The P28 virtual fence: Borderline success or virtual vaporware?

I’ve already noted some of the issues around the virtual fence here. In May 2006, George W. Bush called it “the most technologically advanced border-security initiative in American history”. In a flash of originality, the 28 mile virtual fence in Arizona was called Project 28, or P28 in Chertoff-speak. Micheal Chertoff has now accepted the fence system, on the basis that “all of the defects” in the prototype project were either “cured” or “immaterial.” He also said “In some form or fashion, technology is going to be virtually every place on the border, but it’s not necessarily going to be in the configuration of P28,” The chair of the House Committee on Homeland Security, Representative Bennie Thompson, sees it differently, “The poorly structured contract that prevented the line Border Patrol agents from pointing out obvious flaws and caused an overreliance on contractors has resulted in a system that has been described as providing ‘marginal’ functionality at best,” I wonder if he was tempted to say the Border fence had borderline functionality. [grin]

The technology stack on top of each tower looks impressive . The project is anything but impressive , with many of the issues typical in the IT industry: badly underestimated effort, not involving users, and not enough testing, While there was evidently a push for reuse of existing systems and components, it caused many difficulties: trying to base the system around a law enforcement dispatch system (!) that couldn't scale, trying to use off-the-shelf components that weren't designed to integrate, and a lack of standards for the sensors. The builder of the system, Boeing, has only taken 3/4s of the $20 million fee, granted a $2 million credit, and apparently paid $40 million to get this far on a project that will now finish in 2011, not the end of this year (which was already a year and a half past the original schedule). That will only be phase one!

As you’d expect, some commentators are extremely cynical and dubious about the current situation. The second phase is scheduled to start at the end of the first term of the next US president. IMHO, there is no chance of phase two starting, or even phase one finishing, based on one candidate’s comments. John McCain, Arizona Senator and Republican presidential candidate, has 2 sound bite descriptions of P28 , a “failed effort” and a “disgrace”.

Meanwhile Homeland Security has a new $29 million plan to mount anti-missile lasers underneath thousands of passenger planes. While these lasers are only meant to confuse laser guided missles, maybe if they are overclocked and supercharged, they could divert up and down the border and be a laser based alarm system…....? Now that would be a “virtual” fence!

[Update 1: Mr Chertoff spoke to some bloggers on the fifth anniversary of the Department of Homeland Security's founding, As well as calling P28 "functionally workable", he also has an interesting description of how DHS handle risk.|

[Update 2: Mr McCain is expected to receive the endorsement of U.S President George W. Bush at the White House within days. Mr Bush will be waiting if he expects McCain to endorse Project 28!]