The Secure Border Initiative Network (SBInet) is a multibillion dollar program, dating back to 2006. The program was slated to create an integrated system of technology, manpower and surveillance.
Over the past four years, SBInet has struggled to meet many of its goals. Its slow pace wasn’t matching the funds we invested and the Government Accountability Office reported that the number of new flaws was outpacing the ones getting fixed.
To my calculation at the pace SBInet was deployed, it would have taken 323 years for the program to reach completion. The nation’s southern border needs swift security solutions and Secretary Napolitano understands the stakes we face.
That’s why this spring, Secretary Napolitano decided to make available $50 million in stimulus funds originally designated for the program to be used towards other proven-technology to help secure the border.
This kind of initiative, to recognize what isn’t working and invest in what can, is the kind of leadership we need in the face of escalated violence in neighboring Mexico.
Technology and manpower are the two best investments to secure our country at all levels. Together, they are a cornerstone of providing homeland security as we know it. Physical fencing is not a long-term solution to the evolving threats facing the southern border. A one-size-fits-all approach has never worked for national security.
That’s why I continue to call for more manpower and technology investments for our nation’s borders. We need to maximize our fleet of air and marine patrol, including the use of unmanned aerial aircraft and other defense-proven technology.
An abundance of time, energy and taxpayer dollars have been invested into SBInet and we need to assess how this program fits into a smart, effective, fiscally-responsible plan to secure the border. The question now is what next? What’s the future of SBInet? And what can we learn from what we know so far?
These are questions I’ll be asking in a second-in-a-series hearing titled “SBInet: Does it Pass the Border Security Test?” on June 17th before the House Subcommittee on Management, Investigations and Oversight and the subcommittee I chair on Border, Maritime and Global Counterterrorism.
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