The Department of Homeland Security operates a small fleet of drones, or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Recently released government reports call into question the effectiveness of the homeland drone program. Reports from both the agency’s inspector general and the General Accounting Office, including an IG conclusion that the 8-year-old program is a ‘waste of money.’ The fleet is operated by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
The GAO was also critical. The Washington Times reported that the GAO found that 20 percent of all drone flights were outside the areas where Customs and Border Protection is legally permitted to act. The IG also questioned the loaning of drones to other agencies by CBP.
The nine drones in the fleet are based in four locations, three in Fort Huachuca, Arizona and three at Grand Forks Air Force Base in North Dakota. Two are based at Naval Air Station Corpus Christi, Texas and one is based at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. A tenth drone was lost in a crash in Jan. 2014 but its replacement is expected to be purchased and will go to Florida.
The fleet consists of seven Predator B drones and three Guardians drones. Guardians are Predator Bs modified for maritime use. The U.S. Military calls the Predator B “the Reaper.”
Flights that cost $12,255 per hour
The IG report is titled “U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Unmanned Aircraft System Program Does Not Achieve Intended Results or Recognize All Costs of Operations.” In FY 2013, the report states that it cost CBP $12,255 per hour to operate the nine drones. The IG found that significant costs for the drone program were not included in the financial data reported by CBP, including the salaries of personnel in the program.
The goal was to have four 16 hour patrols per day. In 2013, the IG report reveals that just 22 percent of that time was actually flown. In addition, CBP reports that it is patrolling the entire 1,993 mile Mexican border while the data reviewed by the IG showed that the efforts were primarily concentrated to a 100 mile portion in Arizona and a 70 mile portion in Texas.
CBP has plans to purchase an additional 14 aircraft, and to spend an additional $443 million for acquisition, support and maintenance of those UAVs. The agency denies this but the IG found significant documentation to the contrary.
Balancing security with cost
The Customs and Border Protection UAV program was touted as increasing the security of the country and protecting of the borders. “Notwithstanding the significant investment, we see no evidence that the drones contribute to a more secure border, and there is no reason to invest additional taxpayer funds at this time,” said Inspector General John Roth. “Securing our borders is a crucial mission for CBP and DHS. CBP’s drone program has so far fallen far short of being an asset to that effort.”
