Southwest Border Security: Actions Are Needed to Address the Cost and Readiness Implications of Continued DOD Support to U.S. Customs and Border Protection

Abstract

For decades, the U.S. southwest border has been vulnerable to cross-border illegal activity such as illegal entries, smuggling of drugs and contraband, and terrorist activities. Since 2002, DOD has supported DHS's mission to secure the nation's borders and episodically supported its efforts to manage surges in foreign nationals without valid travel documents who are seeking entry - most recently since April 2018, when the President directed the Secretary of Defense to support DHS in securing the southwest border. GAO was asked to examine this support. This report assesses the extent to which (1) DOD has evaluated DHS's RFAs, (2) DOD has reported to Congress the full costs of its support, and (3) DOD and DHS have collaborated on border security operations. GAO reviewed RFAs that DHS submitted to DOD between April 2018 and March 2020 and a nongeneralizable sample of decision packages that DOD prepared in response, and conducted four site visits to border locations where military personnel were stationed.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Feb 01, 2021
Accession Number
AD1147996

Entities

People

  • Elizabeth A. Field

Organizations

  • United States Government Accountability Office

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • C4I
  • Human Systems

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • Border Security
  • Congress
  • Department Of Defense
  • Department Of Homeland Security
  • Employment
  • Federal Budgets
  • Financial Management
  • Homeland Defense
  • Homeland Security
  • Humanitarian Assistance
  • Interagency Coordination
  • Law
  • Maintenance
  • Military Personnel
  • Military Training
  • National Security
  • Personnel Management
  • Social Media
  • United States Government
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Government Contracting/Procurement.
  • Government and Public Administration Law.
  • Political Violence and Terrorism Studies.