The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) recently released a report assessing U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) fleet of radiation portal monitors (RPMs), concluding that the fleet is lasting longer than expected and that future acquisitions should focus on operational efficiencies.
RPMs are large, stationary radiation detectors through which vehicles and cargo containers pass through ports of entry. During FY2014 and FY2015, some RPMs reached the end of their intended 13-year service lives and the department began replacing the entire fleet of approximately 1,400 units.
However, as of September the fleet remains near 100 percent operational and recent studies indicate that the fleet could remain in operation until at least 2030 with proper maintenance.
As a result of these recent findings, the department changed the focus of its ROM replacement strategy to reflect a selective replacement of the units, using existing RPMs that have been upgraded with new alarm thresholds or purchasing enhanced RPMs, to gain operational efficiencies and reduce labor requirements at some ports.
During FY2016 through FY2018, the department plans to replace approximately 120 units along the northern border with Canada. Over the following two fiscal years, the department said it plans to replace between 150 and 250 RPMs at select high-volume ports.
GAO did not make any recommendations in its report.