Thread: US to fly high-tech surveillance craft along border

US to fly high-tech surveillance craft along border


File photo
UH-72 Lakota helicopter

The UH-72 Lakota helicopter, equipped with sensors that enable the crew to see six miles ahead, will be used for surveillance operations by Air National Guard units along the U.S.-Mexico border.

Posted: Monday, December 26, 2011 10:51 am
By Stewart M. Powell New York Times News ServiceEl Paso Inc.

WASHINGTON - Sophisticated surveillance aircraft will be deployed along the nation's southwest border in coming months to peer as much as six miles into Mexico to spot smugglers, drug traffickers and undocumented immigrants.
The new stragtegy will give armed U.S. Border Patrol agents an edge intercepting intruders as they cross into the United States, the Obama administration said Tuesday.
The plan to operate crewed, high-tech aircraft with so-called "over the horizon" technology came as the Pentagon and Department of Homeland Security announced the end of the 18-month-old deployment of 1,200 National Guard ground troops who have been helping the U.S. Border Patrol spot illegal border crossers.
The phase down of the ground operation over the next two months stems from growing concerns over the cost and effectiveness of the $10 million-a-month National Guard effort that provided political cover for politicians in Washington but has had limited impact on arrests and drug seizures.
The new surveillance operations will be carried out by yet-to-be specified Air National Guard units flying twin-turboprop RC-26 Metroliner and UH-72 Lakota helicopters equipped with sensors that enable the crew to see six miles ahead and oversee as much as 500 square miles of territory beneath the aircraft.
Air National Guard personnel also will operate OH-58 Kiowa observation helicopters that can "see" three miles ahead and provide oversight of about 30 square miles beneath the chopper.
Unmanned aerial drones such as the Predator already are being used, with some flights veering over Mexican territory in an agreement with Mexican authorities.
By using unmanned drones and aircraft operated by the citizen soldiers of the National Guard, the Obama administration avoids diplomatic strains that might arise with Mexico if U.S. military surveillance aircraft flown by active duty armed forces' pilots were used along the common border.
Ricardo Alday, spokesman for Mexico's embassy in Washington, D.C., said the Mexican government would have no objection to the cross-border surveillance.
"The government of Mexico takes note of what is, of course, a sovereign decision of the United States," Alday said. "As we have said all along, the success and effectiveness of pursuing and guaranteeing security along our common border will depend on our joint efforts, under a paradigm of shared responsibility."
Under the plan unveiled Tuesday, airborne spotters aboard Air National Guard aircraft will relay the routes of prospective border crossers to U.S. Border Patrol agents, helping U.S. law enforcement "reduce enforcement response time (and) enabling Border Patrol officers to quickly move from one location to another on short notice to meet emerging threats of illegal activity or incursion," officials said in a statement.
The U.S. Border Patrol does not currently have helicopters to deliver agents to remote locations on short notice.
But that capability may be sought in 2012 because "aircraft provide the ability to quickly reach areas in rugged terrain or areas without roads that were previously difficult to access," officials noted.
No more than 300 Air National Guard personnel will be needed for the revamped border security operation at a cost of $60 million through the end of 2012.
The strategy clears the way for withdrawal of two-member National Guard entry identification teams that have been deployed since 2010 in California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas.

http://www.elpasoinc.com/news/texas/...a4bcf6878.html

By using unmanned drones and aircraft operated by the citizen soldiers of the National Guard, the Obama administration avoids diplomatic strains that might arise with Mexico if U.S. military surveillance aircraft flown by active duty armed forces' pilots were used along the common border.

By all means, we can't offend the Mexican government by keeping out their citizens. They might be embarassed that their citizens are fleeing the country - wait - no - never mind - they encourage their people to sneak across the border. On the other hand, I can think of millions of Americans that are offended by Mexico off-loading its poor and illiterate on American taxpayers.