During a House Homeland Security Committee hearing prior to the congressional recess, Rep. Sheri Biggs (R-SC) questioned Jon Gruen, the Chief Executive Officer at Fortem Technologies, about preventing bad actors from harming high-profile targets at upcoming events.
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00:00I want to thank the Ranking Member. I recognize the gentlelady from South Carolina, Ms. Biggs.
00:09Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you to the witnesses for being here today.
00:13As the United States gears up to welcome the world for the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the 2028
00:21Olympic Games, our national travel infrastructure stands at a crucial juncture demanding comprehensive
00:29readiness. The influx of international visitors for these events will place unprecedented demands
00:37on our transportation networks and border security. The recent executive order signed by President Trump
00:46creating the World Cup task force signifies a critical recognition of the imperative for seamless
00:54interagency collaboration. This dedicated task force will be instrumental in strategically preparing
01:03our ports of entry, modernizing airport facilities and operations, and fortifying supporting systems
01:12such as customs and border protection, security protocols, and transportation logistics.
01:19So to Mr. Freeman, how should the World Cup task force prioritize its efforts to address
01:28operational challenges at our airports and our ports of entry?
01:35Thank you for the question, Congresswoman. I think it's critical as the World Cup task force gets up and
01:38running that first we acknowledge we're already behind the eight ball. The World Cup starts in about 15
01:43months. Other countries are already planning, you know, for the the 2029 World Cup, I'm sorry, the 2030 World Cup.
01:50That planning is already ahead of where we are. So we've got to acknowledge acknowledge we're already
01:54behind the eight ball. I have all the faith in the world and the local destinations that are hosting the World Cup.
01:59They have been coordinating and they're going to do a great, a great job. The question really becomes when
02:05in terms of getting people to the games moving about the U.S. and moving into the United States, I think for the
02:10domestic traveler, we're going to see concerns when it comes to moving people through the airports. The
02:16demand that we're going to see is basically a Thanksgiving every day for about the 45 days of
02:22the World Cup. We all know what it's like traveling on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. That's what we
02:26can expect. It begs the question, what are the things we can do to be more efficient during that period? And
02:32this task force is critical about aligning the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of
02:36Transportation and other relevant agencies to ensure we can meet that demand. For the foreign travelers
02:42coming in, the truth is we're already too late for some of them. I mentioned the wait times for
02:47Colombians to get a visa. If they don't have their visa now for the World Cup in 26, their window is
02:53closed. That's shame on us, right? That's opportunity missed for the United States. And then we've got to
02:57identify what are the other markets where that window is already closing and how do we process visas
03:03quickly in those markets so we can help those travelers get here. When we know they're coming,
03:07customs will be the final area where this task force has to work closely with DHS, with other
03:13elements of the of the government to ensure that we don't have two, three, four hour wait times
03:18to get through Miami, to get through LAX, to get through JFK. That is a tremendous concern of ours.
03:24There is nothing more predictable than when a plane is going to land, how many people are on it,
03:29and who those people are. So there's no excuse to not be staffed appropriately to move these travelers
03:35through and that's where the task force needs to be focused. Thank you so much for your insight.
03:41My second question, Mr. Gruen, with major international events acting as high profile targets for bad
03:50actors, how do you think the task force should integrate threat intelligence, interagency coordination,
03:57and emerging technologies like counter-USAS and AI-enabled surveillance into the strategic planning?
04:05Thank you, Congresswoman. Your second point, technology needs to be procured and deployed now. So we
04:14recommend 12 months out from events to really get the technology on the ground, get the personnel trained,
04:24and run through different scenarios to mitigate threats. So we believe the task force needs to do
04:32that aspect. Part of that is also going to be authorities to enable local and state law enforcement to have
04:38the authorities to mitigate large threats such as drones when they're on the ground. So again, prioritizing that we
04:48are behind the power curve on this. We need the task force to prioritize the procurement and deployment of
04:55technologies and the training of personnel so that we have adequate protection. Thank you so much. My time
05:01has expired so I yield back.
05:11you