The proposed budget request supports Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff's agenda for a department that is organized around mission, eliminates duplication and disciplined in risk management. Central to the department's budget are five themes: increasing overall preparedness, and strengthening the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), strengthening border security and reforming immigration, enhancing transportation security through more efficient and secure system controls, improving information sharing, and strengthening the department's organization in order to maximize performance.
An increase of $29 million in funding will support FEMA's initiative to Strengthen Operational Capability and reinforce essential support functions within its readiness, mitigation, response, recovery, and National security programs. The increase will upgrade capital infrastructure and information technology(IT) support services.
Here are a few of the IT highlights from the DHS press release dated February 6, 2006
- A request for $100 million for Border Technology that will enhance electronic surveillance and operational response capability. This funding will provide significant procurement investments needed to begin an aggressive deployment plan that began in the previous fiscal year.
- An increase of $62.9 million for total funding of $399.5 million is requested for US-VISIT. This increase will enhance access for border personnel to immigration, criminal, and terrorist information. Included in the US-VISIT initiative is $60 million in new resources to increase identification interoperability. The initiative will provide the most complete information to decision-makers regarding eligibility, admissibility and investigative follow-up for fingerprint matches that do not occur in real-time.
- An increase of $36.3 million for information security and infrastructure to support the IT Infrastructure Transformation Program (ITP). ITP integrates the IT infrastructures of the 22 components of the department into "One Infrastructure," which includes the creation of one secure network; the establishment of common and reliable e-mail communication; the restructuring of helpdesks and related services; the reduction in number and transformation of data centers; the standardization and modernization of the desktop workstation and site services environment and voice, video and wireless infrastructure modernization.
