Homeland Department seeks technology to detect suicide bombers

The Homeland Security Department within the "next few weeks" plans to solicit companies for technology designed to detect suicide bombers near railways, buildings and other critical infrastructure, a top official said Monday.

"I'd be very surprised if that's not an area that we won't experience," Charles McQueary, the undersecretary for Homeland Security's science and technology division, said at the Brookings Institution. He said the department does not have any intelligence information that suggests terrorists are planning such an attack but added, "It's an easy thing to do."

McQueary said the department seeks devices capable of detecting explosives on an individual 100 yards away. "It's not an easy problem to solve," he said. "I'm confident we can make scientific progress in the area."

McQueary told reporters after the meeting that his office has yet to determine the price tag for the potential contract.

But the House Appropriations Committee concurred with the idea, proposing $9.7 million in the fiscal 2005 homeland security spending bill -- the same amount requested by the department -- for such an initiative. McQueary's shop is required to develop and acquire technologies that would prevent an explosive attack on buildings, critical infrastructure and the civilian population.

"The committee is aware of the evaluation of the commercial, off-the-shelf devices under review and the development of new devices to interdict would-be bombers currently underway," the committee's report on the legislation said.

The House is slated to vote on the $32 billion spending bill this week. The Senate Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee may debate its version of the bill, too.

The panel also called for a "comprehensive strategy" by Feb. 1 for the program and its coordination efforts with other agencies.

The issue has become a higher priority for Congress following the suicide-bomber attack on a Madrid, Spain, train station in March. The spending bill also included $111 million for rail security through the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and state grants to high-risk urban areas.

Meanwhile, McQueary said Monday the department plans to finish integrating the various research and development agencies that were transferred to the department upon its creation last year. He said the science and technology division would either have oversight responsibilities or direct responsibilities for the remaining R&D offices at the Coast Guard, Secret Service and TSA that have yet to be brought into the fold.

"We'll provide funding for their endeavors," he said, adding that there is "strong congressional interest" to leave the Coast Guard's R&D activities separate.

McQueary also said the department would issue its national strategy within the "next few to several weeks," outlining "large-scale" spending -- in the multimillion-dollar range -- for the his division to purchase and deploy technologies in 2006.

He said the division is working on international agreements through its Centers of Excellence program with universities, including an agreement with Canadian and Mexican universities to work with U.S. centers on "agro-terrorism" related to trading animals and food across the two borders with those nations.

The division also is negotiating with Britain on certain homeland security initiatives.