Border security: Razor wire is a game changer

to be published externally. We wonder, why? Our company supplied the razor wire for this section of fencing, and when inquiring about a border tour to see how it was holding up, we asked regarding how many areas had been vandalized in the two years since its installation. We were told that DHS was unaware of any area of vandalism to the razor wire.

While I find that hard to believe (and have not yet toured it personally to confirm this) — the word was that people do not attempt to climb over. They will attempt to cut through in various places (the lower portion of the fence), or move to another area, but apparently the self-preservation instinct keeps people from getting tangled up in the multiple rows, high on the top of the fence.

Of course, my company has a motivating self-interest in seeing razor wire installed along some or all of the border fence — we manufacture razor wire(Razor Wire International of Phoenix, Arizona). But we also have a unique perspective into the effectiveness of this fencing component, and why it is used extensively for corrections, military, international borders and other critical infrastructure security. It is highly effective, and significantly improves every other dollar invested in infrastructure. Plus, it is PR money well spent. Razor wire both looks serious and is serious.

Some people are worried about injuries to illegal crossers that razor wire might cause (the study shows a drop in injuries). Others worry about the message it sends to our southern neighbor. But these are not concerns of the pro-border security lobby. Take ten miles of fencing without razor wire, and it can typically be crossed at any point along the ten miles — requiring constant enforcement of the entire perimeter. Take ten miles of fencing with razor wire, and it can only be crossed at either end, or at any point that an investment has been made in creating a breach (path through the razor wire, hole through the fence, or tunnel under the fence). Suddenly, ten miles is reduced to known breaches — making these breaches an enforcement funnel. This is strategic porosity. Scheduled surveillance and drones can be used to identify and catalog breaches, with enforcement efforts deployed accordingly.

Razor wire will add real security — and positive PR — at a fraction of the cost of virtual fencing. And for the anti-fence advocates, we can call it temporary fencing — until something better comes along. DHS secretary Janet Napolitano must have a PR budget for DHS. She should start spending some of it on strategically deployed razor wire. It might actually convince someone the government is serious about doing more than just spending money.

Kent Olmstead is CFO of Razor Wire International