	CBP Has Made Progress Deploying Surveillance Technology along the Southwest Border, but Could Take Additional Actions to Strengthen Management of Its Programs

		CBP Has Made Progress toward Completing Milestones for Technology Deployment

Since 2014, we have reported multiple times on the progress CBP has  made deploying technologies under the ATP. In addition to deploying technologies  under the ATP, CBP’s 2014 Southwest Border Technology Plan extended  technology deployments to the remainder of the southwest border,  beginning with selected areas in Texas and California. As of July 2017,  CBP completed deployment of select technologies to sectors in Arizona,  Texas, and California. For example, in our April 2017 assessment of  DHS’s major acquisitions programs, we reported that CBP completed  deployments of 7 Integrated Fixed Tower (IFT) systems to the Nogales  Border Patrol station within the Tucson sector in Arizona, and was  working to deploy the remaining 46 towers to other sectors in Arizona. CBP has also made changes to the  IFT program. CBP also reported that it had  completed Remote Video Surveillance System (RVSS) and Mobile  Surveillance Capability (MSC) deployments to Arizona as planned under  the ATP, and deployed 32 MSC systems to Texas and California. We  will plan to report on the deployment status of southwest border  surveillance technology, among other topics, in a forthcoming report. CBP Has Made Progress in Implementing GAO’s Prior Recommendations, but Could Take Additional Actions to Strengthen Management of Its Programs

In March 2014, we assessed CBP’s efforts to develop and implement the  ATP. Specifically, we recommended that CBP, among other things, (1)  apply scheduling best practices; (2) develop an integrated schedule; and  (3) verify life-cycle cost estimates. DHS concurred with some of our  recommendations and has taken actions to address some of them, which  we discuss below. CBP  did not concur with this recommendation and maintained that an  Integrated Master Schedule for the ATP in one file undermines the DHS- approved implementation strategy for the individual programs making up  the ATP, and that the implementation of this recommendation would  essentially create a large, aggregated program, and effectively create an  aggregated “system of systems.” DHS further stated at the time that a key  element of its plan has been the disaggregation of technology  procurements. In March 2014, we also reported that the life- cycle cost estimates for the technology programs under the ATP reflected  some, but not all, best practices. We continue to believe that  independently verifying the life-cycle cost estimates for the IFT and RVSS  programs and reconciling any differences, consistent with best practices,  could help CBP better ensure the reliability of the estimates. CBP Has Made Progress Assessing Performance of Surveillance Technologies, but Has Not Fully Applied Performance Metrics or Assessed the Contributions of Its Technologies

We reported in March 2014 that CBP had identified mission benefits of its  surveillance technologies to be deployed along the southwest border,  such as improved situational awareness and agent safety. However, the  agency had not developed key attributes for performance metrics for all  surveillance technologies to be deployed, as we recommended in  November 2011. CBP concurred with our recommendations and has  implemented one of them. Border Security: Progress and Challenges in DHS’s Efforts to Implement  and Assess Infrastructure and Technology. GAO-15-595T. 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. Arizona Border Surveillance Technology: More Information on Plans and  Costs Is Needed before Proceeding.
Why GAO Did This Study

CBP deploys land-based surveillance technologies to help monitor and secure the border and apprehend individuals who attempt to cross the border illegally. GAO has reported on the progress and challenges DHS and its components have faced implementing its border security efforts.
This statement addresses (1) the status of CBP efforts to deploy land-based surveillance technologies along the southwest border and (2) CBP's efforts to measure the effectiveness of these technologies.
This statement is based on GAO reports and testimonies from 2011 through 2016, selected updates conducted in 2017, and ongoing work for this subcommittee related to border surveillance technology. For ongoing work and updates, GAO analyzed technology program documents; interviewed DHS, CBP, and U.S. Border Patrol officials; and conducted site visits to Arizona and Texas to observe technologies.

What GAO Found

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), a component of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), has made progress deploying surveillance technology along the southwest U.S. border under its 2011 Arizona Technology Plan (ATP) and 2014 Southwest Border Technology Plan. The ATP called for deployment of a mix of radars, sensors, and cameras in Arizona, and the 2014 Plan incorporates the ATP and includes deployments to the rest of the southwest border, beginning with areas in Texas and California. As of July 2017, CBP completed deployment of select technologies to areas in Arizona, Texas, and California. For example, CBP deployed all planned Remote Video Surveillance Systems (RVSS) and Mobile Surveillance Capability (MSC) systems, and 15 of 53 Integrated Fixed Tower (IFT) systems to Arizona. CBP also deployed all planned MSC systems to Texas and California and completed contract negotiations to deploy RVSS to Texas.
CBP has made progress implementing some, but not all of GAO's recommendations related to managing deployments of its technology programs. In 2014, GAO assessed CBP's implementation of the ATP and recommended that CBP: (1) apply scheduling best practices; (2) develop an integrated schedule; and (3) verify cost estimates for the technology programs. DHS concurred with some, but not all of the recommendations and has taken actions to address some of them, such as applying best practices when updating schedules, but has not taken action to address others, such as developing an integrated master schedule and verifying cost estimates with independent estimates for the IFT program. GAO continues to believe that applying schedule and cost estimating best practices could better position CBP to strengthen its management efforts of these programs.
CBP has also made progress toward assessing performance of surveillance technologies. GAO reported in 2014 that CBP identified some mission benefits, such as improved situational awareness and agent safety, but had not developed key attributes for performance metrics for all technologies, as GAO recommended (and CBP concurred) in 2011. GAO has ongoing work examining DHS's technology deployments and efforts to assess technology performance, which GAO plans to report on later this year.

What GAO Recommends

GAO has made recommendations to DHS to improve its management of plans and programs for surveillance technologies. DHS has generally agreed. DHS has taken actions or described planned actions to address some of these recommendations. GAO continues to believe that these recommendations could strengthen CBP's management efforts and will continue to monitor CBP's efforts.