see also: in September 2005 Press Releases:   U.S. Customs and Border Protection Stands Down Hurricane Operations in the Gulf Coast Area   40th CBP Container Security Initiative Port Operational   CBP Border Patrol Agents Seize 1,134 Pounds of Marijuana   U.S. Customs and Border Protection Officer Apprehends Fedex Bandit   CBP Employees Recognized for their Outstanding Contributions to Public Service at 2005 Service to America Awards Ceremony   CBP Pilot’s Heroic Efforts Save the Lives of 22 People Abandoned in the Desert ...more on cbp.gov:   CBP News Releases   Press Officers

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Ft. Huachuca, AZ - U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) National Chief of the Border Patrol David Aguilar and Acting Assistant Commissioner of CBP Air Charles E. Stallworth II, today unveiled the Predator B - Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) at Ft. Huachuca/Muni-Libby AAF in Sierra Vista, Arizona. This historic event took place at Ft. Huachuca where previous UAV platforms were tested by CBP and home to the largest UAV training facility in the world.

“To secure our Nation’s borders is priority number one,” said U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Robert C. Bonner. “CBP now owns and operates the most advanced state of the art technology and is capitalizing on this unmanned aerial system to better secure the country. This eye in the sky will not only support the “boots on the ground” but will allow us to more effectively deploy resources ultimately enhancing our ability to gain operational control of our borders.”

The partnership established with General Atomics Aeronautical Services, Inc., of San Diego, California, a leading company in the unmanned aircraft system industry, exemplifies CBP’s continual commitment in exploring new technologies and techniques to better secure the borders of the United States. The UAV technology is part of the balance that CBP seeks, which includes personnel, equipment, and technology and border infrastructure, to gain operational control of our borders.

CBP Border Patrol agents will command and control the Predator B UAV from Ft. Huachuca, Arizona in support of the Arizona Border Control Initiative (ABCI). Agents will man a Ground Control Station (GCS) that essentially acts as a remote cockpit to the UAV and a relay station to agents in the field. The real-time images obtained from the UAV will enable proper assessment of intrusions and eliminate false alarm responses by agents increasing their patrolling effectiveness. This technology has also proven itself highly successful in providing agents with a detailed “birds eye view” particularly in remote portions of the border where CBP Border Patrol agents cannot easily or safely travel and infrastructure is difficult or impossible to build. The unmanned aerial system supplements preexisting intrusion detection and intelligence-gathering devices as well as providing an additional force multiplier within a particular portion of the border.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control, and protection of our Nation’s borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.