TOPICS
TOPICS
Lawmakers seek inquiry into Homeland Security aviation program
Two Republican lawmakers are seeking an inquiry into the recent reorganization of aviation assets at Homeland Security.
In a Nov. 4 letter to Rep. Hal Rogers, R-Ky., chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security, Reps. Pete Sessions, R-Texas, and Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., say the reorganization has "altered fundamental missions... and put national security at risk."
The lawmakers' four-page letter, written by Sessions, cites a new "bifurcated chain of command" and a fixation on border security to the exclusion of other missions as factors that have hurt efficiency and compromised broader national security needs. Aides to Sessions and Rogers did not respond to requests for comment.
The lawmakers' concerns stem from Homeland Security's decision earlier this year to merge aviation assets in the Customs and Border Protection bureau. The organization formerly known as Air and Marine Operations, a legacy Customs unit whose historic mission was to provide support for counter-drug operations, was joined with aviation assets controlled by the Border Patrol.
The new organization, known as CBP Air, is now largely under the operational control of the Border Patrol, and its top priority is border security.
Homeland Security is increasingly under pressure from the public and Congress to improve border security and stem the tide of illegal immigration. The merger of aviation assets was seen by some senior department officials as a way to streamline operations and redirect what some believed were underused aviation assets toward border security.
But the merger has not gone down well with some pilots and administrators formerly with AMO who believe it is hurting broader security missions, such as counter-drug and counterterrorism support to other law enforcement agencies, including Homeland Security's Immigration and Customs Enforcement bureau, and outside agencies such as the Drug Enforcement Administration and the FBI.
Contributing to the rancor between the old AMO and the Border Patrol is the fact that the two stem from vastly different cultures. AMO aviators view themselves as members of a professional air force trained to support a variety of law-enforcement missions, whereas in the Border Patrol, air operations are viewed as just one tool among many in achieving the agency's mission. Border Patrol pilots must first become successful ground agents before they can apply for pilot positions.
Since Homeland Security absorbed both agencies two and a half years ago, the Border Patrol, with its clear mission to secure the land borders, has seen its stature grow in the new bureaucracy, whereas the multimission AMO has struggled to find its place. When Homeland Security was first created, AMO was part of ICE, but last November the agency was moved to CBP. The turmoil is only expected to increase as some members of Congress and other outside observers are recommending the department merge those two organizations.
Sessions and Blackburn said in their letter that, on Oct. 14, they visited CBP Air operations in Texas at the El Paso Border Patrol Sector and in San Angelo and found that "Border Patrol Sector Chiefs with limited or no aviation experience are ill prepared to carry on this sophisticated multimission air strategy within CBP Air."
Such criticism riles Border Patrol officials. Although none reached by Government Executive were willing to discuss the issue on the record, one veteran agent with broad experience says, "The Customs pilots simply do not like the fact that they are being directed to fly border security."
CBP spokeswoman Kristi Clemens could not be reached for comment.
Before requesting the inquiry from the House Appropriations Committee, Sessions articulated his concerns to Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff in an Oct. 27 letter: "To Border Patrol, border security comes first--as it should, this is their main responsibility. However, managing CBP Air with this same border-focused approach risks compromising other efforts equally critical to our national security."
Chertoff's spokesman, Russ Knocke, said, "We have received the representative's letter, and we will address his concerns in a prompt response."
COMMENTS
- The Laredo Sector of Border Patrol extends from Laredo to beyond Dallas. The 13 legacy Customs pilots in the area that have merged into CBP have more than 220 years combined experience flying from Columbia and Peru to New York City in support of our federal laws and national objectives. We are now relegated to flying only a small strip of land plus or minus 40 miles from Laredo in support of the legacy Border Patrol mission. While this is a valid federal mission, previously supported drug and terrorist surveillances have been ignored and shut down. Our $330,000 camera gathers dust while federal agents fend for themselves chasing the enemy into blind alleys without overhead covert assistance and no video recorded evidence to help them in their casework or at trial. The taxpayer should know . . . GovExec.com reader Posted November 20, 2006 7:47 PM
- It is unfortunate that the veteran Border Patrol agent interviewed "with broad experience" does not have the benefit of knowledge that Customs flies an abundance of missions along the border. This statement alone corroborates the Border Patrol is ill-equipped to manage legacy Customs resources. In closing, as a former Customs pilot, it used to "rile" me up when we would locate a group of undocumented aliens in the deserts of Arizona or California only to be told that the Border Patrol would not respond because "the group is too far north of the fence." GovExec.com reader Posted November 15, 2005 3:14 PM
- I have been flying Legacy Customs missions for over 25 years. To say that we do not like flying border security missions is nonsense. That has been one of our many core missions since our inception. Pilot-in-command requires the ability to operate aircraft with complex mechanical, hydraulic and electrical systems. These aircraft exceed 12,500 pounds and are equipped with very sophisticated sensors, photographic and electronic recording devices, radar equipment and computers. We are required to fly high speed overt and covert interceptions in the most adverse of flying conditions over unfavorable terrain, at night, and during minimal weather conditions which require reference to instruments and in close proximity to suspect aircraft. These missions can take place in the United States or a variety of foreign countries to include Mexico, many Central American countries, and South America. Extended flights covering large areas of water to and from a wide variety of foreign points involving a substantial degree of hazard. These are just some of the mission requirements legacy Customs pilots perform. It has and always will be a vital part of our mission to conduct air patrols and air surveillance pursuant to activities related to interdiction of illegal merchandise, aircraft, vessels, and people. I have not touched on airspace security, prisoner transport, surveillance in high air traffic class B airspace, operating the FLIR and APG-66 Radar in the rear seat position, flight simulator and survival training as well as water survival. Nothing that two or three years of training can't take care of. That is if we can cut our pilot-in-command requirements in half, as has already been suggested. Let's work together and be a professional organization. You don't start off by jeopardizing safety. GovExec.com reader Posted November 15, 2005 5:32 PM
GovExec Live!
Conspicuously missing from Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff's July strategy for a departmental reorganization, was a plan to merge two troubled law enforcement agencies. Calls for connecting the bureaus of Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement had been circulating for some time, and continue despite Chertoff's rejection of the idea. The release of an inspector general report backing a merger is only adding fuel to the fire.
At 12 p.m. EST on Wed., Nov. 16, staff correspondent Justin Rood and GovExec.com reporter Chris Strohm will answer your questions about the recommended merger and management challenges facing the Homeland Security Department. You can submit your questions early or during the live online discussion.
