Department of Homeland Security

The Administration’s FY 2008 budget request for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) totals $46.4 billion in funding, an increase of 8 percent over the FY 2007 request. The key priority of this year’s request is a $13 billion initiative for border security and immigration enforcement. 

 

The FY08 request provides $799 million for the Science and Technology Directorate, which oversees the department’s research, development, testing and evaluation activities. Last year, the directorate saw its funding request drop by 33 percent, as the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office spun off as a separate DHS office. Even after the reorganization, the FY08 budget cuts an additional $200 million from the directorate’s FY07 request of $1.002 billion.

 

Two Science and Technology programs, however, are expecting new and increased funding in FY08:

• Science and Technology Office of Innovation - $21.9 million (new) for this newly formed office, which funds the development of leap-ahead technologies for domestic security; and,
• Acceleration of Next-Generation Research and Development program - $47.4 million increase (total funding not available at press time) to fund multiple research, development and operations program areas.

Other DHS Science and Technologies programs of interest include:

• Homeland Security Advanced Research Projects Agency (HSARPA) engages industry, academia, government, and other sectors in innovative research and development, rapid prototyping, and technology transfer to meet operational needs; and,
• Office of Research and Development executes the intramural programs in research, development, testing, and evaluation; supports university and fellowship programs; and provides the nation with an enduring research and development capability dedicated to homeland security

The proposed budget also would increase funding for the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office (DNDO), which is cooperating with the departments of State, Energy, Defense, and Justice to implement a comprehensive inter-agency system to detect, report, and respond to nuclear threats. The request includes $562 million for the program, which conducts R&D through the DNDO Office of Transformational Research and Development aimed at enhancing the ability to identify nuclear and radiological materials.

 

The Association of American Universities reports that the FY08 budget includes a $38.7 million request for the department’s University Programs, 20 percent less than the FY07 amount. This funding would be used to support existing DHS Centers of Excellence and establish four new centers for domestic security research at U.S. universities. The new centers include:

• National Center for Explosives Detection, Mitigation, and Response;
• National Center for Border Security and Immigration;
• National Center for Maritime Domain awareness & Island and Remote/Extreme Environment – Security and Natural Disasters; and,
• National Center for Gulf Coast Natural Disaster & Infrastructure Security.

AAU also reports that several of the seven existing centers may be consolidated.