Middle East Border Security Assessment

Transition of the Border Security: Technology Drives Homeland Security

"A Perfect Border", has been the dream of every governmental agency and homeland security expert for decades. Government and law enforcement authorities require comprehensive situational awareness of their border and coastal areas knowing that coastal andborder security poses an immediate threat to the mainland of countries, critical national infrastructure, and the population.No need to travel back in the further past, most of the countries were relying on fences, barbed wires, watchtowers, small coast guard boats, hologram stickers, and embossed stamps. Traditionally this has been done through border guards and patrol boats. However, this labour-intensive approach allows large blind spots and areas without protection. It is no secret that today’s homeland security solutions are demanding more technology.Advanced biometric technologies, face recognition, retina scanning, unmanned platforms, real time information providing C2ISR systems, "smart" border gate scanning devices, fast speed boats, these are not only subjects to James Bond or Jason Bourne movies but crucial elements to establish (maybe not a "perfect" but an "efficient" and integrated) border management.

There has been a range of incidents where a breach of borders has resulted in a successful attack. The Mumbai terrorist attacks in India in 2008, continued clashes on the border between Thailand and Myanmar, and the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan all show the importance of border and coastal security and the potential consequences of states that have not invested in security.Frost & Sullivan forecasts the global border and maritime security market to increase from $29.35 billion in 2012 to $52.67 billion by 2021 and Middle East will hold 11% of the global market.

Emerging Security Threats After the Arab Spring : Rise of the Security

The events followed by Arab Spring was a "test" not only for European Union but also neighboring countries to North Africa & Middle East. A vast majority of the countries failed to control its borders against illegal migration and security leaks fueled by the flow of refugees andit has forced countries to reconsider their strategy. Many of the countries that face some of the biggest border and maritime security threats are unable to afford the high level of investment in the latest technology and instead rely on border patrols that are unable to monitor the large areas. Geographical implications play a large role in this. The size of the country, the climate, and the terrain will all determine the level of technology required to provide a successful multi-layered approach. Many of the countries that are in the greatest need were unable to afford the high costs of installation of ISR and advanced communications systems.

Following the Arab Spring uprisings in 2011 and 2012, the lack of border security has been highlighted through militia clashes, movements of refugees, and smuggling weapons over the region. There have been reports of Al-Qaeda in the Maghreb (AQIM) leaders in Libya procuring weapons and smuggling them out through the porous borders. However, despite the financial difficulties, governments in the region (including the new established regimes) started investment on the border securityand there has been increased cooperation between countriesas many of countries have either experienced an attack within their borders or on vessels that carry their flag. States in the region started to believe the social "costs" created by the immediate threat of leaking of smugglers; terrorists and armed "hire for money" groups are far more intolerable compared to investment in border security systems and solutions. In March 2012, nine North African countries, including Algeria, Libya, and Egypt, signed an agreement to work together to secure their borders.

In the Middle East, threats related to terrorism remain even more prominent with the strong presence of AQAP in Yemen. The political volatility creates pressure on many of the borders and coasts in the region, requiring heavy investment and procurement in security provision. Furthermore, the instability of Iraq and uncertainty over future developments in Syria increase the importance of border security for the states. There have been official intelligence reports emphasizing terrorist groups taking advantage of illegal migration, arms trafficking and identity theft in the region.

As Frost & Sullivan says Koray ÖZKAL, "According to our research, we believe that governments in the region will have a comprehensive investment on border security systems and solutions including C2, ISR, UAV systems, e-passports, biometrics, Physical Security Information Management (PSIM)and perimeter security to reduce homeland security risks and Saudi Arabia & UAE are expected to lead the investment in Middle East."

EADS has a strong presence in the ME market. Qatar recently purchased EADS Air surveillance and Radar based protection for border security. EADS also secure one of the largest border security programs for the Saudi Arabian borders. It is thought that the contract is to be worth in between $2.30–2.80 billion. Especially in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), American firms have strong partnerships. Hence United States companies will continue to have an advantage in the security market. Saudi Arabia is also rapidly transiting into biometric passport and visa applications as KSA aiming to prevent identity theft and combat terrorism. On the other hand, although there are no specific threats directly from neighboring countries, UAE will continue to invest in modern technologies for its border and maritime security asis heavily reliant on transporting its trade and natural resources by sea, creating a lot of traffic and greater demand for situational awareness of its territorial waters and borders. Advanced Integrated Systems (AIS), a security solutions provider based in Abu Dhabi, signed a $74.0 million deal with the UAE Armed Forces General Headquarters for border security. Reports suggest that the contract includes all UAE borders and will include a range of technological solutions from different companies including sensors, radars, and C2 equipment. During the last decade UAE also heavily invested in retina scan technology to prevent illegal immigrants and former expellees entering the country using fraudulent travel documents. Today UAE has one of the world’s largest iris recognition database. UAE also startedto invest in to a new smart e-Gate system which reads passport information and captures biometric data including facial recognition in less than 15 seconds. The e-gate system has been launched at the Dubai International Airport in April 2012. The trend within the country is that these border security applications and products will constantly be upgraded to ensure the highest standards of security.

Looking into the future of the Middle East border security after the Arab Spring a number of factors ought to be considered as mentioned above. Even though some of the states had the absence of any political desire to see the reestablishment of internal border security during the last decade, homeland security necessities and political turmoil in the region prioritized border security investment and the market will grow. The greatest investment is likely to go in ISR equipment along with physical perimeter security and PSIM & biometrics and partnership with companies that have local presence in the market will help any bid. As border security regime becomes more technologically sophisticated partnerships between IT & Defence companies have further opportunities in the market.