From Lifeboats to AI: The Story of Innovation at Homeland Security
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From Lifeboats to AI: The Story of Innovation at Homeland Security

From Lifeboats to AI: The Story of Innovation at Homeland Security

When did the mission of protecting our nation, known as homeland security, start? Some may say it was after the 9/11 terrorist attacks when the Office of Homeland Security was established in 2002, later becoming a Federal department. Despite this, innovation in protecting our nation from a variety of man-made threats and natural disasters started well before its creation.

In 1789, the country established the U.S. Customs Service as a law enforcement agency to collect tariffs and conduct criminal investigations. After the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) was created, U.S. Customs and Border Protection expanded to absorb parts of the Immigration and Naturalization Service mission and Border Patrol, integrating these functions to increase security at and between ports of entry.

In 1848, Congress paid for the first Federal lifesaving stations along the Atlantic coast. Their crews rowed wooden boats into storms to reach sailors stranded by shipwrecks. That work grew into the U.S. Life-Saving Service – eventually becoming the U.S. Coast Guard within DHS today. These are just a few examples.

The pattern of more sophisticated threats to the nation prompting innovation has repeated over the past 250 years. After 9/11, the Federal Government again reached for new tools. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) hired and deployed a Federal workforce to check baggage and passengers at airports nationwide. They deployed Security Flight to keep terrorists off airplanes. Then they innovated with luggage screening equipment and watchlist matching to counter rapidly evolving threats.

The innovation in TSA inspired other agencies in DHS. The US-VISIT program brought biometric screening to the border, capturing fingerprints and photos to confirm who was entering the U.S. and developing a more integrated approach to countering more sophisticated threats.

Different (and evolving) threats, but the same mission. With better tools, technology, collaboration, and the opportunity to integrate the view of the threats and response nationwide.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is the newest tool that can help DHS and its agencies prepare for and mitigate new threats from nation states and transnational criminal organizations.

At the same time, use of AI by these organizations is accelerating and complicating these threats. Regulation of AI is only one small way that the U.S. can prepare for this, especially with the speed that other countries are using it to exploit vulnerabilities in the supply chain, across the border, in our infrastructure and technology, and even in upcoming elections.

CISA uses automated systems to spot cyber intrusions across Federal networks faster than an analyst could by hand. TSA is testing AI to flag anomalies during checkpoint imaging. This is only the latest cycle of a 250-year-old wheel of innovation: just as crews once traded wooden boats for motorized lifeboats and clipboards for biometric scanners, agencies today are pairing human judgement with the speed of technology.

Human judgement will always be a critical part of the story of innovation. It is about the people who screen luggage, or monitor cargo and travelers at our borders, who protect the President and those in the line of succession, who prepare for and deploy to flood zones or fight wildfires. The best innovation comes from those who dedicate their careers to the mission, whether that’s on the front line, or in acquiring, testing, and deploying new technology.

As our country turns 250 years old, it is the people and their innovative spirit that is worth remembering. The story of protecting our country is a story of American history told by the journey from wooden boats to artificial intelligence.

Blog Homeland Security Innovation

Contributors

DJ Davis |

DJ Davis is a Junior Associate at Arc Aspicio with public sector experience in project management. DJ received his Master’s in Management and Bachelor of Arts in International Affairs from George Washington University. While at university, DJ served as Team Captain for George Washington’s record-setting NCAA Varsity Water Polo team. DJ is passionate about homeland security and doing whatever it takes to deliver on the mission.

View all Insights by DJ

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From Lifeboats to AI: The Story of Innovation at Homeland Security

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