Secretary Napolitano Announces Fiscal Year 2013 Budget Request

Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano recently unveiled the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) fiscal year (FY) 2013 budget request of $39.5 billion in net discretionary funding.  An additional $5.5 billion for the Disaster Relief Fund (DRF) is provided separately, pursuant to the Budget Control Act of 2011 (BCA).  Recognizing the current fiscal environment, the DHS's net discretionary amount is 0.5 percent below the FY 2012 enacted level.
 
“Ten years after the September 11th attacks, America is stronger and more secure today, thanks to the strong support of Congress; the tremendous work of the men and women of DHS and our local, state and federal partners across the homeland security enterprise,” said Secretary Napolitano. “The Department’s FY 2013 budget request preserves core frontline priorities by cutting costs, sharing resources across components, and streamlining operations wherever possible.”
 
The FY 2013 budget request redirects over $850 million in base resources from administrative and mission support areas, including contracts, personnel (through attrition), information technology, travel, personnel moves, overtime, directed purchasing, professional services, and vehicle management to frontline operations. Through the DHS Efficiency Review, which began in 2009, as well as other cost-saving initiatives, DHS has identified over $3 billion in cost avoidances and reductions, and redeployed those funds to mission-critical initiatives across the DHS.
 
The FY 2013 budget request prioritizes the mission areas outlined in the DHS’s 2010 Quadrennial Homeland Security Review and the 2010 Bottom-Up Review, the first complete effort undertaken by the DHS to align its resources with a comprehensive strategy to meet the nation’s homeland security needs.
 
The budget builds on the progress the DHS has made in each of its mission areas while providing essential support to national and economic security.
 
FY 2013 Budget Priorities:
 
Preventing Terrorism and Enhancing Security - Guarding against terrorism was the founding mission of DHS and remains the DHS’s top priority. The FY 2013 budget safeguards the nation’s transportation systems through a layered detection system focusing on risk-based screening, enhanced targeting and information sharing efforts to interdict threats and dangerous people at the earliest point possible. The budget supports the administration’s global supply chain security strategy across air, land, and sea modes of transportation by strengthening efforts to prescreen and evaluate high-risk containers before they are shipped to the U.S. and annualizing positions that provide the capacity to address security vulnerabilities overseas. Funding is included for securing the cities to protect our highest risk cities from radiological or nuclear attack and national bio preparedness and response efforts. The budget also continues strong support for State and local partners through a new consolidated grant program, training, fusion centers, and intelligence analysis and information sharing on a wide range of critical homeland security issues.
 
Securing and Managing Our Borders - Protecting the nation’s borders – land, air, and sea – from the illegal entry of people, weapons, drugs, and contraband is vital to homeland security, as well as economic prosperity. Over the past several years, DHS has deployed unprecedented levels of personnel, technology, and resources to the Southwest Border. At the same time, DHS has made critical security improvements along the Northern Border while strengthening efforts to increase the security of the nation’s maritime borders. The FY 2013 budget continues the Administration’s unprecedented focus on border security, travel and trade by supporting 21,370 Border Patrol agents and 21,186 CBP Officers at our ports of entry as well the continued deployment of proven, effective surveillance technology along the highest trafficked areas of the Southwest Border. To secure the nation’s maritime borders, the budget invests in recapitalization of Coast Guard assets including the sixth National Security Cutter, Fast Response Cutters as well as the renovation and restoration of shore facilities. The budget also includes resources to ensure that the Coast Guard’s aviation fleet is mission-ready and provides operational funding for new assets coming on line.
 
Enforcing and Administering Our Immigration Laws - DHS is focused on smart and effective enforcement of U.S. immigration laws while streamlining and facilitating the legal immigration process. Supporting the establishment of clear enforcement priorities, recent policy directives and additional training for the field, the budget continues the Department’s efforts to prioritize the identification and removal of criminal aliens and repeat immigration law violators, recent border entrants and immigration fugitives. Nationwide implementation of Secure Communities and other enforcement initiatives, coupled with continued collaboration with DOJ to focus resources on the detained docket and priority cases on the non-detained docket, is expected to continue to increase the number of criminal aliens and other priority individuals who are identified and removed.  The budget provides the resources needed to address this changing population, while continuing to support Alternatives to Detention, detention reform, and immigrant integration efforts.  The budget also focuses on monitoring and compliance, promoting adherence to worksite-related laws through criminal prosecutions of egregious employers, Form I-9 inspections, and expansion of e-verify.
 
Safeguarding and Securing Cyberspace - DHS leads the federal government’s efforts to secure civilian government computer systems and works with industry and state, local, tribal and territorial governments to secure critical infrastructure and information systems. The FY 2013 budget makes significant investments in cybersecurity to expedite the deployment of EINSTEIN 3 to prevent and detect intrusions on government computer systems; increases federal network security of large and small agencies; and continues to develop a robust cybersecurity workforce to protect against and respond to national cybersecurity threats and hazards. The budget also focuses on combating cyber crimes, targeting large-scale producers and distributors of child pornography and preventing attacks against U.S. critical infrastructure through Financial Crimes Task Forces.
 
Ensuring Resilience to Disasters - The DHS's efforts to build a ready and resilient nation focus on a whole community approach to emergency management by engaging partners at all levels to ensure that we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.  In the event of a terrorist attack, natural disaster or other large-scale emergency DHS provides the coordinated, comprehensive federal response while working with federal, state, local, and private sector partners to ensure a swift and effective recovery effort. To ensure that FEMA is able to support these efforts, the DRF, which provides a significant portion of the total federal response to victims in presidentially declared disasters or emergencies, is funded largely through authority provided under the BCA. To support the objectives of the National Preparedness Goal, the administration proposes a new homeland security grants program in FY 2013 to create a robust national response capacity based on cross-jurisdictional and readily deployable state and local assets. The FY 2013 budget also funds FEMA’s continued development of catastrophic plans, which include regional plans for response to biological events and earthquakes.
 
Providing Essential Support to National and Economic Security - DHS provides essential support to many areas of national and economic security. In addition to supporting Coast Guard’s current operations in the Polar Regions, the budget initiates acquisition of a new polar icebreaker to address Coast Guard emerging missions in the Arctic. The budget also continues to support ICE’s and CBP’s enforcement and investigative efforts to protect U.S. intellectual property rights and collect customs revenue.

Featured

  • Making the Grade with Locks and Door Hardware

    Managing and maintaining locks and door hardware across a school district or university campus is a big responsibility. A building’s security needs to change over time as occupancy and use demands evolve, which can make it even more challenging. Knowing the basics of common door hardware, including locks, panic devices and door closers, can make a difference in daily operations and emergency situations. Read Now

  • Choosing the Right Solution

    Today, there is a strong shift from on-prem installations to cloud or hybrid-cloud deployments. As reported in the 2024 Genetec State of Physical Security report, 66% of end users said they will move to managing or storing more physical security in the cloud over the next two years. Read Now

  • New Report Reveals Top Security Risks for U.S. Retail Chains

    Interface Systems, a provider of security, actionable insights, and purpose-built networks for multi-location businesses, has released its 2024 State of Remote Video Monitoring in Retail Chains report. The detailed study analyzed over 2 million monitoring requests across 4,156 retail locations in the United States from September 2023 to August 2024. Read Now

  • Gaining a Competitive Edge

    Ask most companies about their future technology plans and the answers will most likely include AI. Then ask how they plan to deploy it, and that is where the responses may start to vary. Every company has unique surveillance requirements that are based on market focus, scale, scope, risk tolerance, geographic area and, of course, budget. Those factors all play a role in deciding how to configure a surveillance system, and how to effectively implement technologies like AI. Read Now

Featured Cybersecurity

Webinars

New Products

  • AC Nio

    AC Nio

    Aiphone, a leading international manufacturer of intercom, access control, and emergency communication products, has introduced the AC Nio, its access control management software, an important addition to its new line of access control solutions. 3

  • Compact IP Video Intercom

    Viking’s X-205 Series of intercoms provide HD IP video and two-way voice communication - all wrapped up in an attractive compact chassis. 3

  • Luma x20

    Luma x20

    Snap One has announced its popular Luma x20 family of surveillance products now offers even greater security and privacy for home and business owners across the globe by giving them full control over integrators’ system access to view live and recorded video. According to Snap One Product Manager Derek Webb, the new “customer handoff” feature provides enhanced user control after initial installation, allowing the owners to have total privacy while also making it easy to reinstate integrator access when maintenance or assistance is required. This new feature is now available to all Luma x20 users globally. “The Luma x20 family of surveillance solutions provides excellent image and audio capture, and with the new customer handoff feature, it now offers absolute privacy for camera feeds and recordings,” Webb said. “With notifications and integrator access controlled through the powerful OvrC remote system management platform, it’s easy for integrators to give their clients full control of their footage and then to get temporary access from the client for any troubleshooting needs.” 3