Federal report says Border Patrol"s drone program doesn"t fly

 ((Photo by Gary Williams/Getty Images))

For nearly a decade, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection has touted its drone program as an “effective technology to further enhance operational capabilities,” but according to the agency’s 2014 end of fiscal year report, the results are anything but impressive, fueling new calls for the program to be grounded.

The program has a fleet of 9 Predator drones and the Department of Homeland Security is planning to spend another $443 million for more aircraft to help secure the Mexican border. But a Jan. 6 report from the agency’s inspector general is advising against the expansion.

“Notwithstanding the significant investment, we see no evidence that the drones contribute to a more secure border, and there is no reason to invest additional taxpayer funds at this time,” said DHS Inspector General John Roth. “Securing our borders is a crucial mission for CBP and DHS. CBP’s drone program has so far fallen far short of being an asset to that effort.”

The IG report, the second audit of the program since 2012, found there is no reliable method of measuring the program’s performance and determined that its impact in stemming illegal
immigration has been minimal.

According to the CBP Fiscal Year Report, the drones flew about 10 percent fewer hours in 2014 than the previous year and 20 percent fewer than in 2013. The missions were credited with contributing to the seizure of just under 1,000 pounds of cocaine in 2014, compared to 2,645 in 2013 and 3,900 in 2012. But apprehensions of illegal immigrants between 2014 and 2013 fell despite the flood of more than 60,000 unaccompanied children coming across the border from Central America.

Combined with the decrease in productivity, the OIG report disclosed the staggering costs to run the program, more than $12,000 per hour when figuring fuel, salaries for operators, equipment and overhead.

Eugene Schied, assistant commissioner of the CBP’s office of administration for CBP, said the IG used flawed methods to draw its conclusions.

“The expectations the OIG focused on were based on the program receiving resources that were not obtained, performance measures that were never employed by CBP, or technological capabilities that have been surpassed,” Scheid said. “This context is critical for presenting an accurate assessment of the CBP UAS program’s current performance and achievements.”

Scheid went on to say in his memo that CBP has no plans to acquire additional UAS beyond the one replacement aircraft, nor does the Office of Air and Marine have a contract or funding in place to expand the program.

He said current funding is being used to expand the program’s infrastructure and increase the utilization of the fleet.

Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.) called for patience with the UAS program.

“It’s a lot cheaper to use drones than helicopters and they can stay in the air longer,” Hunter said. “It still comes down to having the manpower on the ground to support the drone missions.”

Hunter said CBP needs to figure out what the need and use of the UAS is but marry that strategy with human resources on the ground. He made the correlation to the limitations other forms of border security technology such as sensors has in that unless there are agents who can respond quickly to the location, they do little good.

“Right now, I’m not sure CBP has the manpower to support the drone missions,” Hunter said.

What he did express concern over, also given the rise in unaccompanied children crossing the border this year was that, “CBP isn’t doing themselves any favor by flying less hours.”

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Federal report says Border Patrol"s drone program doesn"t fly

Administration lawyers argue Hobby Lobby ruling on birth control doesn’t apply to religious groups

FILE: May 22, 2013: Customers are seen at a Hobby Lobby store in Denver. (AP)

The Obama administration says faith-based nonprofits should comply with ObamaCare’s birth-control mandate because they have more leeway than the corporations that won a Supreme Court ruling on the issue last year.

Government attorneys made the argument on Thursday to the Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, after pro-life ministry Priests for Life asked the court to reconsider a ruling it made last fall that requires religious nonprofits to object in writing to regulations that require employer health care plans to insure contraceptives, as reported by The Washington Times.

The group says the court’s decision contradicted the Supreme Court’s ruling in the Hobby Lobby case, which stated closely held corporations did not have to insure contraceptives that conflicted with their owners’ beliefs, particularly morning-after pills that some equate with abortion.

The justices cited the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993, which requires the government to achieve its aims in the least restrictive way.

But the administration says nonprofits should not expect the Hobby Lobby case to bail them out, considering “the linchpin” of the high court’s ruling was the “opt-out alternative afforded to organizations such as the plaintiffs in this case.”

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Administration lawyers argue Hobby Lobby ruling on birth control doesn’t apply to religious groups

Wardrobe malfunction doesn"t phase Bey

File

Beyonc?

Beyonc? suffered an embarrassing wardrobe malfunction in front of a 60,000-strong crowd in New York on Saturday night.

The Drunk In Love hitmaker was performing on stage with husband Jay-Z at the Global Citizen Festival, when her enthusiastic dance moves led to her blouse – which did not seem to be buttoned up – popping open and revealing her flesh-coloured bra.

The incident, which happened mid-way through the performance on the Great Lawn of Central Park, passed in the blink of an eye, meaning many of those in attendance would have been unaware of it even taking place.

However, the moment has been captured on video and shots of the embarrassing moment have been circulating on the Internet.

Despite the mishap, the 33-year-old singer continued the rest of her set without any dramas, delighting the crowd who had not even expected her to appear at the Jay-Z-led gig.

The couple, whose relationship has been dogged by rumours of troubles in recent months, put on a show of affection to dispel some of the recent speculation.

As well as Beyonc? and Jay-Z, 44, the festival was also attended by the likes of Alicia Keys, No Doubt and Sting.

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Wardrobe malfunction doesn"t phase Bey

Murray doesn"t care much for rankings

Sport

Yet he still sits at number two in the ATP rankings. Wednesday, July 10, 2013

LONDON, England (AP) — Andy Murray won Wimbledon, of course, the first British man in 77 years to do it. He won last year’s US Open, too. And an Olympic gold medal.That’s all fine by him.A day after his historic victory at the All England Club, Murray said he is far more interested in winning additional Grand Slam titles than reaching number one. He has played in the finals of the last four major tournaments he enteredAsked Monday if moving up to the top spot is his next goal, Murray replied: “I don’t know. It’s a tough one for me, because right now I’ve won two Slams and… and (won) the Olympic gold, and I’m nowhere near being number one. I don’t know exactly why that is.”He noted that perhaps he needs “to be more consistent in the other events,” and is aware that skipping this year’s French Open because of a bad back did not help his ranking points.But Murray added that he’d be OK with never reaching number one.“I would rather not get to number one and win more Grand Slams,” he said, “than never win another Grand Slam and get to number one. I’d rather try to win more Slams.”He narrowed the gap in the standings but still trails top-ranked Novak Djokovic, the man Murray beat 6-4, 7-5, 6-4 for the championship Sunday. The last British man to win Wimbledon was Fred Perry in 1936. On Monday, Murray awoke after about an hour or so of sleep to fulfil media obligations, including posing for photos near the statue of Perry that stands outside Centre Court.Pictures of Murray graced the front pages of British newspapers on Monday, and there’s already buzz building about whether he will be granted knighthood.Murray was asked on Monday what he thinks about that.“I don’t really know,” he said, sighing and resting his chin on his left hand. “I mean, it’s a nice thing to have, or be offered. I think just because everyone’s waited for such a long, long time for this — that’s probably why it would be suggested, but I don’t know if it merits that.”

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Murray doesn"t care much for rankings