Five Options for Replacing Stalled Virtual Border Fence

(Nov. 6) -- Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano has already frozen work on the controversial "virtual fence" that was supposed to secure roughly 1,900 miles along the United States' southwest border. Now, she's expected to announce its cancellation by mid-November.

SBInet was supposed to integrate data from radar, cameras and other sensors to create a virtual fence that would alert border patrol agents of attempted illegal entries. But the program has been plagued by cost, schedule and technical problems.

The Department of Homeland Security's contract with Boeing, the company responsible for SBInet, has been extended to Nov. 17 as DHS decides how it wants to move forward.

"DHS is currently reviewing the independent, quantitative, science-based reassessment of the SBInet program," Matt Chandler, a DHS spokesman, told AOL News. "A way forward on the future of SBInet is expected shortly and will be fully briefed to Congress when ready."

Though the integrated sensor network was problematic, the question now is: What will come in its place?

1) More drones: A number of lawmakers have pushed for DHS to increase the number of Predators flying along the U.S.-Mexican border, citing the success of drones used by the military in ongoing military operations in Afghanistan. Predators, which can also view a small area at any one time, likely won't make up for the sensors that would have been included under SBInet, but the added money could help DHS accelerate its plans to deploy more of the unmanned aircraft.

2) More people: One of the proposed ways to increase security at the border is simply to deploy more border patrol agents, or to rely more on the National Guard. But given the hundreds of miles that would need to be patrolled, it's unlikely that they could ever cover the entire border. "Manpower intensive solutions aren't cost effective," Rick "Ozzie" Nelson, director of the Homeland Security and Counterterrorism Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C., told AOL News.

3) Start over with a new virtual fence: If DHS decides Boeing is to blame for the current state of SBInet, it could theoretically re-compete the entire contract. Raytheon, one of the original competitors on SBInet, has already indicated it has something new to offer. In mid-October, as SBInet was under scrutiny, Raytheon unveiled its Clear View system, which it says can be used for a single site, or cover hundreds of miles of a border region. But a number of outside observers are already lamenting the idea of starting over, arguing it would only waste time. "If DHS decides to redirect resources to some other less effective solution or to send the entire project out to bid again in search of another contractor, the further expansion of SBInet faces another 18 months to three years in delays," writes Nelson Balido, president of the San Antonio, Texas-based Border Trade Alliance, a nonprofit group, in an opinion piece published Thursday.

4) Point defense: Perhaps the most likely alternative to a virtual fence is simply more investment in specific technologies, such as cameras or radar, placed at strategic locations, or what is often called "point defense." In fact, DHS officials already seem to be indicating that an integrated sensor network, like SBInet, isn't going to be a comprehensive solution. "I doubt that we would conclude SBInet is the right answer for the entire border," Mark Borkowski said at a congressional hearing earlier this year, according to The Associated Press. What could happen is that DHS might simply taken on responsibility for integrating the various sensors, rather than relying on a single contractor. "One of the major criticims of the way in which the Boeing contract was implemented is that it didn't involve enough real input and hands on engagement by the Border Patrol itself, which has a great deal of expertise," Doris Meissner, the former Commissioner of the US Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), tells AOL News.

5) Build a real fence: Construction of a physical border fence, started under the previous administration, has stagnated amid congressional opposition and legal challenges. Even with the end of the virtual fence, it seems unlikely this proposal for a brick and mortar solution would get any support from the current administration. "Show me a 50-foot wall, and I'll show you a 51-food ladder," Napolitano once said.

Boeing, for its part, stands by its work on SBInet. "We have held to a schedule baseline over the past nine months that has resulted in capabilities that are in the hands of Border Patrol agents right now, providing them greater safety, situational awareness and resource effectiveness than ever before," a Boeing spokesperson told AOL news in an e-mailed statement.