January 22, 2015 by David Olive

This morning, Tom Temin interviewed DHS Inspector General John Roth about the report his office issued, which severely criticizes the DHS CBP Office of Air & Marine’s use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for border surveillance purposes. Roth provided additional insight and context for some of the report’s findings and recommendations. The IG’s report, which became public a few weeks ago, has been met with vehement challenges from CBP, but in this morning’s interview, Roth did not back down from his findings. For those who are interested in the use of UAVs for border surveillance, Roth’s interview provides some additional data points for the on-going debate and it is worth hearing. (Also check out my blog post on the IG’s report – DHS Inspector General Says CBP Drone Program is of “Dubious” Benefit.)

From Federal News Radio:

John Roth, Inspector General, Department of Homeland Security

Eight years after unmanned aircraft became a part of border security, the effectiveness of the program remains a question mark. A new Homeland Security inspector general audit reveals, Customs and Border Protection never developed performance measures. Investigators found aircraft don’t meet flight goals. And, CBP has way undercalculated flight costs. John Roth is the Inspector General at Homeland Security. He joined the Federal Drive with Tom Temin with more on the report and the future of the drone program.