Boeing, SBInet reach critical phase

Two years since its inception,the first permanentsegment of the HomelandSecurity Department'sSBInet surveillance systemis about to be installed in southernArizona, and the stakes could notbe higher.SBInet, part of the Secure BorderInitiative, is a virtual border fencecomposed of cameras, radars andother sensors strung on towers andlinked to operations centers. It is oneof the most ambitious projects everlaunched by DHS and also one of themost criticized.At a projected cost of $8 billion forthe system on the U.S./Mexico border,SBInet has been praised as offeringa decisive edge to border protection,but it is also distrusted as experimental.The prototype Project 28now operating in the Arizona desertis more effective than what was usedin the past but is less than what washoped for.Although it has made major stridesin two years, SBInet still must proveitself technologically and politically,homeland security experts say.Mark Borkowski, who started work inOctober as SBI executive director atthe Customs and Border Protectionagency, said he is evaluating the projectand expects to make a decision bysummer 2009 on whether to renewBoeing Co.'s SBInet contract when itexpires Sept. 30, 2009.In the meantime, Borkowski saidhe intends to raise SBInet's budget to$380 million for towers, sensors andproject management in fiscal 2009."I am somewhat more optimistictoday than I was a month ago,"Borkowski said. "The foundation issound, but we need to connect thebuilding blocks." "Where SBInet is concerned, year2009 is critical," said Richard Stana,director of homeland security andjustice issues at the GovernmentAccountability Office. "You are comingin with a new executive directorand new administration. There aretwo new segments coming on ?Tucson-1 and Ajo-1 ? and if these donot work well and they cannot fullydeploy in 2009 as planned, it willraise a lot of questions. Do we want torestructure, go with another contractoror replan it?"With the Obama administration anda new Congress about to take office,SBInet must overcome lingeringskepticism. Rep. Bennie Thompson(D-Miss.), chairman of the HomelandSecurity Committee, has not been shyabout expressing his disappointmentin SBInet.Thompson titled a recent hearingon the program mismanagement,Missteps and Missed Benchmarks:Why the Virtual Fence Has NotBecome a Reality."Thompson was especially vocalabout his doubts when the projectstalled in mid-2007 because of delays,apparent miscommunications, shiftsin expectations and negative assessmentsfrom Border Patrol users attributed to a lack of user input fromthe start. DHS and Boeing officialssay those problems have beenresolved.Boeing is testing the updated, permanentSBInet towers and systemunder outdoor conditions in a NewMexico laboratory before deployingthem in March 2009."I have a lot more confidence in thesystem now," said Jack Chenevey,Boeing's SBInet program manager."I'm very confident this will be a forcemultiplier."CBP accepted the prototype Project28 in February, and it has been operatingin the Arizona desert since then.DHS Secretary Michael Chertoffcredits SBInet technology for helpingreduce the number of people apprehendedfor illegally crossing the borderin recent months.Although the permanent SBInet towerswere initially due to be constructedstarting in July in the Tucson-1segment in Arizona, CBP put thatwork on hold because of problemssecuring federal land permits fromthe Interior Department and othersources.The SBI program office workedhard to meet its widely advertisedschedule for constructing physicalfencing and vehicle barriers at theU.S./Mexico border.In recent weeks, the final land permitswere obtained for Tucson-1 andhave almost been completed for theAjo-1 segment, Borkowski said.Boeing is preparing to do the final,integrated system testing and refiningof SBInet, including the technologythat integrates the sensor informationinto a common view, at an outdoorfacility in New Mexico. The companyhas built three surveillance towersand a communications tower at thelab facility."The system is so much morerobust than before," Chenevey said."The system, before we deploy it, willbe highly tested."Experts say the real proof will bethe first permanent deployment inearly 2009. Boeing and CBP officialssay they have improved the technology,testing and user feedback to avoidpast mistakes.On the other hand, GAO officialsoutlined several management challengesfor SBInet in September thathave not yet been addressed, includinga need for CBP to prepare a technologyevaluation and requirementsfulfillment process for the entire system.Next year could bring a make-or-break moment.Whether the project continues atthe current pace will depend on assessments by CBP, Congress andthe new administration."I get the sense that Customs andBorder Protection is waiting out theclock," said James Jay Carafano, asenior research fellow at the HeritageFoundation. "They have made a good-faitheffort, and they have some numbersthey can point to showing the prototypeis working well. They are puntingit to the next administration.""There are still managementissues," said David Van Slyke, an associateprofessor of public administrationat Syracuse University who hasstudied procurement at DHS. "I don'tknow if they will get bogged down.My sense is that they are resolving theissues."Governments in other parts of theworld are working on similar surveillancetechnologies, including those ofSaudi Arabia and Kuwait, which arecreating sensor systems to help safeguardtheir oil fields."Does the United States want towait until the technologies are provenin two to five years, or does it want tolead?" asked one SBInet vendor whoasked not to be identified.Given the global financial crisis,federal funding is expected to becometighter in coming years."The basic principle of building avirtual fence has been accepted," saidRey Koslowski, associate professor ofpolitical science and public policy atthe University at Albany, N.Y., and anexpert on border issues."If we find out it is more difficultthan we expected, enthusiasm maywane."However, many experts say SBInetpromises to be a more effective way tomonitor thousands of miles of remoteborder areas."There is a need for these technologies,"Carafano said. "In some places,physical barriers don't make sense.Certainly, the technologies havemerit."