U.S. Customs and Border Protection Secure Border Initiative Program Executive Office

sbi_info@dhs.gov / http://www.cbp.gov/sbi

U.S. Customs and Border Protection

MONTHLY Secure Border Initiative

CBP Takes Final Acceptance of Project 28

On Friday, February 22, 2008, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Michael Chertoff announced that U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) took final acceptance of the first SBInet technology project, Project 28, from Boeing.

In September 2006, the Boeing Company was selected by CBP to be the SBInet prime contractor. Project 28 was Boeing’s proposed initial prototype to demonstrate core operational capabilities related to surveillance, detection, and command and control functions, and is the first step toward the full SBInet system design.

The system utilizes cameras and radar to enhance Border Patrol agents’ deployment and interdiction decisions in their area of responsibility. It will enhance Border Patrol agents safety and effectiveness.

In its current state, Project 28 provides Border Patrol agents with improved situational awareness of operations in the field. Agents in the command center now receive additional alerts of potential illegal activity by using integrated cameras and radar. Using vehicle mounted mobile data terminals, Agents deployed in the field have an improved picture of the section of border they are enforcing.

As a prototype, the system provides an initial capability that will be used by our operators to explore and refine future concepts of operations and operational requirements, evaluate how the technology can be effectively placed into the field and utilized by Border Patrol agents and operators, and continue to identify risk and focus areas for future SBInetdeployments.

Operational testing will also continue. The installed Project 28 system will be evaluated by an independent operational test group to determine the system’s operational suitability and its ability to meet the CBP mission. This information, along with the lessons already learned, will be used to help guide the development of the next version of the SBInet COP.

On December 7, 2007, CBP authorized Boeing to begin development of the new software, which we refer to as COP Version 0.5. CBP’s plan is to implement this software and fully lab-test it. It will then be integrated with new sensors and hardware that have been competitively sourced from multiple vendors to give CBP an open architecture for hardware. The integrated hardware and software will be tested in the laboratory, and then deployed in two locations in the Tucson Sector. Based on the results of those two deployments, and once CBP determines that the system is operationally effective and suitable, it will continue to field the SBInetsolution to more locations that can most benefit from this new tool. Click here to read DHS: Remarks by Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff and Attorney General Mukasey at a Briefing on Immigration Enforcement and Border Security Efforts.

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SBI on the Road Tuesday, February 26, 2008 Industry Advisory Council Arlington, Virginia Tuesday, February 26, 2008 Fifth Annual Maritime, Border, and Transportation Security Conference Washington, D.C. Thursday, February 28, 2008 AFCEA Homeland Security Conference Washington, D.C. Monday, March 31, 2008 ComDef West San Diego, California

Secretary Chertoff announced that DHS approved the Project 28 technology that will be used as a first step toward building an integrated border surveillance system. The technology will be used along the Southwest Border, and will aid CBP Border Patrol agents in identifying incursions, allowing them to respond effectively. The announcement was made during the secretary’s State of Immigration briefing with U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey on February 22, 2008.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection Secure Border Initiative Program Executive Office

sbi_info@dhs.gov / http://www.cbp.gov/sbi

Location Selected for Northern Border Demonstration of SBInet

This month, the St. Clair River delta in Michigan was confirmed by CBP as the location for the Northern Border Demonstration. This will be the first SBInet demonstration carried out along the U.S. – Canada border. To date, CBP has hosted two requirements gathering workshops in the Detroit area with local operators and with various regional/Canadian stakeholders to understand the technology needs and operating environment along the St. Clair River delta. Of the potential locations identified in the Detroit Sector, the St. Clair River delta was determined by CBP to have the greatest need for deployment of SBInet technology and resources, based on available intelligence and the requirements gathered. In March 2007, Congress directed CBP to spend $20 million of the Border Security, Fencing, Infrastructure and Technology appropriation to begin addressing Northern Border vulnerabilities through SBInet. The Northern Border Demonstration is in response to this direction from Congress. “Our main objective is to show how SBInet can increase the ability to detect an illegal entry through an integrated air, land, and maritime common operating picture (COP) for the St. Clair River delta,” said Kirk Evans, SBInet Program Manager. “We’ll also seek to improve port security in the area by integrating existing cameras into the COP and by deploying additional tactical infrastructure to help funnel pedestrian traffic into the port.” Although successful completion of these objectives may improve operational capabilities and provide technical insight for a final SBInet solution, Evans stressed that this prototype will not be the final solution for the Detroit area or the entire Northern Border. “Accomplishing the Northern Border Demonstration will allow us to see how best CBP operators can transmit surveillance data to the sector headquarters, and to mobile units in air, land, and maritime assets,” said Evans. Northern Border Demonstration is currently in its planning phase. During this phase, CBP will conduct cost estimates for hardware and software, establish a deployment schedule, better define technical requirements, and conduct site surveys.

SBInet and Boeing Open the Software Development Facility in Virginia

Leadership from SBInet and its prime contractor, Boeing, attended a ribbon-cutting ceremony in Arlington, Virginia to mark a new stage in the Command, Control, Communications, and Intelligence Common Operating Picture (C3I COP) project.

The ceremony, which officially opened the program's joint Mission Operations Area in Arlington, VA, also included a facility tour. SBInet's Mission Operations Area includes a demonstration facility, software development and test labs, and work space for the program’s software engineering group. In the facility, Boeing’s engineers will work side-by-side with CBP operators to develop a C3I COP system using a Rapid Application Development/Joint Application Design(RAD/JAD) methodology.

In contrast to traditional software development, the RAD/JAD methodology gathers input and makes adjustments during every step to ensure satisfaction with the final system. This approach to C3I COP development - also known as spiral development -allows CBP requirements to be implemented over several software releases, while responding to changing operational conditions. The spiral development of the system allows feedback from CBP personnel to be incorporated early in and throughout the process, which ensures that the system being developed is the right system to meet their needs.

SBInet's Mission Operations Area can interface with the Huntsville, Alabama Systems Integration Lab, as well as other development sites in Mesa, Arizona, and Huntington Beach, California. The connectivity and configuration options will allow SBInet hardware components to integrate effectively with the C3I COP system under development prior to deploying the solution along the Nation’s borders.

Captain Kurtis Guth, C3I Projects Director, SBInet and Dewey Houck, Boeing’s C3I Project Manager officially open the facility on February 8, 2008.