DHS drones.

• Author: Alles, Randolph D.
• Position: Readers' Forum

* I am writing to clarify some information in the article regarding the U.S. Customs and Border Protection's (CBP) unmanned aircraft system (UAS) program. (National Defense, March 2015)

CBP disagrees with the Office of Inspector General's inaccurate portrayal of the UAS program--a proven, effective surveillance technology enhancing CBP's operational capabilities and increasing our awareness along the nation's borders and coasts. The report shows the OIG has a fundamental lack of understanding of our mission and operations. Its use of apprehension versus detection statistics is an example. Aircraft are only credited with contributing to an apprehension if the aircraft stays on scene until the apprehension is verified, which is not always an effective use of the asset. The role of the UAS, specifically in the case of the Vehicle and Dismount Exploitation Radar (VADER), is to report detections. It is nearly 100 percent effective in the execution of that capability, and this information is then used to aid in CBP's ground response. Furthermore, there are no limitations on the VADER system by the Joint Field Command (JFC). Limitations existed at one time, but these were external of JFC, and...