DHS Science and Technology Directorate S&T

The Homeland Security Act, signed on November 25, 2002, created the Directorate of Science and Technology to give the new department its own research capacity, including a Homeland Security Advanced Research Projects Agency modeled on DARPA. It is led by the Under Secretary for Science and Technology, confirmed by the Senate, and works for DHS components such as the Transportation Security Administration, Customs and Border Protection, FEMA, and the Secret Service.

S&T funds and tests technologies such as explosives detection systems for airport screening, sensors for the border, tools for first responders, and methods to detect chemical and biological agents. It runs laboratories including the Transportation Security Laboratory in New Jersey, the National Urban Security Technology Laboratory in New York, and the National Biodefense Analysis and Countermeasures Center at Fort Detrick, Maryland, which studies biological threats. It also funds university Centers of Excellence and sets standards for equipment used by emergency responders.

S&T's budget is small compared with defense and energy research, and critics including government auditors have long said its priorities were unclear and its results hard to measure. In 2025 the directorate faced staff and budget cuts, and plans to scale back or close its biodefense laboratory drew objections from lawmakers of both parties. Supporters of the cuts said other agencies could do the work, while biosecurity experts warned that the lab provides unique forensic capability after biological attacks.