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At Homeland Security, No Money Left Behind

Kauhar Malieva, 19, of Kyrgyzstan stands inside a yurt, a traditional nomadic tent of Central Asia that the Kyrgyz Embassy is pitching to the U.S. government as a source of housing for people displaced by Hurricane Katrina.
Kauhar Malieva, 19, of Kyrgyzstan stands inside a yurt, a traditional nomadic tent of Central Asia that the Kyrgyz Embassy is pitching to the U.S. government as a source of housing for people displaced by Hurricane Katrina. (Photos By Michel Du Cille -- The Washington Post)
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Dozens of exhibitors vied for their place in the homeland security industrial complex: guard booths. Tactical antennas. Flood vents. Evacuation suits. The "German pavilion" promised "Safe and Sound with German Technologies." A Dutch pavilion had orange tulips and pictures of windmills. A Russian pavilion offered "safe" nuclear fuel.

"We went from a small company to a large company overnight," marveled Robert Smith at the Nasatka Barriers booth, where a video shows a truck losing a battle with a barrier.

Nearby, a Talon Robot was moving around with a mock pipe bomb in its claw. "In the last 18 months to two years, production skyrocketed," said Jason Wagner.

The booth offering Stabiloc manhole-cover locks reported interest from the Pentagon and various embassies. Even John Ritzenthaler, the guy selling prisoner-made office furniture, saw an opportunity at DHS. "There's a lot of growth in that particular agency," he said.

The government officials were happy to encourage the entrepreneurs. "We're asking industry to come to the table with us," Kevin Stevens, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection official, said at a workshop. "Help us transform the way we do business."

Across the exhibition floor, Alex Martinez was doing his best to help. Until a few years ago, his company, Coptervision, rented out remote-controlled helicopters to Hollywood studios for aerial shots in movies. But since 9/11, governments have been demanding his choppers, which start at $75,000. "It's a life-changing event," Martinez said.

For the federal government, this life change has added tens of billions of dollars to the deficit. For industry, it has added a similar amount to revenue -- and executives can hardly believe their luck. At the booth offering "LifeShirts" to monitor the vital signs of first responders and U.S. troops, CEO Andrew Behar said his products were originally used for drug trials.

And now? "We just deployed our first 50 with the Air Force," he reported. "We've got back orders now. It's a new world."


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