/26/us-border-project-cancelled-or-is-it-just-mutating/
27 January 2011 at 8:46 am
Thanks David – glad to have things clarified from one closer to home!
28 January 2011 at 2:17 pm
[…] goeie nieuws komt dit keer, oh wonder, uit de Verenigde Staten. Daar werd beslist om het Secure Border Initiative te […]