Thread: Homeland Security Axes Bush-Era 'Virtual Fence' Project

U.S. Gives up on Billion-Dollar Boeing Virtual Border Fence

Monday, January 17, 2011

After spending more than $1 billion on an incomplete project, the Department of Homeland Security has decided to terminate SBInet, a plan to install a virtual border fence along the American Southwest. But the government is not giving up on the idea of using advanced technology to better control border crossings.

Boeing was paid $1.1 billion over four years to develop sensors, radar and other technology to allow the government to stem drug smuggling, illegal immigration and terrorist-related activity across U.S. land borders. However it was only able to cover 53 miles of the border in Arizona.

The project encountered cost overruns and fell behind schedule, causing Homeland Secretary Janet Napolitano to kill the effort, and instead redirect the work towards a new strategy to monitor the border.

The new strategy is expected to utilize mobile surveillance units, unmanned aircraft, thermal imaging devices and remote video surveillance systems mounted on towers.

http://www.allgov.com/Where_is_the_Mone ... nce_110117

Originally Posted by JohnDoe2

Originally Posted by NoBueno

What are you talking about? Contractors may be required to give money back if the goods delivered did not perform to specifications agreed upon (stated in contract) or were defective as it appears may be the case here. I would assume there was a contract between Boeing and our government somewhere for the delivery and installation of this so called "border security" technology.

Don't hold your breath waiting for the check to come, 'cause it ain't gonna happen.
(It should. But it won't.)

That's a fact!

Originally Posted by jean

Kind of late but probably should be on our Homepage.
This news is not surprising. What a huge waste of money.

Added to Homepage:
http://www.alipac.us/article-6001--0-0.html

Maybe they should take the huge waste of money out of her paycheck they knew this bs wasn't going to work anyway and this was just a way to pacify the American citizens. Its real obvious that they don't want that border secured

Originally Posted by LadyStClaire

. . . Maybe they should take the huge waste of money out of her paycheck

The virtual border fence was a Bush poject, not Napolitano's, or Obama's.

The project, called "Virtual Fence," was rolled out under the Bush administration in 2006 with much fanfare about how technology could help secure the border.

Related: Totally!
http://www.alipac.us/ftopict-224882.html

The Obama Administration wants to leave the border as wide-open as possible. Arizona Senator John Kyl said last year that he learned that this was Obama's position. Kyl said that Obama simply will not take any steps to secure the border until he gets his Amnesty, and millions of future Democrat voters.

This escapade with the virtual border fence is just a flimsy excuse that Nappy gives. She knew well in advance that it was never going to work. It wasn't supposed to work.

It's bad enough to waste money on projects by not planning far enough ahead, or by being careless. But to intentionally waste money on projects that are designed to fail is just abominable. No wonder our country is $14 trillion in debt. Our country's leaders seem to relish in wasting money.

Originally Posted by sunlandbob

. . . This escapade with the virtual border fence is just a flimsy excuse that Nappy gives. She knew well in advance that it was never going to work. It wasn't supposed to work.

The virtual fence wasn't her idea.
Bush came up with it in 2006, long before Napolitano got her job in 2009.
Let's at least blame the right person.

George Lopez: "The White House has announced they are going to stop building the virtual fence along the Mexican border ... because virtually everybody is already here."

http://www.alipac.us/ftopicp-1171761.html#1171761

The virtual fence wasn't her idea.
Bush came up with it in 2006, long before Napolitano got her job in 2009.
Let's at least blame the right person.

I should have been more specific. But it doesn't really matter. All of the top officials in the past 2 Presidential administrations & DHS knew of this virtual illusory hoax. It's an intentional waste of taxpayers' money just to make it look like they're accomplishing something. By scrapping the project, they admit their hoax.