Sandia enlisted to test U.S.-Mexico border fences

Sandia National Laboratory is doing its part to support DHS’s development of border fence technology as part of SBInet. You may recall that the full deployment of the initial portion of the border fence has hit some snags. In June it was revealed the first section of the fence in Arizona was going to be delayed, and then earlier in September DHS secretary Michael Chertoff said the DHS was not satisfied with the initial SBInet tests.

Researchers at the Sandia National Laboratory have tested various kinds of fencing along the U.S. border with Mexico. The lab’s borders and maritime security program tested nine different kinds of fencing by crashing vehicles into them, according to a statement last Thursday from its principal investigator, Mark McAllaster. Three of the fences tested onsite in Texas were designed and recommended by DHS. The other six, designed by contractors from around the country, were selected from a large group of proposals submitted in response to a solicitation from the department and Boeing, which is managing the SBInet effort. Sandia has more than 50 years of experience developing and testing physical security systems for the U.S. nuclear stockpile and facilities, including the execution and documentation of many tests of both commercial and custom vehicle barrier designs. The lab’s researchers also conduct physical security tests for facilities at the Departments of Energy and Defense.

ere is what Sandia had to say: “Sandia was tapped by the Fence Lab, an initiative within SBInet, to help develop and execute its fence evaluation program. A part of the Department of Homeland Security’s Customs and Border Protection (CBP) directorate … SBInet is the technology network component of the Secure Border Initiative (SBI) and is responsible for integrating personnel, infrastructure, technologies, and a rapid response capability into a comprehensive border protection system.” The lab said it would not comment on the results of the testing.