Acquisition of next-generation radiation-detection technology that the US Department of Homeland Security says will vastly improve customs agents’ ability to counter the smuggling of weapons-usable nuclear materials in cargo and vehicles has been delayed as Congress weighs allegations that the $1.2 billion system hasn’t been adequately tested and evaluated.
The advanced spectroscopic portal (ASP) system promises to dramatically lower the occurrence of “nuisance” radiation alarms triggered by cargo at US ports, compared with the existing radiation portal monitoring (RPM) systems. According to Vayl Oxford, director of the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office (DNDO) at DHS, between 400 and 500 false alarms occur each day at the Los Angeles–Long Beach port alone, and 200 000 are tripped annually at all US ports of entry. Another 40 000 alarms are set off at US land border crossings each year.
Oxford told the House Committee on Science and Technology that the ASP should bring...
