DHS to Scale Back Development of ASP Monitors
The Acting Director of the Department of Homeland Security's Domestic Nuclear Detection Office sent a letter to the Chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee announcing that it would scale back development of Advanced Spectroscopic Portal (ASP) monitors, given the monitors' continued failure to live up to expectations.
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(DNDO, which is responsible for developing the radiation portal monitor system, launched the $1.1 billion ASP program in 2005. The plan was to replace current generation portal monitors (polyvinyl toluene monitors (PVTs)), which use a different technology, with the ASP at all primary and secondary screen sites in the DHS' Radiation Portal Monitor Program (RMP).)
DHS to Stop Development of ASPs for Primary Screening, May Use in Secondary
In the letter to Chairman Lieberman, the Acting Director announced that it would stop development of the ASP program for primary screening of cargo containers entering U.S. land and sea ports. According to the letter, DNDO will still try to develop the ASP system for use at secondary screening sites for cargo containers that set off alarms in primary screening, but cautioned that the decision does not mean that ASPs will be purchased and deployed to secondary screening.
These decisions were based on feedback from the ASP Governance Board, which made its recommendations based on performance and cost. The DHS Acquisition Review Board will rule on a more limited use of the ASP system following an additional round of testing.
DNDO Has Refrained from Deploying ASP Units Operationally
DNDO has postponed efforts to seek certification to allow for additional testing and evaluation of the performance of ASP systems and adoption of the appropriate management processes for the program. To date, DNDO has refrained from deploying ASP units operationally and has taken steps to ensure that test planning is done openly, that entrance and exit criteria for tests are strictly adhered to, and that test events are designed to provide the data required to meet the objectives of the test and to help make programmatic decisions.
Lieberman Expresses Disappointment in Time Lost Developing ASP Program
Senator Lieberman expressed his disappointment over the time lost in developing the ASP program and said that he strongly supports the Administration's proposal in the FY 2011 budget to transfer DNDO's research and development (R&D) funding to the Department's Science and Technology Directorate (S&T).
(See ITT's Online Archives or 11/19/09 news, 09111910, for BP summary of a House Subcommittee hearing testimony on the value of ASPs.
See ITT's Online Archives or 05/25/09 news, 09062520, for BP summary of GAO reporting that ASP costs may not be justified.)
News release on letter, with link to the letter (dated 03/01/10), available at http://hsgac.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Press.MajorityNews&ContentRecord_id=1bd0932b-5056-8059-7648-505547bdade2