	CBP Has Taken Steps to Strengthen the Management of and Assess the Effectiveness of Its Border Surveillance Technologies and Fencing, but Additional Actions Are Needed

		CBP Plans to Update Program Schedules and Life-Cycle Cost Estimates, but Has Not Yet Provided Complete Information to Reflect It Is Following Best Practices

In March 2014 and April 2015, we reported that CBP had made progress  in deploying programs under the Arizona Border Surveillance Technology  Plan, but that CBP could take additional action to strengthen its  management of the Plan and the Plan’s various programs. The Plan’s  seven acquisition programs include fixed and mobile surveillance  systems, agent portable devices, and ground sensors. In addition, in March 2014, we reported that the life-cycle cost estimates  for the Plan reflected some, but not all, best practices. More  specifically, CBP had identified mission benefits of surveillance  technologies to be deployed under the Plan, such as improved situational  awareness and agent safety. However, we also reported that the agency  had not developed key attributes for performance metrics for all  surveillance technology to be deployed as part of the Plan, as we  recommended in November 2011. As of May 2015, CBP had identified a  set of potential key attributes for performance metrics for all technologies  to be deployed under the Plan; however, CBP officials stated that this set  of measures was under review as the agency continues to refine the  measures to better inform the nature of the contributions and impacts of  surveillance technology on its border security mission. CBP officials stated that by  the end of fiscal year 2015, baselines for each performance measure will  be developed, at which time the agency plans to begin using the data to  evaluate the individual and collective contributions of specific technology  assets deployed under the Plan. DHS Components Have Taken Steps to Address Radio Interoperability Challenges, but Could Better Manage These Efforts

		DHS Components Have Taken Steps to Upgrade Tactical Communications Equipment and Infrastructure, but Could Benefit by Developing Performance and Program Plans

To effectively carry out their respective border security missions, CBP  and ICE agents and officers require interoperable communications—the  capability of different electronic communications systems to readily  connect with one another to enable timely communications—with one  another and with state and local agencies, as we reported in March  2015. In March  2015, we reported that from 2009 through 2013, CBP completed full  modernization projects in 4 of the 9 sectors that constitute the southwest  border. We recommended in March 2015 that CBP develop a plan to  monitor the performance of its deployed radio systems. DHS concurred  with this recommendation and stated that it will work to complete a CBP  Land Mobile Radio System Performance Monitoring Plan by December  31, 2015. In response to our recommendation, DHS stated that  ICE’s Office of the Chief Information Officer will develop a program to  facilitate, coordinate, and maintain ICE’s deployed radio systems, and will  ensure that the agency establishes the proper documentation of resource  needs, defines program goals, and establishes measures to monitor  performance by January 31, 2016. OAM Could Benefit from Reassessing Its Mix and Placement of Assets to Better Address Mission Needs and Threats

Our March 2012 report on OAM assets highlighted several areas the  agency could address to better ensure the mix and placement of assets is  effective and efficient. These areas included: (1) documentation clearly  linking deployment decisions to mission needs and threats, (2)  documentation on the assessments and analysis used to support  decisions on the mix and placement of assets, and (3) consideration of  how deployment of border technology will affect customer requirements  for air and marine assets across locations. To address the findings of our March 2012 report, we recommended that  CBP, to the extent that benefits outweigh the costs, reassess the mix and  placement of OAM’s air and marine assets to include mission  requirements, performance results, and anticipated CBP strategic and  technological changes. In September 2014,  CBP provided this Plan, approved in May 2012, and updated information  on its subsequent efforts to address this recommendation, including a  description of actions taken to reassess the mix and placement of OAM’s  assets. According to OAM, after consulting with DHS and CBP officials and  approval from the DHS Secretary in May 2013, the office began a  realignment of personnel, aircraft, and vessels from the northern border to  the southern border based on its evaluation of the utilization and  efficiency of current assets and available funding to accomplish the  transfers. As of April 2015, OAM officials said that they were in the  process of providing GAO with the data and analysis used to support this  realignment of assets in order to fully document implementation of the  recommendation. Border Security: DHS’s Progress and Challenges in Securing U.S. U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Border Security Fencing,  Infrastructure and Technology Fiscal Year 2011 Expenditure Plan. GAO Cost Estimating and Assessment Guide: Best Practices for  Developing and Managing Capital Program Costs.
Why GAO Did This Study

DHS has employed a variety of technology, infrastructure, and other assets to help secure the border. For example, in January 2011, CBP developed the Arizona Border Surveillance Technology Plan, which includes seven acquisition programs related to fixed and mobile surveillance systems, agent-portable devices, and ground sensors. CBP has also deployed tactical infrastructure--fencing, roads, and lights--and tactical communications (radio systems) and uses air and marine assets to secure the border. In recent years, GAO has reported on a variety of DHS border security programs and operations.
This statement addresses some of the key issues and recommendations GAO has made in the following areas: (1) DHS's efforts to implement the Arizona Border Surveillance Technology Plan and deploy tactical infrastructure, (2) CBP's and ICE's efforts to modernize radio systems, and (3) OAM mix and placement of assets. This statement is based on prior products GAO issued from September 2009 through April 2015, along with selected updates conducted in April and May 2015 to obtain information from DHS on actions it has taken to address prior GAO recommendations.

What GAO Found

GAO reported in March 2014 that U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), had made progress in deploying programs under the Arizona Border Surveillance Technology Plan (the Plan), but that CBP could strengthen its management and assessment of the Plan's programs. Specifically, GAO reported that CBP's schedules and life-cycle cost estimates for the Plan and its three highest-cost programs met some but not all best practices and recommended that CBP ensure that its schedules and estimates more fully address best practices, such as validating its cost estimates with independent estimates. CBP concurred and is taking steps toward addressing GAO's recommendations, such as planning to update cost estimates by the end of calendar year 2015. Further, in March 2014, GAO reported that while CBP had identified mission benefits of technologies to be deployed under the Plan, such as improved situational awareness, the agency had not developed key attributes for performance metrics for all technologies, as GAO recommended. In April 2015, GAO reported that CBP had identified a set of potential key attributes for performance metrics for deployed technologies and CBP officials stated that by the end of fiscal year 2015, baselines for each performance measure will be developed and the agency will begin using the data to evaluate the contributions of specific technology assets.
In March 2015, GAO reported that DHS, CBP, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) had taken steps to upgrade tactical communications equipment and infrastructure, such as completing full modernization projects in four of the nine southwest border sectors, but could benefit by developing performance and program plans. Since rolling out upgrades--which include replacing and updating equipment and expanding infrastructure--CBP had not established an ongoing performance monitoring plan to determine whether the systems were working as intended. CBP agreed to develop such a plan, as GAO recommended, and is working to complete the plan by the end of 2015. Further, GAO reported in March 2015 that ICE did not have a program plan to manage its portfolio of modernization projects. DHS concurred with GAO's recommendation to develop a plan and stated that ICE will develop a program to facilitate, coordinate, and maintain ICE's radio systems, and document resource needs, define program goals, and establish performance measures by January 2016.
In March 2012, GAO reported that the Office of Air and Marine (OAM) within CBP could benefit from reassessing its mix and placement of assets to better address mission needs and threats. GAO reported that OAM should clearly document the linkage of deployment decisions to mission needs and threat and its analysis and assessments used to support its decisions on the mix and placement of assets. GAO also reported that OAM could consider how border technology deployment will affect customer requirements for OAM assets. GAO recommended that CBP reassess the mix and placement of OAM's assets to include mission requirements, among other things. CBP concurred, and after May 2013, OAM began a realignment of personnel, aircraft, and vessels from the northern border to the southern border based on its evaluation of the utilization and efficiency of current assets and available funding to accomplish the transfers. In April 2015, OAM officials stated that they are working to provide GAO with the data and analysis used to support the realignment of assets.

What GAO Recommends

In its prior work, GAO made recommendations to DHS to strengthen its management of plans and programs, tactical communications, and mix and placement of OAM assets. DHS generally agreed and plans to address the recommendations. Consequently, GAO is not making any new recommendations in this testimony.