SBInet
Encyclopedia
SBInet was a program initiated in 2006 for a new integrated system of personnel, infrastructure, technology, and rapid response to secure the northern and southern land borders of the United States. It was a part of Secure Border Initiative
(SBI), an overarching program of the United States Department of Homeland Security
(DHS) to organize the four operating components of border security: U.S. Customs and Border Protection
(CBP), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services
, and the United States Coast Guard
. DHS announced the program's cancelation on Jan. 14, 2011.
In August 2008, DHS ordered Boeing to stop SBI work along the border between Arizona and Mexico because CBP had not received the necessary permissions from the Department of the Interior. Boeing told a subcontractor that the suspension of work could last until January 1, 2009. On March 16, 2010, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano announced the DHS was diverting $50 million for the project into other efforts and that all work beyond the current pilot projects have been frozen.
, holding the primary contract, has subcontracted many portions of the design, development, implementation, and maintenance of the program, with Boeing handling the majority of the management aspects.
Subcontractors include:
DHS deputy director of homeland security Michael Jackson
played a large role in the initiation of SBInet, while Greggory L. Giddens is currently the executive director of the SBI Program Management Office at CBP. Kirk Evans was the first SBInet program manager; on April 11, 2008, he resigned to accept another position within DHS.
Five companies competed for the SBInet contract: Boeing
, Ericsson
, Lockheed Martin
, Northrop Grumman
, and Raytheon
. On September 21, 2006, following an intensive and detailed source selection process, DHS announced that it had chosen to award the contract to Boeing.
Boeing named Jerry McElwee as SBInet’s executive program manager, Tony Swansson as the deputy program manager, and Ilia Rosenberg as the director of technology assessment. In August 2007, McElwee was replaced by a new program manager, Daniel Korte.
Boeing planned to have Project 28
, the first phase of SBInet, operational in June 2007, but ran into software and other technology problems. In early September 2007, with the Project 28 implementation delayed until at least October, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff
said at a Congressional hearing, "I am not going to buy something with U.S. government money unless I'm satisfied it works in the real world." He added, "And if it can't be made to work, I'm prepared to go and find something that will be made to work, although I'll obviously be disappointed."
Border patrol agents began using the system in December 2007, and the system was officially accepted by DHS in February 2008. Boeing was awarded further contracts to upgrade software and hardware, which it expects to have done by the end of 2008.
In February 2008, a Government Accountability Office
report detailed problems with the then-deployed technologies. The system was designed to detect a "target" with radar, and then use video cameras to determine whether the radar return came from a person or vehicle, or from some benign source (such as an animal). The GAO reported that radar information was too slow to appear on screens, and was being inappropriately triggered by rain and other weather phenomena. Camera resolution was insufficient for targets beyond 3.1 miles, and the stylus-controlled laptops mounted on moving vehicles were not rugged enough and were difficult to use.
contract extending through September 30, 2009, with three one-year option periods. The only commitment that DHS has currently made is to pay Project 28
, a 28-mile pilot section of SBInet in the Tucson sector of the Arizona-Mexico border. The cost of this pilot section is estimated at $67 million. The value of Boeing’s three-year contract to build SBInet across both the northern and southern borders is estimated by various sources at various times to be between $2 billion and $8 billion.
The contract includes what DHS calls "off-ramps" – milestones where DHS can discontinue the project if it does not agree that Boeing's work is acceptable. The contract allows DHS to acquire certain solutions from a vendor besides Boeing.
The U.S. Army is to conduct an independent assessment of SBInet's interim operating capabilities at the end of the project's first initiative.
In addition, SBInet sought to provide a "common operating picture" of the border environment that can be shared with DHS components and federal, state, and local partners to provide comprehensive situational awareness improving interoperability. The SBInet contract gave Boeing full responsibility for developing, deploying, and maintaining a system that is able to accomplish these goals.
with GPS
capabilities, to allow the command center to track the location of agents interdicting illegal entries and watch the encounter in real time on the common operating picture. Additionally, the PDAs were supposed to have advanced finger print identification technology, to allow Border Patrol agents to identify an individual at the interdiction site immediately and the ability to view and control tower cameras from their PDA. In addition, Border Patrol agents will be given laptops in the patrol car that will provide them the information necessary to effectively and safely approach a given threat.
s (UAVs) were meant to fill in gaps in the "virtual fence" in remote areas where building and maintaining towers is impractical. Boeing may employ a small UAV that a lone person can launch called the Skylark, made by Elbit Systems
.
In anticipation of the department's final approval of Project 28 and the planned investment of at least $64 million for the next phase of SBInet's development, the senators sent a letter to DHS secretary Michael Chertoff, questioning CBP's failure to establish firm operational requirements before initiating Project 28, and asking whether such requirements will be addressed in the next phase. The senators also cited an over-reliance on contractors as one of their chief concerns, raising issues about whether DHS can properly oversee the project.
Jerry McElwee, a Boeing vice president, said that the June 2007 version of Project 28 was "a demonstration of our approach and a test bed for incorporating improvements" to SBInet.
Under heavy scrutiny for costs and effectiveness, Boeing has had to reiterate that P28 was a test program.
In June, 2010 GAO report summarized severe criticism of the project stated at a congressional committee hearing.
Janice Kephart of the Center for Immigration Studies
defended SBINet, writing, "SBInet is still operational where it was deployed, despite the widespread notion that the light switch was turned off on both the Tucson and Ajo sectors due to cancellation. The reason SBInet is still operating is because it works."
ordered an assessment of the project in January 2010 and in March 2010 froze additional funding for anything beyond already begun initial deployments. On Jan. 14, 2011, DHS said it would redirect funding originally intended for SBInet—including fiscal 2011 SBInet funds—to the new border security technology effort. "SBInet cannot meet its original objective of providing a single, integrated border security technology solution," Napolitano said in a prepared statement.
Secure Border Initiative
The Secure Border Initiative is a program created by Secretary Chertoff of DHS to organize the four operating components of border security: Customs and Border Protection , Immigration and Customs Enforcement , U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services , and the U.S...
(SBI), an overarching program of the United States Department of Homeland Security
United States Department of Homeland Security
The United States Department of Homeland Security is a cabinet department of the United States federal government, created in response to the September 11 attacks, and with the primary responsibilities of protecting the territory of the United States and protectorates from and responding to...
(DHS) to organize the four operating components of border security: U.S. Customs and Border Protection
U.S. Customs and Border Protection
U.S. Customs and Border Protection is a federal law enforcement agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security charged with regulating and facilitating international trade, collecting import duties, and enforcing U.S. regulations, including trade, customs and immigration. CBP is the...
(CBP), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is a federal law enforcement agency under the United States Department of Homeland Security , responsible for identifying, investigating, and dismantling vulnerabilities regarding the nation's border, economic, transportation, and infrastructure security...
, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services
United States Citizenship and Immigration Services
United States Citizenship and Immigration Services is a component of the United States Department of Homeland Security . It performs many administrative functions formerly carried out by the legacy United States Immigration and Naturalization Service , which was part of the Department of Justice...
, and the United States Coast Guard
United States Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven U.S. uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency...
. DHS announced the program's cancelation on Jan. 14, 2011.
In August 2008, DHS ordered Boeing to stop SBI work along the border between Arizona and Mexico because CBP had not received the necessary permissions from the Department of the Interior. Boeing told a subcontractor that the suspension of work could last until January 1, 2009. On March 16, 2010, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano announced the DHS was diverting $50 million for the project into other efforts and that all work beyond the current pilot projects have been frozen.
Background
SBInet (a component of SBI) was a program created under U.S. Customs and Border Protection to design a new integrated system of personnel, infrastructure, technology, and rapid response to secure the northern and southern land borders of the U.S. SBInet replaced two former programs, America’s Shield Initiative and the Integrated Surveillance Intelligence System. Both of these programs had similar goals, but were scrapped due to mismanagement and failure of equipment. To avoid such problems, DHS decided to have development of SBInet managed by a single private contractor. BoeingBoeing
The Boeing Company is an American multinational aerospace and defense corporation, founded in 1916 by William E. Boeing in Seattle, Washington. Boeing has expanded over the years, merging with McDonnell Douglas in 1997. Boeing Corporate headquarters has been in Chicago, Illinois since 2001...
, holding the primary contract, has subcontracted many portions of the design, development, implementation, and maintenance of the program, with Boeing handling the majority of the management aspects.
Subcontractors include:
- Centech Group
- DRS Technologies
- Kollsman (a division of Elbit SystemsElbit SystemsElbit Systems Ltd. is one of the world's largest defense electronics manufacturers and integrators. Established in 1967, and based in Haifa, Israel, Elbit employs 11,000 people worldwide....
) - L-3 Communications Government Services Inc.
- L-3 Communication Systems - West
- LGS
- Perot Systems
- Unisys Global Public Sector
- USIS
- EOD Technology Inc. (Security Personnel)
History of the program
On September 21, 2006 DHS announced the award of the SBInet contract to Boeing.DHS deputy director of homeland security Michael Jackson
Michael P. Jackson
Michael Peter Jackson was the George W. Bush administration's Deputy Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, beginning in March 2005 and ending with his resignation in October 2007.-Private sector career:...
played a large role in the initiation of SBInet, while Greggory L. Giddens is currently the executive director of the SBI Program Management Office at CBP. Kirk Evans was the first SBInet program manager; on April 11, 2008, he resigned to accept another position within DHS.
Five companies competed for the SBInet contract: Boeing
Boeing
The Boeing Company is an American multinational aerospace and defense corporation, founded in 1916 by William E. Boeing in Seattle, Washington. Boeing has expanded over the years, merging with McDonnell Douglas in 1997. Boeing Corporate headquarters has been in Chicago, Illinois since 2001...
, Ericsson
Ericsson
Ericsson , one of Sweden's largest companies, is a provider of telecommunication and data communication systems, and related services, covering a range of technologies, including especially mobile networks...
, Lockheed Martin
Lockheed Martin
Lockheed Martin is an American global aerospace, defense, security, and advanced technology company with worldwide interests. It was formed by the merger of Lockheed Corporation with Martin Marietta in March 1995. It is headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, in the Washington Metropolitan Area....
, Northrop Grumman
Northrop Grumman
Northrop Grumman Corporation is an American global aerospace and defense technology company formed by the 1994 purchase of Grumman by Northrop. The company was the fourth-largest defense contractor in the world as of 2010, and the largest builder of naval vessels. Northrop Grumman employs over...
, and Raytheon
Raytheon
Raytheon Company is a major American defense contractor and industrial corporation with core manufacturing concentrations in weapons and military and commercial electronics. It was previously involved in corporate and special-mission aircraft until early 2007...
. On September 21, 2006, following an intensive and detailed source selection process, DHS announced that it had chosen to award the contract to Boeing.
Boeing named Jerry McElwee as SBInet’s executive program manager, Tony Swansson as the deputy program manager, and Ilia Rosenberg as the director of technology assessment. In August 2007, McElwee was replaced by a new program manager, Daniel Korte.
Boeing planned to have Project 28
Project 28
Project 28 is the name given to a U.S. border protection program that runs along a stretch of the US/Mexican border in southern Arizona.. The project, the first phase of a much larger program called the "Secure Border Initiative network" , was scheduled to be completed in mid-2007, but did not...
, the first phase of SBInet, operational in June 2007, but ran into software and other technology problems. In early September 2007, with the Project 28 implementation delayed until at least October, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff
Michael Chertoff
Michael Chertoff was the second United States Secretary of Homeland Security under President George W. Bush and co-author of the USA PATRIOT Act. He previously served as a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, as a federal prosecutor, and as assistant U.S. Attorney...
said at a Congressional hearing, "I am not going to buy something with U.S. government money unless I'm satisfied it works in the real world." He added, "And if it can't be made to work, I'm prepared to go and find something that will be made to work, although I'll obviously be disappointed."
Border patrol agents began using the system in December 2007, and the system was officially accepted by DHS in February 2008. Boeing was awarded further contracts to upgrade software and hardware, which it expects to have done by the end of 2008.
In February 2008, a Government Accountability Office
Government Accountability Office
The Government Accountability Office is the audit, evaluation, and investigative arm of the United States Congress. It is located in the legislative branch of the United States government.-History:...
report detailed problems with the then-deployed technologies. The system was designed to detect a "target" with radar, and then use video cameras to determine whether the radar return came from a person or vehicle, or from some benign source (such as an animal). The GAO reported that radar information was too slow to appear on screens, and was being inappropriately triggered by rain and other weather phenomena. Camera resolution was insufficient for targets beyond 3.1 miles, and the stylus-controlled laptops mounted on moving vehicles were not rugged enough and were difficult to use.
The contract
SBInet was controlled by an indefinite delivery/indefinite quantityIDIQ
IDIQ is a contracting acronym meaning Indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity. This is a type of contract that provides for an indefinite quantity of supplies or services during a fixed period of time...
contract extending through September 30, 2009, with three one-year option periods. The only commitment that DHS has currently made is to pay Project 28
Project 28
Project 28 is the name given to a U.S. border protection program that runs along a stretch of the US/Mexican border in southern Arizona.. The project, the first phase of a much larger program called the "Secure Border Initiative network" , was scheduled to be completed in mid-2007, but did not...
, a 28-mile pilot section of SBInet in the Tucson sector of the Arizona-Mexico border. The cost of this pilot section is estimated at $67 million. The value of Boeing’s three-year contract to build SBInet across both the northern and southern borders is estimated by various sources at various times to be between $2 billion and $8 billion.
The contract includes what DHS calls "off-ramps" – milestones where DHS can discontinue the project if it does not agree that Boeing's work is acceptable. The contract allows DHS to acquire certain solutions from a vendor besides Boeing.
The U.S. Army is to conduct an independent assessment of SBInet's interim operating capabilities at the end of the project's first initiative.
Objectives
The goal of SBInet was to secure the border by fulfilling these main objectives:- deter potential illegal border crossers from making the attempt
- predict illegal border activities before they occur
- detect entries when they occur
- identify what the entry is
- classify the threat level of the entry before interdiction
- track the movements of illegal entrants
- provide a means to effectively and efficiently respond to entries
- bring interdictions to an appropriate resolution (e.g., identity checks, judicial and administrative actions, deportations, and so forth)
In addition, SBInet sought to provide a "common operating picture" of the border environment that can be shared with DHS components and federal, state, and local partners to provide comprehensive situational awareness improving interoperability. The SBInet contract gave Boeing full responsibility for developing, deploying, and maintaining a system that is able to accomplish these goals.
Requirements
Boeing was required to design, develop, test, integrate, deploy, document and maintain the optimum mix of personnel, technology, infrastructure, and response capability to defend 6,000 miles of border. Boeing was required to manage every aspect of the implementation of SBInet; their job even includes less intuitive tasks, such as recommending new paradigms for the way Border Patrol Agents operate, training maintenance personnel to repair their products, and guiding construction of facilities to house additional CBP offices required for SBInet. Additionally, Boeing was required to integrate their program into previously existing infrastructure and equipment systems wherever possible. The pilot section of SBInet is required to be completed and fully operational eight months from the contract signing. , Boeing had missed its June 13 deadline for delivery of the pilot section.Oversight
The SBInet Program Management Office (PMO), led by the SBInet Program Manager, was responsible for conducting oversight activities such as testing the system's performance in improving the security of the border, examining Boeing's designs to predict and prevent deficiencies, and monitoring the financial efficiency of the project. The PMO includes more than two hundred subject matter experts in engineering, program management, budget control, Border Patrol operations, port of entry operations, environmental management, logistics, risk management, and more. Additionally, the PMO has engaged the U.S. Army's test and evaluation experts to provide independent evaluation services, to include operational assessments and large-scale operational testing. The PMO has been criticized for inadequate staffing, which impeded its effectiveness in the early months of the program. The PMO has since moved to rapidly expand the size and quality of its staff, which has enabled it to intensify oversight operations.Tower system
Towers were meant to be set up along the border, with varying surveillance and communications equipment depending on the climate, terrain, population density, and other factors. Towers were slated to include radar, long-range cameras, broadband wireless access points, thermal imaging capabilities, and motion detectors. SBInet was meant to also include some ground sensors for seismic detection as well.Command centers
All of the information received by sensors were meant to go to command centers, where a "common operating picture" would have been compiled by CBP and shared with other agencies. The common operating picture would have appeared on computer screens as a geospatial map, where border entries are tracked in real time. Command center personnel were supposed to be able to click on a given entry, view the entry, and assess the threat using the long-range cameras on the towers. They will then dispatch Border Patrol agents accordingly.Border Patrol response
Border Patrol agents were meant to carry PDAsPersonal digital assistant
A personal digital assistant , also known as a palmtop computer, or personal data assistant, is a mobile device that functions as a personal information manager. Current PDAs often have the ability to connect to the Internet...
with GPS
Global Positioning System
The Global Positioning System is a space-based global navigation satellite system that provides location and time information in all weather, anywhere on or near the Earth, where there is an unobstructed line of sight to four or more GPS satellites...
capabilities, to allow the command center to track the location of agents interdicting illegal entries and watch the encounter in real time on the common operating picture. Additionally, the PDAs were supposed to have advanced finger print identification technology, to allow Border Patrol agents to identify an individual at the interdiction site immediately and the ability to view and control tower cameras from their PDA. In addition, Border Patrol agents will be given laptops in the patrol car that will provide them the information necessary to effectively and safely approach a given threat.
Airborne sensors
Airborne sensors on unmanned aerial vehicleUnmanned aerial vehicle
An unmanned aerial vehicle , also known as a unmanned aircraft system , remotely piloted aircraft or unmanned aircraft, is a machine which functions either by the remote control of a navigator or pilot or autonomously, that is, as a self-directing entity...
s (UAVs) were meant to fill in gaps in the "virtual fence" in remote areas where building and maintaining towers is impractical. Boeing may employ a small UAV that a lone person can launch called the Skylark, made by Elbit Systems
Elbit Systems
Elbit Systems Ltd. is one of the world's largest defense electronics manufacturers and integrators. Established in 1967, and based in Haifa, Israel, Elbit employs 11,000 people worldwide....
.
Construction strategy
The towers that will initially be placed in the pilot section will be mobile, so that they can be moved around to discover optimal placement. Once the optimal placement is determined, they will be replaced with permanent towers, and the mobile towers will be reused to begin construction on the next section of SBInet in a similar manner. At completion, Boeing estimates that it will use approximately 1,800 towers to create its “virtual fence” along the borders. In addition to towers and technology systems, SBInet will include the construction of fences, vehicle barriers and border roads.Criticism
The SBInet program has been criticized by media and political sources. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Chairman Joe Lieberman (ID-Conn.), Ranking Member Susan Collins (R-Me.), Senator Daniel Akaka (D-HI.), and Senator George Voinovich (R-Oh.), have expressed concern that the program faces significant management challenges that could undermine its effectiveness.In anticipation of the department's final approval of Project 28 and the planned investment of at least $64 million for the next phase of SBInet's development, the senators sent a letter to DHS secretary Michael Chertoff, questioning CBP's failure to establish firm operational requirements before initiating Project 28, and asking whether such requirements will be addressed in the next phase. The senators also cited an over-reliance on contractors as one of their chief concerns, raising issues about whether DHS can properly oversee the project.
Jerry McElwee, a Boeing vice president, said that the June 2007 version of Project 28 was "a demonstration of our approach and a test bed for incorporating improvements" to SBInet.
Under heavy scrutiny for costs and effectiveness, Boeing has had to reiterate that P28 was a test program.
In June, 2010 GAO report summarized severe criticism of the project stated at a congressional committee hearing.
Janice Kephart of the Center for Immigration Studies
Center for Immigration Studies
The Center for Immigration Studies is a non-profit research organization that advocates Immigration reduction in the United States. Founded in 1985, its executive director is Mark Krikorian. As a 501 organization, it is subject to limits or absolute prohibitions on engaging in political...
defended SBINet, writing, "SBInet is still operational where it was deployed, despite the widespread notion that the light switch was turned off on both the Tucson and Ajo sectors due to cancellation. The reason SBInet is still operating is because it works."
Cancelation
The fate of SBInet had been in question since DHS Secretary Janet NapolitanoJanet Napolitano
Janet Napolitano is the third and current United States Secretary of Homeland Security, serving in the administration of President Barack Obama. She is the fourth person to hold the position, which was created after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. A member of the Democratic Party, she was the 21st...
ordered an assessment of the project in January 2010 and in March 2010 froze additional funding for anything beyond already begun initial deployments. On Jan. 14, 2011, DHS said it would redirect funding originally intended for SBInet—including fiscal 2011 SBInet funds—to the new border security technology effort. "SBInet cannot meet its original objective of providing a single, integrated border security technology solution," Napolitano said in a prepared statement.
External links
- SBI official website, U.S. Customs and Border Protection
- "SBInet Expenditure Plan Needs to Better Support Oversight and Accountability" (pdf), U.S. Government Accountability OfficeGovernment Accountability OfficeThe Government Accountability Office is the audit, evaluation, and investigative arm of the United States Congress. It is located in the legislative branch of the United States government.-History:...
, February 2007 - http://hsgac.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=PressReleases.Detail&Affiliation=C&PressRelease_id=e3910540-0678-4f9d-9143-86513c10ff5c&Month=1&Year=2008