10.10.06

Cantwell Plan to Test Use of Unmanned Aircraft for Northern Border Patrol is Now Law

Plan Could Help Southwest Washington Companies Play Key Role in Tightening Border Security

VANCOUVER, WA – Tuesday, alongside representatives from a local unmanned aircraft company, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) announced that the president has signed into law her legislation to begin a pilot program to test the use of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) to patrol America’s northern border. The proposal is backed by local county officials from Washington’s border counties, and could give southwest Washington companies a greater role in securing our rural, rugged northern border. Cantwell included the UAS proposal in the 2007 Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, given final approval by Congress on September 29 and signed into law by the president on October 4.

“We cannot turn our backs on the tremendous security risk along our northern border,” said Cantwell, a member of the Senate Northern Border Coalition. “We already know that terrorists have tried to cross our northern border and that stretches of our rural border terrain are rife with drug traffic. This poses a serious threat to northern border communities and our country. Using the best technology to build a multi-layered security network will help us keep a better eye on our border and stop illegal activity in its tracks. We cannot take security along our border lightly.”

The bipartisan UAS plan, introduced by Senators Cantwell and Max Baucus (D-MT), will initiate a pilot program to test the use of unmanned aerial systems along America’s northern border. The proposal is backed by Spokane, Okanogan, Pend Oreille, and Stevens county officials. Unmanned aircraft have already been tested and used along America’s southern border. Using UAS to patrol the northern border will help expand the reach and effectiveness of border agents, helping them survey remote areas, reduce drug smuggling, curb human trafficking, and stop other crimes.

At Tuesday’s event, representatives from Insitu—a UAS manufacturer based in Bingen, Washington—provided a video demonstration of their ScanEagle UAS, which has been deployed in both Iraq and Afghanistan and could help patrol our northern border as well.

Unmanned aerial systems cost between a few thousand and millions of dollars and can fly for long periods of time before needing to refuel. They can also eliminate the possible loss of life associated with manned aircraft. In contrast, the P-3 manned aircraft used by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement cost $36 million each. Blackhawk helicopters, which are frequently used on America’s borders, including Washington state’s border with Canada, cost $8.6 million each. However, the benefit of the Blackhawk’s relative low cost is diminished by its lack of endurance—just over two hours before needing to refuel.

UAS can identify objects as small as a shoebox from as high as 60,000 feet, and can provide precise real-time imagery to a ground control operator for prolonged periods of time over a wide area. Ground operators can then disseminate the information gathered so that informed decisions regarding the deployment of border patrol agents to intercept illegal immigrants, drug smugglers, and other illegal activities can be made quickly and appropriately.

The 2007 Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act also includes Cantwell-sponsored provisions to criminalize the construction of border tunnels, invest $87 million in explosives detection research, and authorize a pilot program to test a new Integrated Container Inspection System for scanning all U.S.-bound cargo containers at three foreign ports.

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