Border Security Program: Pakistan

Fact Sheet

Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs

May 3, 2010

The Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) provides assistance to Pakistan in three primary areas:

• Border Security Program (BSP)
• Law Enforcement Reform and Capacity Building (see separate fact sheet)
• Counternarcotics (see separate fact sheet)

The program is nationwide, but particular emphasis is placed on the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), the Northwest Frontier Province (NWFP), and Baluchistan. Programs are managed in-country by the U.S. Embassy Islamabad’s Narcotics Affairs Section (NAS). All assistance is implemented in close partnership with Pakistan's Federal and provincial government entities.

Border Security Program

The Border Security Program (BSP) was established after September 11, 2001 to help Pakistan improve its security on the western border, with a special emphasis on counternarcotics and border security. Initial funding for the BSP program in 2001 was $73 million. Beneficiaries have included the Frontier Corps (NWFP and Baluchistan), Levies, Frontier Constabulary, Home Department (NWFP and Baluchistan), and the Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF), among others.

Key Program Objectives:

• Through aviation support and training, enhance the Government of Pakistan’s border surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR), resupply, medevac, airlift, intelligence, and interdiction capabilities;
• Through commodity support, training, and outpost construction, improve the ability of Pakistan’s security and law enforcement personnel to monitor the frontier region in order to interdict militants, narcotics traffickers, and other criminals. Through road and bridge construction, provide access to previously inaccessible territory and expand security forces presence; and,
• Through aviation, training, infrastructure, and commodity support, shore up the capacity of law enforcement agencies under the Ministry of the Interior (MOI) to take on the “hold” mission of the COIN strategy.

Strategy: INL achieves these program objectives through the following activities:

• Aviation Support – Created the Ministry of Interior's 50^th Squadron Air Wing in Quetta in 2002. 14 Huey II helicopters and 3 Cessna Caravan aircraft equipped with Forward Looking Infra Red (FLIR) enhancement system provide aerial reconnaissance, logistics, command and control, and medevac capabilities to support border security, counternarcotics, and law enforcement operations. Pakistani pilots have received training in these operations, to include use of night-vision and FLIR capabilities.
• Outpost Construction – Funding construction and renovation of outposts for law enforcement agencies including Frontier Corps-NWFP, Frontier Corps-Baluchistan, Frontier Constabulary, and tribal Levy forces.
• Road Construction and Small Schemes – Launched in 2004 with the NWFP Governor’s Office and Pakistan Army, builds roads to provide law enforcement access to previously closed territory. NAS personnel and provincial government entities jointly oversee local construction contracts for new roads and bridges to increase access to remote areas.

Locations: Projects are focused in the region along Pakistan’s 1,600 kilometer border with Afghanistan, including FATA, NWFP, and Baluchistan.

• Aviation Support Program is based at the Ministry of Interior 50^th Squadron Air Wing in Quetta, Baluchistan, as well as being forward deployed for operations in the FATA and NWFP. Available for other MOI law enforcement related action as well.
• Border Outposts have been constructed for Frontier Corps-Balochistan (FC-B), Frontier Corps-NWFP (FC-NWFP), Levies, and Frontier Constabulary in Baluchistan, NWFP, and FATA. Roads have been constructed throughout FATA.

Successes:

• INL quickly procured five additional Huey-II helicopters for the 50th Squadron Air Wing during 2009, providing urgent, additional support to the Frontier Corps-NWFP.
• The Ministry of Interior 50th Squadron Air Wing flew over 2,100 rotary wing and 1,300 flight hours from January – October 2009.
• During 2009, INL completed six outposts in NWFP and 25 in Balochistan. INL has completed a total of 81 Frontier Corps outposts in Baluchistan and NWFP, 62 Levy outposts in FATA, and 38 Frontier Constabulary outposts in the NWFP around Bannu, Laki, D.I. Khan, Tank, and South of Peshawar. 38 outposts in NWFP and Baluchistan are in process.
• INL has completed construction of 336 kilometers of border security roads in FATA. 73 kilometers of counternarcotics and border security roads are currently under construction.
• Since 2002, delivered more than $40M in equipment, including over 2,500 vehicles, hundreds of pieces of communications equipment, and surveillance gear (e.g. GPS, Night Vision Goggles (NVG) and FLIR - equipment) to law enforcement agencies, including the FC-B, FC-NWFP, the Frontier Constabulary, Pakistan’s Coast Guards, and the Anti Narcotics Force.