Overview

• The One Big Beautiful Bill Act requires that none of the $6 billion earmarked for border surveillance towers be spent unless U.S. Customs and Border Protection certifies them as autonomous.
• A CBP spokesperson confirmed that only Anduril’s AI-driven Sentry Towers currently meet the autonomous certification criteria.
• Competing contractors, including Elbit and General Dynamics, are ineligible for the surveillance-tower funds until they obtain the same CBP approval.
• The broader $165 billion DHS budget allocates $46.5 billion for new wall construction, $3.2 billion for technology upgrades, and $2.7 billion specifically for surveillance systems.
• Anduril’s political and financial backing, highlighted by a $1 billion investment from Peter Thiel’s Founders Fund and close ties to the Trump administration, underscores the high stakes of this exclusive arrangement.