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OODA Network Members John P. Sullivan and George W. Davis, along with co-author Tom Adams, have penned a report based on a geospatial security assessment for the Port of Brownsville, Texas (which “holds the distinction of being the sole deep-water port situated directly on the US-Mexico border”). Details of the report here.
A technical paper sponsored by the Sam Houston State University Institute for Homeland Security. It was written by John P. Sullivan, George W. Davis, and Tom Adams.
This technical paper presents a geospatial security assessment for the Port of Brownsville, Texas (Brownsville Navigation District). As a crucial intermodal transportation hub with a growing focus on industrial development, the Port of Brownsville holds the distinction of being the sole deep-water port situated directly on the US-Mexico border.
The primary objective of this drone assessment is to evaluate the potential threats posed by aerial drones and unmanned or uncrewed aerial systems (UAS) to the port. It seeks to assess the possible impacts of drones on both port operations and security. Furthermore, the paper aims to propose potential countermeasures (counter-UAS) and provide an introduction to emerging drone threats, encompassing unmanned vessels, ground vehicles, and drone swarms or swarming attacks.
The paper delves into the repercussions of various drone threats on port operations and explores mechanisms for enhancing indications, warnings, detection, and response to drone threats within the Port of Brownsville. Additionally, it discusses potential avenues for sharing threat data with other ports, port security personnel, law enforcement agencies, and emergency responders.
Drones and Port Security at the Port of Brownsville contains the following major sections:
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This technical paper provides a drone threat assessment for the Port of Brownsville. The assessment looks at all drone modalities (aerial, ground, and maritime) with special emphasis on aerial drones or unmanned/uncrewed aerial systems (UAS).
The port imports and exports a range of cargoes, including steel slab, hot and cold rolled, steel plate, steel beams (billets), iron ore, pig iron, aluminum T-bars and ingots, grains, sugar, salt, minerals, wax, windmill components, cement, aggregate; and hydrocarbons, including gasoline, diesel, natural gas and several grades of lube oil; as well as containerized cargo. The Port of Brownsville is one of 17 ports in Texas. The Port of Brownsville (UN/Locode: USBRO) is located circa 25° 57′ 0″ N, 97° 24′ 0″ W in Cameron County, Texas.
The port is at the southern terminus of the 17 mile-long Gulf Intracoastal Waterway near the mouth of the Rio Grande; it is 8 miles (13km) north of the Mexican border. The port is served by the deep-water Brownsville Ship Channel which accesses the Gulf of Mexico, passing between several barrier islands (North and South Padre Island, and Brazos Island). The Port is governed by the Brownsville Navigation District. The Post of Brownville covers 40,000 acres of land and is served by its own Port of Brownsville Police and Security Department. The United States Coast Guard maintains a Marine Safety Detachment co-located with the Port of Brownsville Police.
The port is a Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ No. 62), contributing $ 3 Billion to the Texas economy.
The drone assessment team recommends the following courses of action for the Port of Brownsville. It is recommended that the Port of Brownsville develop and implement a comprehensive counter-drone framework. This framework should prioritize measures to mitigate and counter threats from Unmanned/uncrewed Aerial Systems—especially small UAS (sUAS) platforms. That is the first step is developing and implementing a Counter-UAS (C-UAS) Program. Next measures to address emerging drone threats, such as uncrewed ground vehicles (UGVs) and uncrewed maritime vessels (UMVs) can be tackled.
Training. Counter-UAS efforts should start with building awareness of the UAS threat to the port through awareness training. The POB and POB Police should sponsor a basic UAS awareness training session for port personnel, including all port police and security officers, pilots port tenants (especially their security managers), and cooperating public safety agencies (law enforcement and fire) that operate at or proximate to the port.
Policies and Procedures. The Port of Brownsville should develop a comprehensive set of policies and procedures defining the POB posture on UAS. This policy and procedures should include SOPs for day-to-day operations and EOPs for emergencies involving UAS incursions resulting in injury, death, or property damage.
Geospatial Information Systems (GIS) and Geospatial Intelligence (GeoINT). The POB should consider development of a comprehensive geospatial analysis capability including development of GIS tools and data sets for use in routine and emergency purposes (including crisis and disaster management). These tools can be integrated into command and control/dispatch systems and linked with airspace awareness tools to guide response.
C-UAS/C-UMV Drone Detection. The POB should consider implementing systems and applications, such a drone sensor platform, to detect and track UAS incursions into the port’s operational area that may interfere with port operations. The POB should commission a sensor engineering study to assess the best option for C-UAS detection, including the potential of multiple systems to maximize detection. An engineering study to asses similar drone detection capabilities for UMVs in the ship channel and approaches should also be considered.
Drone (UAS) Response Capacity. The POB Police should consider developing a long-range drone response capability (Drones for Good) where sUAS can be used by Port Police to evaluate and assess the threat of drone incursions over Port of Brownsville airspace, as well as monitor and prepare response for critical incidents and emergencies. This capacity could be 30 an organic port-specific program or a cooperative venture with adjacent law enforcement agencies such as the Cameron County Sheriff and the City of Brownsville Police.
Drone Threat Information-Sharing. The Port of Brownsville Police should consider developing or collaborating in the development of a port threat information and analysis/warning system for drone threats (specifically UAS and UMV) threats to ports. This initiative could start at the POB and share information with port tenants and plots servicing the port. It could then be expanded to include all Texas Ports, US Gulf Ports, Nationally, and then Internationally.
Advocacy and Development of Counter Drone (C-UAS/C-UMV) Legislation and Ordinances. The Port of Brownsville, through the Brownsville Navigation District Board of Commissioners should advocate for the development of enhanced Texas State laws and County Ordinances to enhance the level of legislation necessary to protect the port and provide effective enforcement options for the Port Police and cooperating law enforcement agencies in Cameron County.
Building this level of response will take time and an investment in financial and human resources. Optimally, the POB will start developing policy and procedures and then the training needed to sustain effective C-UAS and C-UMV capabilities. This will require further analysis and engineering studies for full implementation.
For a publicly available version of the report, go to this link.
Co-author John Sullivan also wrote a summary of the report at Homeland Security Today: Drones and Port Security in Brownsville: A Case Study on the Gulf
For the full report, go to Drones and Port Security at the Port of Brownsville.
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About the Author
Daniel Pereira is research director at OODA. He is a foresight strategist, creative technologist, and an information communication technology (ICT) and digital media researcher with 20+ years of experience directing public/private partnerships and strategic innovation initiatives.
Informing your decisions with actionable intelligence
Informing your decisions with actionable intelligence