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When the
President and
Congress
designed the
Department of
Homeland
Security, one of
the many
rationales for
the new
Department was
to provide a
focal point for
the development
of innovative
technologies
aimed at
securing the
homeland.
Even the most
casual observer
would recognize
the spectacular
impact
technology has
had as an
enabler and
force multiplier
for the U.S.
military. Just
as science and
technology has
been crucial to
our ability to
defeat past and
present enemies
overseas, so too
would it be put
to work to
defeat those who
would attack our
homeland and
disrupt our way
of life.
Until this
administration,
there had been
little focus
historically on
homeland
security
technology
development.
Precedence has
been given in
the past to
efforts
associated with
developing
capability for
our military and
intelligence
community, with
the implicit
idea that we
would deter and,
if needed,
defeat threats
to our nation
overseas. While
overseas
engagement is
still,
appropriately,
the dominant
element to our
security
posture, the
attacks of
September 11th,
the anthrax
attacks that
occurred soon
afterwards, and
the ensuing
examination of
our
vulnerabilities
and the
motivations of
our enemies made
it clear that we
needed to
bolster our
defenses here at
home.
The nation
possesses a vast
technology
enterprise —
companies,
universities,
institutes, and
government labs
of all sizes
conduct research
and development
over a very
broad range.
Thus, a key
mission for the
Departmentof
Homeland
Security is to
harness this
resource, and
the knowledge it
represents, to
the mission of
homeland
security.
Despite its
newness, this
effort has
already borne
fruit for the
American people.
The nation is
truly safer
today than it
was before 9/11,
due in large
part to
technological
innovations that
help us detect,
intercept and
respond to
potential acts
of terrorism
more swiftly
than ever before
imagined.
The Department
deployed sensors
to over 30
cities to detect
aerosol releases
of dangerous
biological
pathogens — in a
timely enough
manner to treat
the exposed
populations and
minimize the
impact. Chemical
and biological
sensors have
been deployed to
transit systems
and facilities
where crowds of
people are
gathered, in
some cases for
special events,
in other cases
permanently.
The Department
continues to
deploy radiation
sensors to our
borders to
detect the
illicit
transport of
radioactive
materials, and
is experimenting
with
capabilities to
similarly
protect our
cities. The
Department
continues to
develop and
release
standards for
radiation
detection
equipment; for
biological
pathogen
detectors; for
interoperable
communications;
and other types
of equipment
that might be
purchased by
federal
agencies, the
private sector,
and state and
local agencies.
And, of course,
systems that
detect the
presence of
explosives have
been deployed to
our airports.
However,
virtually all of
these
deployments were
the result of
technology
investments that
were begun prior
to 9/11, and
thus could be
brought quickly
to completion by
the new
Department. Most
of these
technologies,
while providing
needed
protection, did
not meet the
full set of
domestic
security
requirements.
Thus, as the
Department was
completing and
deploying these
capabilities, it
also began, with
the enthusiastic
support of
Congress, a
series of
research and
development
programs
specifically
aimed at meeting
the needs of
homeland
security. The
philosophy was –
and remains – to
improve the
technology in
spirals,
deploying what
is available in
the near term
while at the
same time
maintaining a
research and
development
effort aimed at
providing the
next generation
of capability.
For example, as
noted earlier,
the Biowatch
program has
deployed to over
30 cities a
system for
detecting
aerosolized
biological
attacks (such as
anthrax). The
system, as might
be imagined, has
stringent
performance
requirements in
terms of both
sensitivity —
the amount of
pathogen that
needs to be
present before
the system
alarms — and in
terms of its
ability to not
alarm when it
shouldn’t. The
technology that
was available in
2003 that met
those (and
other) needs
requires, every
day in each
city, lots of
analysis by
technicians
working to
capacity in
laboratories
with specialized
equipment. This
creates a
bottleneck that
limits the
number of
detectors that
can be deployed
to each city,
and ultimately
limits the
ability of the
system to
protect the
public from some
attack scenarios
of concern.
Thus, in 2004
DHS initiated
the development
of a new class
of innovative
Biowatch
detectors that
remove the need
for all of that
touch labor.
This project has
stressed the
state of the
art, and pilot
deployments are
expected to
begin in 2007,
with thousands
of detectors
then deployed
across the
Nation soon
afterward.
In the realm of
nuclear
detection, a
program was
initiated at our
Nation’s borders
to prevent the
illicit
transport of
radioactive
materials. This
includes
material (such
as easily
available
medical
radiation
sources) that
might be spread
over an area in
a so-called
“dirty bomb” to
disrupt, for
example, the
operations at a
port. Of
greatest
concern,
however, would
be any attempt
to bring in to
the United
States fissile
material — the
stuff of nuclear
weapons.
Unfortunately,
nuclear weapons
and the material
used within them
are not highly
radioactive,
making them
difficult to
detect. A
further
complication is
that there are
many naturally
occurring or
legitimate
sources of
radiation that
cross our
borders every
day – examples
include kitty
litter, bananas,
and turbine
blades – whose
overall
radioactivity is
similar to that
of the nuclear
threat.
The sensors that
were available
for deployment
in 2003 could
certainly detect
many of the
threats of
interest, and
hence their
deployment has
significantly
improved the
security of the
Nation. However,
they are unable
to discriminate
between a
nuclear weapon
and legitimate
shipments, which
means that every
truck or vehicle
crossing the
border with the
right amount of
radioactive
material will
cause an alarm,
and require that
vehicle to be
pulled over and
inspected in
detail. At some
ports of entry
into the U.S.,
the frequency
with which this
occurs causes a
bottleneck that
ultimately
limits the
ability of the
currently
deployed
generation of
sensors to
address the full
spectrum of
threats.
Recognizing
this, in 2003
DHS initiated a
program to
develop the next
generation of
radiation
sensors that
have the ability
to automatically
sort out
legitimate
shipments from
threats, thus
greatly reducing
the inspection
bottleneck, and
providing a
system that will
address a much
greater range of
nuclear
smuggling
scenarios.
Deployments to
the border will
begin in 2007.
This new
capability will
also make
practical the
deployment of
nuclear
detection
technology to
venues other
than border
ports of entry,
such as toll
booths and truck
weighing
stations. With
the creation of
the Domestic
Nuclear
Detection Office
within DHS, the
engineering of
this and future
generation
systems is
unified with the
budgets needed
for large scale
deployment, and
is coordinated
with overseas
programs managed
by the
Departments of
State, Energy,
and Defense.
These are but
two examples
that demonstrate
the commitment
that the
administration
has made to
innovation and
its application
to homeland
security. Many
others could be
cited. If
effective
technology
exists to
protect the
American public,
then it has been
deployed. Behind
the scenes,
however, an
effort has been
underway, with
hundreds of
millions
invested each
year, to focus
“state of the
art” science and
engineering on
detecting very
high consequence
threats to the
Nation. This
represents an
asymmetric
advantage we as
a nation hold in
the war on
terrorism, and
hence requires a
sustained
commitment of
resources and
talent.
Perhaps the
greatest
innovation in
homeland
security is the
importance that
has been placed
by the
administration
and Congress on
innovation! As
the Nation
fights
terrorism, it is
developing the
tools that can
help us win. It
is a unique and
historic
undertaking.
RF
Dr. Penrose
Albright served
as Assistant
Secretary for
Science and
Technology at
the Department
of Homeland
Security. Prior
to that, he was
Assistant
Director for
Homeland and
National
Security in the
White House
Office of
Science and
Technology
Policy. He is
currently
Managing
Director at the
Civitas Group
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