U.S. to begin drone patrols on Canadian border
Pastor Dale Morgan
U.S. to begin drone patrols on Canadian border*
POSTED: 1742 GMT (0142 HKT), January 12, 2007
Story Highlights
• Predators will begin patrolling U.S. airspace along Canadian border by
fall
• Action prompted by concern over terrorists exploiting remote northern
border
• Some Canadians taken aback by cross-border crackdown, analyst says
WINNIPEG, Manitoba (AP) -- Unmanned surveillance aircraft will start
patrolling the Canadian border by this fall, a Department of Homeland
Security official said.
The propeller-driven drones, called Predators, will begin patrolling
U.S. airspace along the border with Canada by September and will fly day
and night, said Scott Baker, chief patrol agent of Customs and Border
Protection, an arm of the Department of Homeland Security.
Baker recently took over the job in Grand Forks, North Dakota, and is
responsible for guarding the 850-mile (1,368-kilometer) stretch of the
border between Lake Superior and Montana.
"Just one of the wrong people getting through, driving through our
border area, could spell catastrophe," Baker said. "So, it is a concern."
U.S. lawmakers repeatedly have voiced concerns that terrorists could
exploit the remoteness of the northern border with Canada.
Predators, known by the military as unmanned aerial vehicles, have flown
missions along the U.S.-Mexico border for several years, Baker said.
They can cover about 850 miles (1,368 kilometers) in a five-hour mission
and can remain airborne for up to 36 hours.
Depending on lighting conditions and weather, their cameras can detect a
person on the ground and identify movements, but are not accurate enough
to show facial features.
The patrols, which will extend along the entire 5,430 mile
(8,737-kilometer) U.S.-Canadian border, initially will begin with one
drone flying out of Grand Forks, said Baker. Other drones will be added
later to the patrol.
The American government chose a base in Grand Forks as its Predator hub
in part because of its location at the heart of the continent, Baker said.
"We're dead center on the northern border," he said. "So, they can go
either way, and they're equidistant."
Many Canadians might be taken aback by the use of the Predators to track
cross-border traffic, one Canadian defense analyst said.
"Didn't we have the longest undefended border for a very, very long
time?" asked Ian Glenn, chairman of ING Engineering, an Ottawa
consulting firm. However, he acknowledged the machines likely will be
productive.
"Will it be a deterrent to terrorist activity? Yes, I guess."