News Releases for May 2004
May 18, 2004
Contact: Lee Peterson, Commissioner, North Dakota Department of Commerce (701) 328-5300
North Dakota And CSC Announce Partnership For Border Security
GRAND FORKS, N.D. - North Dakota Governor John Hoeven, along with United States Senator Kent Conrad and public- and private-sector officials, today announced the formation of a partnership to develop solutions for national border security.
Nine partners signed a memo of understanding to work to achieve funding from the Department of Homeland Security that will create a smart-border community in North Dakota. This community will serve as a test bed for a cost-effective, field-operational platform that enhances border protection for the United States.
“Our initial efforts to bring this partnership to North Dakota began 30 months ago, and we believe today marks the first time a state has partnered with private-sector businesses, university campuses, congressional members, state agencies and a community to apply for funding to develop a high-tech, integrated border security system,” Hoeven said. “Our Border Patrol office has the longest stretch of the northern border - 917 miles -reaching from the Great Lakes well into Montana. This partnership will not only enhance northern border security, it could be a model for borders around the country and internationally.”
The border protection aspect of homeland security has been recognized in congressional testimony as one of the biggest challenges facing the Department of Homeland Security. Sen. Kent Conrad said, “I have written to Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge to recommend that the Grand Forks Sector be the test bed for advanced technological equipment to secure the border, and I am seeking $10 million in Homeland Security funding for this project.”
North Dakota’s ports of entry provide a uniquely tailored, smart-border test environment. The project encompasses state, tribal, federal and international levels that will allow North Dakota to capitalize on its state-of-the-art research and existing infrastructure, Hoeven said. “The potential reach for this project extends from showcasing our existing technology-based businesses to demonstrating the capabilities of our Centers for Excellence at UND and NDSU. We are seeking an estimated $20-$30 million; funds which are separate and apart from those being sought by Sen. Conrad.”
“We believe this partnership lays the groundwork to demonstrate that science and technology can make a difference in protecting U.S. borders. We will evaluate current and evolving technologies that may provide integration and precise delivery of intelligence, information and communications across the entire border community,” said Tim Sheahan, president of Computer Sciences Corporation’s (NYSE: CSC) Enforcement, Security and Intelligence Division.
The pilot project includes four objectives:
- Integrate a variety of technologies and cross-agency, national, state and local policies and practices to improve the security of the border.
- Measure the degree of changes in effectiveness through the use of exercises and by capturing standard security metrics.
- Capture the costs of implementing the technologies, policies and practices associated with those changes in effectiveness.
- Combine the security effectiveness measures with their associated costs to provide a cost/benefit and risk model for border security.
“CSC has worked for 18 months to demonstrate a pragmatic, innovative approach to the deployment of complex and emerging technologies for the security of our nation,” Sheahan said. “From the beginning, North Dakota has been involved in this project. The state and local support has been outstanding, and we have support from state and congressional delegations led by Gov. Hoeven and Sen. Conrad.”
Partners signing the MOU include Hoeven; Sheahan; Lee Peterson, commissioner of the North Dakota Department of Commerce; Doug Friez, director of the North Dakota Division of Emergency Management; Dr. Charles Kupchella, president of the University of North Dakota; Dr. Phil Boudjouk, North Dakota State University; Tony Grindberg, NDSU Research & Technology Park; Klaus Thiessen, president and CEO of the Grand Forks Region Economic Development Corporation; and Clarence O’Berry, CEO of Mandaree Enterprises Corporation, Mandaree, ND.
For more information on North Dakota, visit www.growingnd.com/index.asp. For more information on Grand Forks, visit www.grandforksherald.com. For more information on Computer Sciences Corporation, visit www.csc.com.
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