DHS is nowhere close to complying with a requirement that, by July, all U.S.-bound cargo must be routinely scanned for nuclear and radiological materials and other components to make weapons of mass destruction?

According to Judicial Watch, DHS has spent hundreds of millions of dollars on questionable systems that couldn’t do the scanning.

In one case, DHS spent $200 million on 1,400 radiation portal monitors but had to stop using them since they didn’t do the job.

Ten years ago, the 9/11 Commission made a recommendation for 100-percent compliance by July 2012. The requirement was incorporated into the 9/11 Commission Act of 2007.

Within the DHS, Customs and Border Protection implements container security.

“Uncertainty persists over how DHS and CBP will fulfill the mandate for 100-percent scanning given that the feasibility remains unproven in light of the challenges CBP has faced implementing a pilot program for 100 percent scanning,” GAO said.

In attempting to determine whether 100-percent scanning was feasible, GAO had asked DHS to undertake such a study, but to date that hasn’t happened.

CBP informed GAO that it has not conducted such an assessment or identified alternatives and is “no longer pursuing efforts to implement 100 percent scanning,” a development that could place the nation’s security at serious risk. Out of nine foreign and domestic ports that were supposed to be involved in the 100-percent compliance study, any DHS testing was limited to just one port.