SURVEILLANCE TOWERS NOW ACTIVE IN TWO USVI ISLANDS, CBP CONFIRMS

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency has acknowledged that two islands in the U.S. Virgin Islands now host equipment from its Maritime Approaches Surveillance Towers network, according to an October 1 amendment to a federal procurement notice.

CBP's Air and Marine Operations division issued the statement while seeking industry partners for maintenance and logistical support of the deployed systems. The agency made clear that "Specific MAST site locations will not be disclosed at this time."

The surveillance installations combine commercial radar, electro-optical and infrared cameras, encrypted Automatic Identification System receivers and communications equipment. The Department of Homeland Security says these systems function around the clock, seven days a week, and can be mounted on towers, monopoles, tripods, raised platforms or existing structures depending on local conditions.

Data gathered by the equipment flows through a DHS-accredited network to authorized federal operations centers. CBP has not revealed which specific islands house the systems, their exact positions, when they became operational, or what each USVI installation cost.

The network serves CBP's broader maritime domain awareness mission, designed to detect and track vessels approaching U.S. territory in areas where conventional patrols may not provide constant coverage. The Department of Homeland Security previously reported that a five-site Caribbean configuration with a command center achieved 10 successful interdictions in its first nine months, leading to the seizure of more than 600 kilograms of cocaine and roughly 15 apprehensions. The federal records do not specify how many of those results came from the Virgin Islands locations.

Beyond maintaining current equipment, CBP is planning a much larger expansion. DHS acquisition forecasts show the agency intends to pursue a contract valued at more than $100 million for rapid production and deployment of additional MAST systems. A solicitation is projected for December 2026, with an anticipated award in the third quarter of fiscal year 2027, and the contract is expected to remain active through 2032.