Private companies can play a role in national security by pitching technology projects to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and other agencies, agency representatives said Monday.
DHS has begun to solicit the private sector for technologies to combat biological and chemical weapons, and the agency will look for more technology partners in the future, said David Bolka, director of the Homeland Security Advanced Research Projects Agency, during a DHS budget briefing in Washington, D.C.
HSARPA's annual budget is $874 million, Bolka said, with most of its research focused on ways to counter terrorist attacks using chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear weapons.
Suggestions Submitted
A September call for the "next generation" of chemical and biological detectors generated 518 white papers from private companies, with a few "true nuggets" in those submissions, Bolka said. But a quarter of the white papers were what he called "nonresponsive"--they tried to pitch DHS technologies it wasn't looking for.
"I kind of feel like the new kid in town with money," Bolka said. "Don't send us a proposal saying, 'If you really knew what you wanted, you'd buy what I'm selling.'"
About 85 to 90 percent of HSARPA's funding will be spent on current or soon-to-be-emerging domestic security problems, with only about 10 percent to 15 percent going to futuristic, "blue sky" technology projects, Bolka said. "As we satisfy the near-term requirements, I think there will be good opportunity to look at the 5- or 10-year--or even the 15-year--picture."
Working Together
The U.S. government needs private companies to partner with on a variety of other technology-related domestic security projects, including biometric scanners, Wi-Fi radio communications, wireless surveillance cameras, and data collection and fusion, representatives of other U.S. agencies and contractors said at the DHS forum. The forum is sponsored by Equity International Inc., a Washington, D.C.-based business development firm focused on domestic and global security.
"What's driving homeland security technology is one word: partnerships," said Benjamin Wu, deputy undersecretary for technology at the U.S. Department of Commerce. "We need to build these technological bridges. The bridges we build will lead to a safer world."
A five-month-old domestic security business incubator based in Annapolis, Maryland, provides one way businesspeople can make technology ideas known. The Chesapeake Innovation Center has signed up 7 small companies in its first five months, out of about 140 entrepreneurs who applied to be included, said John Elstner, executive director of the center.
Pitching Products
The center helps entrepreneurs or small companies pitch their products to the U.S. government or large government contractors. The center has working partnerships with the nearby U.S. National Security Agency, two area universities, and companies such as Nokia's Innovent entrepreneur team and IT vendor Force 3.
The center has the capacity to work with about 20 small companies at one time, Elstner said. "The American passion for entrepreneurship is perhaps America's greatest asset," Elstner said. "Our mission...is harnessing the power of entrepreneurship to ensure a technological edge over our enemies by bringing technological innovations to the forefront in the homeland security marketplace."
While most speakers at the domestic security forum focused on the technologies needed to improve domestic security, one person suggested that technology isn't the only answer. The focus on technology could take attention away from the importance of human intelligence, said Les Kaciban, director of operations for USProtect, a provider of physical security and risk assessment services.
"We're getting away from human intelligence, and it's dangerous," Kaciban said. "I'm not against technology. What we need to do, however, is not underestimate or replace human intelligence."
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