Border Security Tactics

Wednesday, February 7, 2024 2:29 AM

Review the challenges and strategies involved in securing national borders against illicit activities
such as drug trafficking.

Border Security Tactics in Difficult Terrains and Legal Framework

1. Challenges in Difficult Terrains
○ Diverse Landforms and Terrain: Border security faces the challenge of monitoring lengthy borders
across diverse landforms and terrain5. This includes vast deserts and coastlines that are difficult to
patrol and monitor.
○ Illegal Activities: Containing illegal immigration, monitoring maritime traffic in coastal waters,
controlling the movement of goods across borders are some of the challenges faced by border
security5.
○ Limited Resources: With limited human resources, border security officials must rely on a variety of
technologies to secure vast and often remote borders5.
2. Intelligence Gathering and Usage
○ Intelligence Analysis: Police need timely, accurate criminal intelligence to understand crime trends so
they can adapt their activities and policies accordingly1. This intelligence is generated by combining
national police information with data from other sources1.
○ Sharing Intelligence Data: Intelligence shared by countries on illicit regional and international drug
trafficking includes information about transnational criminal networks, their members and associates,
modus operandi, financial information used to conceal or launder assets, and locations associated
with criminal activities1.
3. Role of Unmanned Systems
○ Surveillance Abilities: Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) offer unparalleled surveillance abilities,
enabling real-time monitoring of extensive regions with minimal danger to those on the ground 17.
○ Quick Deployment: UAVs can be deployed quickly to address any suspicious activity or potential
hazards, shortening response times and raising the chances of successful interventions17.
○ Bird’s-Eye View: UAVs provide a bird’s-eye view of vast stretches of land, remote regions, and
challenging terrains. Equipped with high-resolution cameras and advanced sensors, UAVs can capture
real-time imagery, detect movements, and identify potential threats along the border 16.
4. Influence of Legal Framework
○ Migration Management: The shift over the last eight years away from single adults seeking to enter
the United States for work toward families and children seeking asylum requires a different form of
migration management at the border9.
○ Legal Obligations: Border security must meet legal obligations to receive and decide asylum claims12.
○ Functional Equivalent of the Border (FEB): The concept of FEB is critical to border security because it
allows the legal imposition of regulatory requirements (search, inspection, and seizure) away from
the physical borders13.

These strategies and tactics are continually evolving to adapt to the changing
methods of drug traffickers. It's a constant game of cat and mouse, with each
side trying to outsmart the other. The ultimate goal is to protect the nation's
borders and ensure the safety and security of its citizens.

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 borders and ensure the safety and security of its citizens.
Source(s)
1. Domestic and Global Border Security Challenges and Their Solutions
2. Drugs analysis and intelligence - INTERPOL
3. The Role of UAVs in Border Security and Maritime Surveillance - ReadWrite
4. Enhancing Border Security and Surveillance with UAV Technology
5. Redefining Border Security - Bipartisan Policy Center
6. Redefining Border Security | Bipartisan Policy Center
7. Defining and Defending a National Cyber Border - Homeland Security Affairs
8. Uncovering the Hidden World of Drug Trafficking: The Power of ...
9. Sharing the Secrets: Open Source Intelligence and the War on Drugs ...
10. Intelligence - DEA.gov
11. Border Management: Challenges and Opportunites | Vivekananda ...
12. Crux--Challenges-in-Border-Security - Studocu
13. Security Challenges and Their Management in Border Areas - LotusArise
14. FACT SHEET: President Biden’s Budget Strengthens Border Security ...
15. Border Security: An Essential but Effective Tool in ... - Springer
16. The Role of Unmanned Aerial Systems on Border Security
17. Drones Along Borders: Border Security UAVs in the United States and the ...
18. https://doi.org/10.1093/isp/eky002

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1. Primary Surveillance Methods

○ Electronic Sensors: These are placed at strategic locations along the border to detect people or vehicles
entering the country illegally6.
○ Video Monitors and Night Vision Scopes: These are used to detect illegal entries6.
○ ISR Method: The Intelligence Surveillance & Reconnaissance (ISR) method is used to Detect, Identify, and
Respond to incidents17.
○ Interconnected Sensing Technologies: These technologies provide data from various sources, informing
mission-critical decisions in the field and at Headquarters9.
2. Coordination with Other Agencies
○ Coordinated Border Management (CBM): CBM describes how improved regulatory efficiency and
effectiveness can be realized through greater coordination between border agencies during policy
development and operational activities, both domestically and internationally 1.
○ Integrated Border Stability Mechanism (IBSM): This mechanism strengthens cooperative border
governance and security in areas strategically relevant for regional stability 4.
3. Technologies Employed at the Border
○ Fixed and Mobile Video Surveillance Systems: These systems provide comprehensive situational awareness
along the United States border for border security and national security purposes 15.
○ Range Finders, Thermal Imaging Devices, Radar, Ground Sensors, and Radio Frequency Sensors: These are
part of the Border Surveillance Systems (BSS) used to detect, identify, apprehend, and remove individuals
illegally entering the United States at and between ports of entry 15.
○ Advanced Imaging and Identification Equipment: These are operated by border patrol agents8.
○ Autonomous Capabilities: These are utilized to detect and identify threats in near real time9.

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 ○ Autonomous Capabilities: These are utilized to detect and identify threats in near real time9.
4. Training of Border Patrol Units
○ Border Patrol Academy: All Border Patrol agents spend 13 weeks in training at the Border Patrol Academy
in Artesia, New Mexico, which is a component of the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center6.
○ Specialty Unit Training: After serving two years, agents may apply to attend the five-week training course.
BORSTAR members learn rescue techniques, land navigation, communications, teamwork, tactical medicine,
swiftwater rescue, and air operations7.

These strategies and tactics are continually evolving to adapt to the changing
methods of drug traffickers. It's a constant game of cat and mouse, with each
side trying to outsmart the other. The ultimate goal is to protect the nation's
borders and ensure the safety and security of its citizens.
Source(s)
1. Border Patrol Overview | U.S. Customs and Border Protection
2. Best Border Security and Control methods - Airborne Drones
3. U.S. Border Patrol Technology
4. Coordinated border management: from theory to practice
5. Integrated Border Stability Mechanism Set to Strengthen Border ...
6. Border Surveillance Systems (BSS) | Homeland Security
7. High-Tech Border Security: Current and Emerging Trends
8. Border Patrol Search, Trauma, and Rescue - Wikipedia
9. Border Management: Challenges and Opportunites | Vivekananda ...
10. Coordination, Collaboration and Connectivity for Better Border Management
11. U.S. Border Patrol Specialty Units - Homeland Security
12. TECHNOLOGY FOR BORDER SECURITY | Coaxicom
13. Space Technology in Border Management: An Overview of Innovations in ...
14. TECHNOLOGY FOR BORDER SECURITY | Coaxicom
15. High Tech is Future of Border Security
16. Border Security | Homeland Security
17. A Comprehensive Approach to Securing the Border - BPC Action

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Adapting Tactics to Evolving Methods of Drug Smuggling

Border security agencies continually adapt their tactics to counter evolving
methods of drug smuggling. Here are some ways they do this:
1. Tactical Intelligence Capabilities: Law enforcement agencies deploy
advanced technology to monitor remote areas susceptible to smuggling and
trafficking activities. This enables them to gain real-time insights and relay
them to centralized command centers, enabling quicker responses to
emerging threats9.
2. Increased Law Enforcement Efforts: Agencies have increased law
enforcement efforts, forcing human smuggling organizations to change their

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 enforcement efforts, forcing human smuggling organizations to change their
tactics. Some have shifted their routes10.
3. Collaboration with Rail and Transit Companies: The federal government
works with U.S. and Canadian railroad and municipal transit companies that
operate along the Northern border to reduce the transport of illicit goods to
and from the U.S., promote a layered security approach, and develop best
practices on rail and bus security operations11.
Use of Animals in Border Security Operations
Animals, particularly dogs, play a crucial role in border security operations. The
primary goal of the Canine Program of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP)
is terrorist detection and apprehension. However, these dogs are also highly
effective in detecting drugs. The working CBP canine team has become the best
tool available to detect and apprehend persons attempting illegal entry3. These
dogs are trained to detect the scent of drugs and alert their handlers to their
presence, making them an invaluable asset in the fight against drug trafficking.
In addition to dogs, other animals can indirectly contribute to border security. For
instance, wildlife monitoring can help assess the impact of border fences and
explore potential strategies for reducing unintended impacts on wildlife1. This can
indirectly aid in border security by maintaining the ecological health of border
regions, which can affect visibility and accessibility for border patrol units.
These strategies and tactics are continually evolving to adapt to the changing
methods of drug traffickers. It's a constant game of cat and mouse, with each
side trying to outsmart the other. The ultimate goal is to protect the nation's
borders and ensure the safety and security of its citizens.
Source(s)
1. How decision intelligence and data-driven approaches can combat drug ...
2. Fact Sheet: Counter Human Smuggler Campaign Update - Homeland Security
3. ATIONAL DRUG ONTROL STRATEGY ORTHERN BORDER OUNTERNARCOTICS TRATEGY
4. Canine Program | U.S. Customs and Border Protection
5. Border Security Fencing and Wildlife: The End of the ... - PLOS
6. Ecological Considerations for Border Security Operations
7. Bringing Pets and Wildlife into the United States
8. https://bing.com/search?q=border+security+agencies+adapt+tactics+to+drug+smuggling
9. Signal Department
10. How the U.S. Border Patrol Addresses Drug Smuggling, Human Trafficking ...
11. ATIONAL DRUG ONTROL STRATEGY OUTHWEST BORDER OUNTERNARCOTICS TRATEGY
12. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.1002483

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