Four different approaches to thwarting a terrorist attack
Different technical concepts and different business models are being pursued by different agencies to address these dire scenarios.
The Science and Technology Directorate of DHS is eager to push the development of Coherent X-Ray Scattering (CXS) technology as an enhanced way to detect explosives in airport baggage. It believes that CXS could be used as a stand-alone detection device at an airport or in a secondary screening role, on either checked or carry-on baggage. While no vendor appears to have pushed this technology to the point that it could manufacture fully-functioning CXS systems today, DHS hopes that such a day isn’t too far down the road.
"It is anticipated that approximately 1-2 years additional development and integration effort will be required by commercial industry contractors in order to deliver to the Government prototype systems suitable for laboratory assessment and testing for aviation passenger carry-on and checked baggage screening venues," observed a recent DHS Sources Sought notice.
DHS is hoping to develop a CXS system that can detect military, commercial and homemade explosives; discriminate between explosives and non-threat substances; have a false alarm rate of less than five percent; process each bag in fewer than 10 seconds, and have a "minimum system throughput" of 300 bags per hour.
It is prepared to pay the selected contractors $2-3 million each for about two years of development work, and has set a deadline of Sept. 12 to receive white papers from candidate companies. Further information is available from , contract specialist, at 202-254-6071.
The Air Force Intelligence Agency’s Sudden Spirit division wants to improve the way it gathers, analyzes and disseminates intelligence related to terrorist threats against civil aviation programs that might involve weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) and related criminal activities. A commercial vendor will be asked to develop a deep knowledge of air cargo transport systems, to identify existing intelligence gaps and to develop analytic tools that could assist the Air Force -- and a host of other U.S. intelligence agencies – to perfect their information technology capabilities.
"Tools will provide data fusion, data storage, data presentation and data processing to support analytic efforts," said an Air Force notice posted Aug. 12. The chosen vendor will help configure data, conduct training and develop a testing plan during the five-year performance period.
Responses from prospective contractors are due by Aug. 19. Further information is available from , contracting specialist, at 202-767-7944.
Meanwhile, the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, in Livermore, CA, is offering to license to a commercial company its Versatile Optical Sensor technology, which can detect and identify unknown gases. Such technology could be used in a homeland security environment for "breath analysis for explosives" or for "radiological exposure" assessments, says the lab.
The Versatile Optical Sensor combines Raman spectroscopy (which measures the degree of light scattered) with Infrared spectroscopy (which measures the amount of light absorbed). "The combination of Raman and IR spectroscopy in a single device produces complementary spectra that serve as molecular-level fingerprints of the gaseous species being probed," explained the lab, in a notice released Aug. 14.
Interested companies are asked to respond to Connie Pitcock at 925-422-1072 within 30 days.
Finally, DHS and the U.S. Army have launched what they’re calling a Pre-Positioned Equipment Program, or PEP, that would place standardized equipment "pods" in eight different locations across the country. These pods would enable the rapid deployment of equipment and personnel to the scene of an incident involving WMDs, according to a pre-solicitation notice posted by the Army on Aug. 13.
"Strategically placed throughout the country, these equipment pods will be available to respond to an incident in any major population center across the continental U.S. within 12 hours," said the notice.
A ninth "Special Events Pod" would also be available at differing locations, depending on immediate needs.
The government envisions a single contract to a vendor that can help organize such a nationwide effort, with a one-year base period and four one-year options. The notice posted by the U.S. Army Material Command did not specify the planned contents of each pod, nor the eight locations across the U.S. where they will be pre-positioned.
Further information is available from Stephen Abate of the RDECOM Acquisition Center in Natick, MA, at 508-233-4018.
When it comes to detecting and stopping explosive attacks, Uncle Sam is a busy fellow, indeed.
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