July 12, 2004

Project Shield America

Project Shield America is an industry outreach initiative developed by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to prevent the illegal export of sensitive U.S. munitions and strategic technology to terrorists, criminal organizations and foreign adversaries. As the largest investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), ICE is responsible for the enforcement of border, economic, infrastructure and transportation security laws. ICE seeks to prevent terrorist and criminal activity by targeting the people, money and materials that support terrorist and criminal organizations.

Led by ICE’s Counter Proliferation Investigations (CPI) unit, Project Shield America is an integral part of the ICE strategy to combat the trafficking in Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) and their components, as well as the trafficking in conventional weapons and controlled technology. Working in partnership with U.S. companies that manufacture, sell, or export strategic technology and munitions, Project Shield America targets those who attempt to compromise U.S. security or interests by violating export laws, sanctions or embargoes.

PROTECTING U.S. STRATEGIC TECHNOLOGY

For decades, foreign adversaries of the United States have sought to acquire U.S. and Western arms and technology through both legal and illegal means. Illicit trade in these items has allowed our enemies to secure the fruits of Western research and strategic technology at a relatively low cost, while placing U.S. citizens, troops and national interests, as well as global security, at risk. Strategic technologies and weapons are essential to the defense of the United States. In the wrong hands, however, these items could become instruments of terrorism or war that could be used against the United States.

As with any illicit trade, the precise volume of illegal exports is difficult to measure or even to estimate. ICE investigations and seizures suggest that this global market amounts to tens of millions of dollars annually. However, the monetary value of these products pales in comparison to their strategic and military value.

Sensitive products include aircraft, missile and weapons technology; materials and equipment used in the construction of nuclear weapons; night vision technology; biological and chemical warfare agents and their precursors; systems for weapons detection, tracking and monitoring; and a wide range of manufacturing technologies for microelectronics, computers and other digital components.

HOW PROJECT SHIELD AMERICA WORKS

Project Shield America seeks to prevent foreign adversaries, terrorists, and criminal networks from obtaining and trafficking in WMD and their components. The initiative also seeks to prevent these groups from obtaining sensitive U.S. technologies, commodities, munitions and firearms. Furthermore, Project Shield America targets financial transactions that support these activities or violate U.S. sanctions or embargoes.

Project Shield America is a three-pronged program for export enforcement:

• Inspection and Interdiction – Specially trained U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Inspectors are stationed at high-threat U.S. ports of entry to inspect outbound shipments for possible violations of U.S. export laws. Any violations are reported to ICE agents for further investigation.
  
  
• Investigations and Outreach – ICE Special Agents conduct investigations of export violations, seize illegal shipments of controlled technology and munitions, and pursue the arrest, prosecution, and conviction of violators. In Fiscal Year 2003, ICE agents opened approximately 3,000 new criminal investigations into the illegal export of U.S. munitions and strategic technology. ICE agents also conduct outreach visits with industry officials to educate them about U.S. export laws and to solicit their assistance in preventing illegal foreign acquisition of their products. This partnership is crucial, allowing ICE agents to concentrate on proactive investigations and to identify vulnerabilities in the export system before they can damage vital U.S. interests. Furthermore, these industry outreach visits often result in tips from industry sources that lead to criminal investigations. In the 2003 and 2004 fiscal years, ICE agents have conducted more than 5,500 industry outreach visits around the country, resulting in tips that have prompted dozens of ICE criminal investigations nationwide and worldwide.
  
  
• International Cooperation – ICE Attaches stationed in nations around the world enlist the support of host governments to develop leads and investigative information in support of ongoing domestic arms and strategic technology investigations. At the same time, these ICE Attaches help support investigations by foreign law enforcement into illegal weapons and technology trafficking.
  
  

These efforts are all supported by the ICE Counter Proliferation Investigations Unit’s Exodus Command Center located in Washington D.C. The command center serves as an information-sharing hub for DHS as well as for the U.S. Departments of Commerce, Defense and State and other agencies concerned with the export of U.S. strategic technology and products.

HOW INDUSTRY CAN HELP

Project Shield America is not intended to discourage or restrict legitimate U.S. exports. The initiative is designed to protect U.S. technological accomplishments and to prevent our adversaries from achieving technological parity or gaining a military advantage by illegal acquiring U.S. technology.

ICE is committed to working with the business community to ensure that strategic technology and munitions items do not end up in the wrong hands. Private industry can help by:

• Ensuring that orders likely to be shipped outside the United States are handled in compliance with export laws and regulations
  
  
• Ensuring that employees understand export requirements and follow appropriate licensing and screening procedures
  
  
• Ensuring that employees understand the U.S. government restricts the export of certain technical data and knowledge, whether it is provided in written, oral or visual format.
  
  
• Ensuring that suspicious contacts – such as customers who insist on paying in cash or otherwise behave in a suspicious manner – are reported to ICE as quickly as possible.
  
  

For additional information, contact the nearest ICE Special Agent-in-Charge or Resident Agent-in- Charge office. Or call 1-866-DHS-2-ICE.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was established in March 2003 as the largest investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security. ICE is comprised of five integrated divisions that form a 21st century law enforcement agency with broad responsibilities for a number of key homeland security priorities.

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