DHS misses deadline for certifying new radiation detectors
Back in June, the head of DHS’s nuclear monitoring division said the agency would sign off this fall on two congressionally mandated certifications for the Advanced Spectroscopic Portal monitor system; the testing and evaluation of these innovative nuclear detection systems have not yet been completed, though; the new machines are designed to not only detect radiation but identify the nature of its source, thus eliminating time-consuming secondary inspections to determine whether a material is dangerous
DHS has missed a self-imposed schedule to prove to Congress that the next generation of radiation detectors will work when deployed at U.S. points of entry. The acting head of the department’s Domestic Nuclear Detection Office (DNDO) said in June that DHS would sign off this fall on two congressionally mandated certifications for the Advanced Spectroscopic Portal monitor system. “October is kind of our notional date right now,” Chuck Gallaway told the House Homeland Security Emerging Threats, Cybersecurity and Science and Technology Subcommittee.
A department spokeswoman last week said testing and evaluation of the monitors is “still ongoing.” “Delays in certification have been related to issues of operational ease and reliability — problems that take time to resolve,” spokeswoman Sara Kuban said in an e-mail message. “We created a comprehensive and rigorous program with the end user [U.S Customs and Border Protection] involved in all program decisions.”
Department officials have said they hope to deploy 1,400 of the new machines at a cost of roughly $1.2 billion to detect materials that could be used in a radiological or nuclear weapon. The department has already spent roughly $230 million on the effort, with each sensor expected to cost approximately $822,000.
Global Security Newswire’s Martin Matishak writes that the United States has spent more than $3 billion since 2002 to field devices intended to detect radioactive material being smuggled through border crossings with Canada and Mexico or through seaports. Radiation portal monitors today scan 98 percent of all arriving seaborne container cargo and all vehicles that enter the United States, according to a DHS release.
The new machines are designed to not only detect radiation but identify the nature of its source. Proponents of the technology claim it could eliminate time-consuming secondary inspections to determine whether a material is dangerous.
Lawmakers in both parties have expressed skepticism about the new devices and argued that the department appeared to be rushing its testing and certification program. “While I am frustrated over the delays in certification, I believe it is better for us to verify that a technology meets specifications before we spend billions of dollars in taxpayer money to procure it,” House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson (D-Mississippi) said in a statement to Global Security Newswire. “I hope DHS can finish its testing in a timely fashion so we can reach an ultimate decision about the program.”
Congress increased scrutiny
