Part of U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) border management strategy is to extend the United States’ zone of security overseas, beyond U.S. ports of entry. As countries around the world adopt border security best practices, incoming threats to the United States are lessened. Therefore, CBP’s Training and Assistance Division in the Office of International Affairs and Trade Relations provides a wide array of training and technical assistance to other nations.

“These programs are helping CBP’s foreign counterparts to protect their countries in the same way we do in the United States,” says Ian Saunders, director, Training and Assistance Division.

Scope
Training programs target the full range of border control operations, including: weapons of mass destruction training, anti-narcotics, port security, customs core competencies, border policing, immigration inspection, and commercial operations.

“We’ve done this type of work for a number of years,” says Saunders. “But today’s global challenges have forced us to update offerings, emphasize approaches that promote sustainable change, and to assist in increasingly volatile locations, where the needs are greatest.”

Since October 2002, CBP officials have presented training programs of three to ten days to more than 15,000 foreign participants in more than 100 countries. And the feedback has been extremely positive.

“No matter what the country, I’ve always come away with a sense that all the students were extremely receptive and thankful for the training we provided. This was clearly evident by their repeated requests for inclusion in future CBP training events,” says Norman Roy, International Training Advisor, Training and Assistance Division.

Working in partnership
In undertaking its technical assistance work, CBP is funded by the State Department, U.S. Agency for International Development, and the Department of Defense. In turn, CBP contributes instructors to the regularly scheduled programs of the International Law Enforcement Academies and responds to ad hoc requests for assistance channeled through U.S. embassies around the world.

“Having the opportunity to interact with Custom and Border Guard agencies in various countries throughout the world is very fulfilling,” says Michael T. Chandarlis, International Training Advisor, Training and Assistance Division. “Although the language and uniform of these officers may be different, the scope and the objective of the job at hand remains the same.”

CBP also helps implement established interagency initiatives such as the Export Control and Related Border Security assistance program (designed to help stop the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction), port security advisory projects in several Latin American countries, and the Georgia Border Security and Law Enforcement program.

Capacity building
CBP also provides trade capacity building assistance to countries in support of World Trade Organization standards and U.S. free trade agreements. Most recently, CBP has assumed a leading role in offering technical assistance to support broad implementation of the World Customs Organization (WCO) Framework of Standards to Secure and Facilitate Global Trade. This framework, which captures the essence of the supply chain security approaches CBP adopted post-9/11, is now the benchmark for customs organizations worldwide.

Within the Training and Assistance Division, the WCO Framework Capacity Building Branch is responsible for managing multi-year training programs for select countries to assist them in implementing security-conscious customs practices and industry partnership programs. Chandarlis believes that the experience is not only positive for the trainees, but also for the trainers. “Training other countries gives CBP officers a better understanding of the movement of freight around the world,” he says. “Moreover, sometimes others have success stories or training suggestions to offer us.”

Patrick Shea, an international training advisor in the Training and Assistance Division, adds, “This is the kind of relationship that I hope to build with these other customs officers—where they feel free to write and offer their ideas or ask for advice.”

Focus on Iraq
Separately within the division, the Iraq Reconstruction Program manages the deployment of personnel to assist the Iraqi Ministry of Interior and other organizations charged with executing effective border controls in Iraq. This training and advisory assistance is intended to impart professional knowledge and demonstrated expertise in modern border enforcement techniques, operations, and related functions to assist in the security and stabilization of Iraq.

In assisting beneficiary countries in establishing procedures and infrastructure consistent with best practices, CBP is helping to increase border security worldwide. This benefits not only the United States, but all countries that participate. As the saying goes, “a rising tide lifts all ships.”