Subcommittees Highlight the Need for Better Planning and Coordination of the Department of Homeland Security’s Research
(Washington, DC) – Today, the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology’s Subcommittee on Research & Technology and Subcommittee on Oversight held a hearing to examine expert recommendations on how the Department of Homeland Security can optimize its research and development efforts on border security technologies. The subcommittee Members focused on what the Department needs to do improve the transition of these technologies to the field.
Testifying before the Committee were David Maurer, Director of Homeland Security and Justice at the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO); Dr. Jack Riley, Vice President of RAND National Security Research Division and Director of RAND National Defense Research Institute; and Dr. Joseph Eyerman, Director of the Center for Security, Defense, and Safety at RTI International and Co-Director of the Institute for Homeland Security Solutions.
In his opening statement, Ranking Member Dan Lipinski (D-IL) of the Research & Technology Subcommittee said, “As GAO has previously stated, the Department cannot tell us how much they invest in R&D. There is a lack of effective communication between operational components and the Science & Technology Directorate. Furthermore, there is still no strategic plan in place to guide the Department’s research and development activities.”
Mr. Maurer said in his testimony, “DHS clearly has a lot of work ahead to bring coherence and structure to its research and development efforts. Our work over the past two years identified three key areas where DHS needs to improve. We found that DHS needed to define R&D, do a better job tracking R&D, and improve how it coordinates R&D.”
In addition to the management problems that have plagued the agency’s R&D work, Members discussed the need to emphasize “human factors” in the evaluation process – particularly how operators in the field will use a technology and the degree to which these factors will be successfully incorporated into the deployment of the technology.
Dr. Eyerman said, “The successful use of technology to secure our borders depends on the ability of staff within Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement to employ the technology in a meaningful way that allows them to more effectively or efficiently engage the public they serve. Our social and behavioral research on private and public sector technology development demonstrates the critical importance of engaging the customer early and often in the research and development cycle.”
Members and witnesses also emphasized the complex nature of securing U.S. borders and the vast array of technologies that are required to monitor and secure the various points of entry.
Ranking Member Dan Maffei (D-NY) of the Oversight Subcommittee said, “I believe we need to get serious and work to secure and strengthen our borders and enforce the laws already on the books… Being able to accurately monitor the integrity of U.S. borders is essential to maintaining national security.”
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