IntroductionThe northern American border with Canada is 4,000 miles stretching from Washington State to Maine with 115 manned border crossings (US Border Patrol 2014). Similarly, the southern border with Mexico is 2,000 miles long and extends from Texas to California, with 61 manned border crossings (US Border Patrol 2014). Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has worked diligently to place a wall and vehicle barriers to prevent drug traffickers and illegal immigrants from crossing the southern border, while improving port passage along the northern border. The borders had a combined flow of 25,755,204 pedestrian travelers and 111,595,575 both passenger and commercial vehicles carrying 186,865,756 passengers. Commercial vehicles also transport 13,598,408 containers for 2013. Manning these ports and patrolling the vast 6,000 miles of border is a force of 20,000 Customs and Border Patrol agents (Research and Innovative Technology Administration 2014). This study addresses how the Department of Homeland Security has incorporated unmanned aircraft to protect America's borders. The Department of Homeland Security received authorization in 2003 to purchase a Predator Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) (Barry 2013). The Predator B is stationed in Sierra Vista, Arizona, and flies in support of U.S.-Mexico border security. Unmanned aircraft bring a new and dynamic advantage when it comes to surveillance and incorporate cutting-edge technology. During fiscal year 2013, the Border Patrol seized 2,428,419 pounds of marijuana along the Southwest border, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (2014). The Department of Homeland Security is deploying unmanned aerial vehicles to the fullest extent of its capabilities to protect A...... middle of paper ......der/TBDR_BC/TBDR_BCQ.html.RT USA. “US Customs Drone Fleet After $12 Million Unmanned Plane Crashes Off California.” RT USA. January 28, 2014. Accessed June 13, 2014. http://rt.com/usa/customs-drone-crash-california-314/."Southern Border." Barrier on the southern border of the United States. Accessed June 12, 2014. http://www.usborderpatrol.com/Border_Patrol1301.htm."US Customs and Border Protection." US Customs and Border Protection. Accessed June 13, 2014. http://www.cbp.gov/border-security/air-sea/milestones-and-achievements/fiscal-year-2011-milestones-and-achievements.US Department of Homeland Security, Office Of Inspector General. OIG-14-40 Independent Review of Fiscal Year 2013 Drug Enforcement Performance Summary Report by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, February 14, 2014. Accessed June 13, 2014. http://www.oig .dhs.gov/assets/Mgmt/ 2014/OIG_14-40_Feb14.pdf.