Homeland IT costs may be understated, GAO warns

Information technology spending on homeland security could exceed $1.7 billion in fiscal 2003, according to a new report from the General Accounting Office.

In its investigation of homeland security IT expenditures, GAO found that the largest part of the multibillion dollar budget is attributed to four agencies merging into the new Homeland Security Department: the FBI's National Infrastructure Protection Center, the Immigration and Naturalization Service, the Coast Guard and the Transportation Security Administration. Homeland Security will have a budget of nearly $37 billion and will merge 170,000 employees from 22 different agencies.

Agencies' homeland security IT budget requests total $1.7 billion for fiscal 2003, but IT expenditures may be underestimated because some costs that should be attributed to homeland security may not have been accounted for, the watchdog agency said in its report (GAO-03-250). "Homeland security IT funding is likely understated because there may be other potential homeland security IT costs that are not reflected in reported totals," the report said.

According to GAO, agency-to-agency IT infrastructure, new intelligence systems, network security and IT spending at agencies with homeland security-related missions, such as the Defense Department and the Federal Aviation Administration, would boost actual IT spending.

GAO also found that IT management issues plague many of the departments with agencies moving into the Homeland Security Department. Areas of concern include enterprise architecture plans, investment management, IT procurement, systems operations, information management and human capital.

"Since September 1996, we have reported that poor information security is a widespread federal problem and designated it a governmentwide high-risk area," the report said.

GAO has emphasized in previous reports that strong information technology systems are key to preventing terrorist attacks. "IT will help enable the nation to identify potential threats more readily, provide mechanisms to protect our homeland and develop response capabilities," the new report said.