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Cross-Border Threat Screening and Supply Chain Defense

A Department of Homeland Security Center of Excellence

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CBTS Purpose

A DHS Center of Excellence focused on Border Security 

CBTS Benefits to National Security
CBTS Project successes
Center contributions to securing the texas border

The Cross-Border Threat Screening and Supply Chain Defense (CBTS) Center of Excellence (COE) at Texas A&M University directly aligns with the Administration’s priorities addressing biological threats that could impact public health, agriculture, and the economy, contributing to U.S. border and National security.

CBTS programs support DHS mission objectives by delivering research, tools, and training to strengthen national security.   

Examples of Center programs supporting capabilities for DHS, law enforcement and operators:

Workforce Development and Training: 

  • Equine first aid and basic medical training for Border Patrol agents relying on patrol horses in austere environments (a working dog effort will follow). 
  • Training over 30,000 CBP agents about animal and plant infectious diseases and disease epidemiology so that personnel have a heightened awareness of biothreats in their daily work and activities. 
  • X-ray training for CBP, piloted with TSA agents, to be developed for detection of biological threats in scenarios developed from actual Ag-bio encounters in the field. 
  • Industry and government workshops simulating supply chain disruptions affecting trade at the Southern border. These collaborations aid working relationships, enforcement, and the resumption of business activities after events. 

Research:  

  • Addressing the immediate border security threats posed by Carrizo cane to law enforcement activities along the border because it provides cover for illegal border crossing and cartel activities, obstructs remote video surveillance cameras and radio transmissions, and it reduces visibility for border patrol agents. 
  • Securing valid, traceable information that can be shared in response to a national-scale crisis such as the aggregation of disparate health data associated with illegal immigrants moving through deportation centers. 
  • Employing artificial intelligence (AI) to actively identify and mitigate supply chain vulnerabilities with a focus on pharmaceutical industries (including Chinese-origin companies, compounds, and precursors).  By combining trade data with international business and financial data resources, the AI tool is now being used by the Air Force, ASPR and Congress to examine supply chain vulnerabilities. 
  • Examining the U.S. livestock nutrition and production dependencies on imported vitamin supplies. If U.S. vitamin imports were disrupted, this dependency would pose significant risks to the U.S. livestock sector as well as to public health and national security. 
  • Assessing strategies (virus detection, vector biology, economic impact modeling) to stop the spread of African Swine Fever into the U.S., a disease that would decimate U.S. pork industry and trade. 
  • Evaluating physiology and human performance monitoring to ensure health and readiness of elite agents (BORSTAR/BORTAC) in high intensity border operations. 
  • Investigating technologies for detection of invasive insects threatening U.S. agriculture. 
  • Examining new random sampling procedures that could replace the current AQIM (Agricultural Quarantine Inspection Monitoring) procedures used to assess biothreat pressures at the U.S. border. 
  • Determining Chagas infections and cardiac disease status of DHS working dogs, advancing new diagnostic approaches of the parasite and antibodies, treating the dogs and monitoring outcomes, and providing information regarding vector control. Results inform prevention, treatment and prophylaxis for DHS canine workforce and limit risk of potential human workforce exposure.