Homeland Security: proposed budget boosts technology spending.

• Author: Pappalardo, Joe

The proposed 2006 Department of Homeland Security budget has two persistent themes: consolidation and technology. By controlling the money flow, the Bush administration is attempting to change the way the federal government develops new security products and relates to first responders on the state and local levels.

The $41.1 billion spending package for the department represents an increase of 7 percent over 2005 funding, according to government calculations. The 2005 budget, however, excludes the effort to stand-up biological detection stations, called Project BioShield. (The $2.5 billion allocated for the bio-detection system in 2005 carries over until 2008.)

The 2006 budget is aimed at acquiring technological solutions to patch security voids. From information technology to threat detection equipment, emerging technology is at the foundation of DHS' mission.

The budget request increases IT spending by more than $1 billion, to nearly $6 billion. That represents more than 14 percent of the department's total budget and reflects the need for more cohesion among the department's many agencies and research programs.

For example, in an effort to better control costs and eliminate redundancies, various identification activities will converge under the new office of screening coordination and operations.

Formed within the border and transportation security directorate, the new office would take over programs that monitor data on immigrants and visitors, passenger screening and flight crew risk databases. It also will manage the transportation-worker identification credential, which will create universal identification cards for those employees. The office will also handle the U.S. Visit program, which relies on collecting biometric identification from visitors at land, sea and air entry points to the United States. That program's tally will rise $50 million in 2006, for a total budget of $390 million. The law requires that the program be implemented at all points of entry by December 31.

On top of controlling the flow of people into the United States, an effort to, likewise, monitor inbound cargo is receiving renewed funds. The DHS approach to imported threats appears as a mesh of developing technologies that screen every point of entry with advanced sensors and other gadgetry. That translates into a continuing boom in opportunities for sensor technology companies.

In one program, DHS is requesting $20 million to develop a single warning and...