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79–933PDF 2012

[ERRATA] 

KEEPING AMERICA SECURE: 

THE SCIENCE SUPPORTING 

THE DEVELOPMENT OF THREAT DETECTION 

TECHNOLOGIES 

HEARING 

BEFORE THE

COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE, SPACE, AND 

TECHNOLOGY 

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

ONE HUNDRED TWELFTH CONGRESS 

SECOND SESSION 

THURSDAY, JULY 19, 2012 

Serial No. 112–97 

Printed for the use of the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology 

( 

Available via the World Wide Web: http://science.house.gov 

(1) 

ERRATA 

The referenced hearing held before the Committee on Science, 

Space and Technology was inadvertently printed with the incorrect 

witness list and hearing charter, pages 2–8. The correct pages are 

as follows: 
2 

RALPH M. HAll, TEXAS 

CHAIRMAN 

U,S, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON, TEXAS 

RANKING MEMBER 

COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE, SPACE, AND TECHNOLOGY 

2321 RAYBURN HOUSE OFFICE BUILDING 

WASHINGTON, DC 20515··6301 

(202) 225-6371 

www.science.house.gov 

Committee on Science, Space, and Technology Hearing 

Keeping America Secure: The Science Supporting the Development 

of Threat Detection Technologies 

Thursday, July 19, 2012 

10:00 a,m. -12:00 p,m. 

2318 Rayburn House Office Building 

Witnesses 

Dr. Richard Cavanagh, Director, Office of Special Programs, National Institute of Standards and Technology 

Dr. Huban Gowadia, Acting Director, Domestic Nuclear Detection Office, Department of Homeland Security 

Dr. Anthony Peurrung, Associate Laboratory Director, National Security Directorate, Pacific Northwest 

National Laboratory 

Dr. Thomas Peterson, Assistant Director, Directorate for Engineering, National Science Foundation 
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U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE, SPACE, AND TECHNOLOGY 

HEARING CHARTER 

Keeping America Secure: The Science Supporting the Development 

of Threat Detection Technologies 

I. Purpose 

Thursday, July 19,2012 

10:00 a.m. -12:00 p.m. 

2318 Rayburn House Office Building 

On Thursday, July 19,2012, the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology will hold a 

hearing to examine the federally-funded research and development (R&D) of threat detection 

technologies. Witnesses will describe how threat detection R&D has evolved, including how 

future threats are anticipated. Witnesses will discuss the "state of the art" of successfully 

deployed technologies, the boundaries and current challenges to improved physical threat 

detection, and the ways in which stakeholders conduct and apply research to protect the public 

and to mitigate threats. Further, witnesses will explore how relevant federal agencies and 

laboratories coordinate and work with the private sector to ensure that research supports 

marketable and economical products. 

II. Witnesses 

Dr. Richard Cavanagh, Director, Office of Special Programs, National Institute of Standards 

and Technology. 

Dr. Huban Gowadia, Acting Director, Domestic Nuclear Detection Office, Department of 

Homeland Security. 

Dr. Anthony Peurrung, Associate Laboratory Director, National Security Directorate, Pacific 

Northwest National Laboratory. 

Dr. Thomas Peterson, Assistant Director, Directorate for Engineering. National Science 

Foundation. 

III. Background 

Prior to the September 11 th terrorist attacks, the threat of terrorism from both the international 

and domestic environment was not as ubiquitous as it is today. Screening for threats was limited 
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in scope, and strategic policies to protect the public were nascent or non-existent. In response to 

the increasing awareness of domestic threats to the public, the Department of Homeland Security 

was formed in late 2002 from components of 22 disparate agencies. The importance of early 

detection through screening and monitoring for explosives, incendiary devices, firearms, 

chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and other dangerous materials was magnified by the 

September I I th attacks. 

To counter the growing list of threats and to prevent a variety of attacks on the country, the U.S. 

government and the private sector expanded R&D into technologies that could detect dangerous 

materials in public places where large groups of people gather, and to ensure that we had the 

capability to respond quickly when a potential threat is identified. The consequent development 

of technologies such as large scale x-ray and gamma ray machines, radiation portal monitors, and 

non-intrusive imaging systems have enabled detection and interdiction of nuclear and 

radiological materials before entering the U.S. 

With high-profile events scheduled for the upcoming months including the Summer Olympic 

Games and the Democratic and Republican National Conventions, there is continued interest in 

improving existing detection technologies and advancing new ones. The U.S. federal science 

agencies research, develop, test, and evaluate threat detection technologies. The hearing will 

examine how R&D informs a layered, risk based system-approach to detecting threats, including 

advanced intelligence, screening technologies, and securing the environment. The following 

research and development programs undertaken by the federal government support the 

advancement and development of threat detection technologies. 

National Institute of Standards and Technology 

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) acts as a technical adviser and 

partner to public safety agencies, the criminal justice community, and industry. NIST's public 

safety and security activities center around four areas: consumer safety, first responders, 

homeland security, and law enforcement. NIST has been specifically involved with threat 

detection and reduction through research conducted on radiological/nuclear detectors; chemical, 

biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosive (CBRNE) protective equipment; emergency 

response equipment; and concealed weapon detection. NIST's expertise is leveraged to test 

existing detection methods, and to develop new standards and technologies for the prevention of 

and response to terror attacks. 

Under NIST's Physical Measurements Laboratory, (PML) the Radiation Interactions and 

Dosimetry Group develops performance standards for x-ray security-screening systems used in 

the detection of bulk explosives and other items. The group, which is supported by the 

Department of Homeland Security, maintains a test bed for assessing the image quality of 

portable x-ray and imaging systems used by bomb squads for explosives and ordnance detection 

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and for disarmament. These test results from the group's test bed form the basis for minimum 

image-quality standards utilized by both public and private sector stakeholders. 

In addition to image quality standards, the NIST Counterterrorism and Response Technologies 

(CART) program is tasked with improving the safety and effectiveness of responders working 

with CBRNE and physical security equipment through science and technology, as well as thc 

development of standards. 

NIST also supports work to evaluate the explosive detection systems commonly seen at airport 

security checkpoints, marine terminals, loading docks, and border crossings. Such explosive 

detection systems are currently in use by all levels of government with the purpose of protecting 

the public from explosive materials; however, there is limited information available to evaluate 

the performance of these detectors. NISI's work in this area is designed to reduce the use of 

ineffective equipment and ensure quality detection takes place. 

Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate 

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate's (S&T) 

mission is to strengthen America's security and resiliency by providing products and innovative 

technology solutions for the homeland security enterprise. The R&D supporting this mission 

takes place primarily through the Homeland Security Advanced Research Projects Agency 

(HSARPA), which focuses on identifying, developing, and transitioning technologies and 

capabilities to counter chemical, biological, and explosive terrorist threats, as well as protecting 

our nation's borders and infrastructure. 

OHS S&I's Explosives Division conducts research to advance state of the art science related to 

explosives countermeasures and prevention, including the development of new capabilities to 

detect, respond to, and mitigate improvised explosive devices. The division has developed 

technologies to screen passengers, carry-on and checked luggage, and cargo for the commercial 

airlines industry; it is also involved in projects that identify and detect conventional and 

enhanced explosives threats and mitigate their potential damage; and it is working to improve 

screening systems processing time, capacity, reliability, and effectiveness while minimizing false 

alarm rates, cost, and labor. 

The Chemical and Biological Defense Division analyzes chemical and biological threats, 

develops pre-event assessment, discovery, and interdiction capabilities as well as capabilities for 

warning, notification, and analysis of incidents. 

OHS S&T also fosters technology partnerships and research collaborations through the Research 

and Development Partnerships (ROP) group. The RDP group manages cooperation across all 

DHS University Programs and Centers of Excellence, DHS S&T Laboratories (the Chemical 

Security Analysis Center, the National Biodefense Analysis and Countermeasures Center, the 

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National Urban Security Technology Laboratory, Plum Island Animal Disease Center, and the 

Transportation Security Laboratory) as well as research funded in partnership with the 

Department of Energy National Laboratories. 

Domestic Nuclear Detection Office 

Within DHS, the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office (DNDO) is the primary entity in the U.S. 

government for coordination of response to radiological and nuclear threats. DNDO manages 

interagency efforts to develop technical nuclear detection capabilities, measure detector system 

performance, ensure effective response to detection alanns, advance and integrate nuclear 

forensics efforts, and conduct transformational research and development for advanced detection 

technologies. DNDO works with federal, state, local, international, and private sector partners to 

fulfill this mission. 

DNDO works to determine gaps and vulnerabilities in the existing global nuclear detection 

architecture, and formulates recommendations and plans to develop an enhanced architecture. 

DNDO also conducts and coordinates a long-term research and development program to address 

significant architectural and technical challenges unresolved by near-term R&D efforts. Further, 

through the DNDO Product Acquisition and Deployment Directorate, DNDO is able to address 

detection needs through a focus on commercially developed devices. Industry has advanced 

detection technologies, and DNDO has flexibility and adaptability in enhancing existing products 

and developing new devices. 

DNDO also supports the development, publication and adoption of national consensus standards 

for radiation detection equipment. DNDO collaborated with NIST in conducting a review of all 

national and international consensus standards for preventive radiological and nuclear detection 

systems. This survey information was used to support the formation of an interagency working 

group to draft government-unique technical capability standards. Also, the DNDO Graduated 

RadiologicallNuclear Detector Evaluation and Reporting (GRaDER) Program uses available 

standards to test and evaluate commercially developed systems. The program has created the 

infrastructure for voluntary, vendor testing of commercial off-the-shelf radiological/nuclear 

detection equipment by independent, accredited laboratories against national consensus 

standards. 

Department of Energy 

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) is one often Department of Energy (DOE) 

national laboratories managed by the Department of Energy's Office of Science. PNNL 

researches and develops technology solutions for the DOE, DHS, the National Nuclear Security 

Administration (NNSA), the Department of Defense (DoD), the Intelligence Community, and 

universities and industry. At PNNL, the National Security Directorate works to develop science4 
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based solutions to help prevent and counter acts of terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of 

mass destruction. 

PNNL's National Security Directorate conducts research into "signature discovery." In the 

world of threat detection, a signature is a unique or distinguishing measurement, pattern, or 

collection of data that identifies a phenomenon, or threat, of interest. PNNL develops new 

algorithms, methods, tools and techniques to anticipate future threats by detecting their precursor 

signatures. Detecting these signatures enables sampling and analysis for remote detection, onsite inspection, and testing of biological, chemical & nuclear threats. PNNL also works to 

develop operational and strategic information analysis tools in order to provide deeper analytical 

insights at faster speeds for counterterrorism missions. 

The National Security Directorate conducts research through PNNL's Computational and 

Statistical Analytics Division; the Technology, Policy, Analysis and Operations Division; the 

Systems Engineering & Integration Division; and the Physical and Chemical Sciences Division. 

National Science Foundation 

The National Science Foundation supports two main areas of non-classified scientific research to 

develop technology in order to secure the national defense: the Division of Mathematical 

Sciences (DMS), and the Academic Research Initiative (ARI), which cuts across different 

divisions of the Foundation. 

Since 2009, the NSF's DMS has worked collaboratively with the Defense Threat Reduction 

Agency (DTRA) and more recently, the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency (NGA), to 

develop the next generation of mathematical and statistical algorithms and methodologies in 

sensor systems for the detection of chemical and biological materials and for information 

inferred from geospatial information. Mathematical research areas examined by NSF include 

areas such as mathematical modeling, signal processing, statistics, harmonic and geometric 

analysis, topology, numerical analysis, and optimal control. 

The focus of NSF in this area recognizes one of the challenges of threat detection and reduction 

today: the sheer amount of information that can now be collected must be processed and 

analyzed in order to be useful. Developing new approaches to the analysis of this information is 

one of the most important recent challenges for the mathematical sciences. New and improved 

mathematical and statistical methods and high performance algorithms are needed to clear the 

bottleneck. 

In addition to the DMS funding, NSF also supports the ARl, a collaborative effort with DNDO 

and other agencies to fund research on detection systems, individual sensors, or other research 

that is potentially relevant to the detection of nuclear weapons, special nuclear material, radiation 

dispersal devices and related threats. Many different divisions of NSF come together to support 

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the ARI multidisciplinary solicitations, which require at least two distinct academic departments 

work together on any research grant. The goals of the ARI are to advance fundamental 

knowledge in new technologies for the detection of nuclear threats and to develop intellectual 

capacity in fields relevant to long-tenn advances in nuclear detection and response capabilities. 

Office of Science and Technology Policy 

The National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) is the principal means within the 

executive branch to coordinate science and technology policy across the diverse entities that 

make up the federal research and development enterprise. The NSTC Committee on Homeland 

and National Security (CHNS) provides guidance and direction to the NSTC to increase the 

overall effectiveness and productivity of federal R&D efforts in the area of science and 

technology related to homeland and national security. The purpose of the committee is to 

address policy matters that cut across agency boundaries and to provide a fonnal mechanism for 

collaboration on technology activities. 

The CHNS identifies priorities and plans for homeland and national security R&D, advises on 

technical, programmatic, and operational issues that affect federal agencies, and recommends 

action on major R&D issues to the director for approval. Membership of the NSTC CHNS 

includes representation from many classified and non-classified federal agencies, including DHS, 

NSF, DOE, and DOC. 

IV. Issues for Examination 

• What federally-funded R&D is designed to detect threats to the public? How is this 

research guided and prioritized across the federal government? 

• What are the barriers to improved threat detection? What R&D breakthroughs are 

necessary to advance new types of detection? 

• Who conducts the risk analysis that the federal government uses to detennine how to rank 

threats? How does data collection and analysis infonn the government's response to 

known threats? 

• How do the threat detection technologies developed by the federal government work 

within the wider systems-approach to protecting the public from dangerous materials? 

How are the technology end-users and screeners involved in the development process? 

• How is threat detection R&D coordinated across the federal government? How could it 

be improved? 

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