Sea and Air Security for President's Inauguration
January 3, 2005
This past New Year's Eve, as thousands of revelers celebrated the descent of the ball in Times Square in New York City, aircraft from the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Office of Air and Marine Operations (AMO) flew airspace security missions overhead. Weeks later in January 2005, during the Presidential Inauguration ceremonies, AMO Black Hawk helicopters and Citation aircraft will help patrol the skies over Washington, DC These are two uniquely American events; two tempting targets for terrorists; and two examples of the role AMO plays in protecting America.
ICE’s AMO protects the American people and critical infrastructure through the coordinated use of air and marine law enforcement to detect, interdict, and deter acts of terrorism and smuggling arising from the unlawful movement of people, goods, and money across the borders of the United States.
AMO’s three core competencies – airspace security, air and marine interdiction, and air and marine law enforcement support – are critical to the successful execution of the Department of Homeland Security's strategic goals. Since the terrorist attacks of 9/11, AMO has transformed its proven capabilities in drug interdiction, airspace security, and law enforcement support into solutions for some of the most challenging security missions facing DHS and the nation.
AMO has a staff of more than 1,000 dedicated individuals with a broad range of experience. The AMO staff operates a fleet of 133 aircraft, including UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters, Astar helicopters, as well as C-210, C-12, and long-range P-3 Orion fixed-wing aircraft. The P-3s conduct air detection and monitoring missions in drug source and transit zones, including South and Central America, the Eastern Pacific, and the Caribbean, under the aegis of the Joint Inter Agency Task Force-South, a unit of the US Southern Command.
The Marine Division of AMO operates 73 vessels. The marine fleet includes 39-foot interceptor vessels, 33-foot SAFE boats, various utility craft, and larger oceangoing support and radar platform vessels. These AMO vessels operate mostly along US coastlines and in US seaports. AMO marine crews and assets work closely with the US Coast Guard, the US Navy, and other state and local law enforcement organizations.
AMO Facilities and Organization
AMO is based at ICE headquarters in Washington, DC The AMO organization has nine Air and Marine Branches, two Surveillance Support Branches, eleven Air Units, and 16 Marine Units at field locations throughout the continental United States and Puerto Rico. In Oklahoma City, AMO has a standardization and training facility called the Oklahoma City National Aviation Center. AMO’s domestic presence will soon expand with five new Northern Border branches. The first two of these Northern Border branches will be located in Bellingham, Washington, and Plattsburgh, New York.
In addition, AMO operates the Air and Marine Operations Center (AMOC) located at March Air Reserve Base in Riverside, California. Created in 1988 as a state-of-the-art law enforcement radar surveillance center, the AMOC plays an integral role in protecting America. Following the 9/11 attacks, the AMOC has utilized its extensive detection, monitoring, and coordination capabilities to enhance security of the national airspace – all the while maintaining its critical role in air and marine interdiction and law enforcement support.
Airspace Security Efforts
In January 2003, AMO began airspace security operations in the Washington, DC area with helicopter and fixed-wing aircraft on temporary assignment from their base units elsewhere to secure this vital airspace. Additionally, a multi-agency National Capital Region Coordination Center was established in the Washington, DC region with a nucleus of AMO personnel on loan from the AMOC in Riverside.
AMO has provided airspace security support to a number of other critical events in recent years, including the 2002 Winter Olympics in Utah, and the 2003 and 2004 Super Bowls. During Operation Liberty Shield, AMO conducted airspace security efforts over New York and provided P-3 detection and monitoring flights along the northern border. During the level Orange terror alerts last December and January, AMO participated in airspace security operations to protect several US cities, including New York, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles.
Air and Marine Interdiction Efforts
During fiscal and calendar year 2003, AMO personnel and assets were involved in interdiction operations at home and abroad that resulted in the seizure of more than 76,000 pounds of cocaine and nearly 335,000 pounds of marijuana. These operations also resulted in more than 980 arrests. Many of these interdiction operations involved AMO P-3 aircraft which are frequently assigned on a rotating basis to locations in the drug source and transit zones in El Salvador, Ecuador, and Aruba. AMO aircraft also deploy when necessary to sites in Panama, Peru, Belize, Costa Rica and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Thus far this Fiscal Year, AMO has provided the only US airborne detection and monitoring capability in the drug source zone.
Air and Marine Law Enforcement Support
AMO supports Department of Homeland Security operations for ICE’s Office of Investigation, ICE’s Office of Federal Protective Service, and ICE’s Office of Detention and Removal Operations, as well as for US Customs and Border Protection. AMO also provides critical air and marine support to other federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, including the US Secret Service, Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. For example, numerous AMO helicopters assisted the ATF during the Washington, DC sniper investigation. AMO assets also supported NASA and the US Northern Command during the space shuttle Columbia recovery efforts. Since 9/11 AMO has also been working closely with the US Coast Guard to secure US seaports in response to increased threat levels.
