Vision and Strategy 2020

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Vision and Strategy 2020 firmly establishes CBP’s role as the national leader in safeguarding our borders and promoting economic prosperity. The strategy provides the foundation for a transformative course that will enhance CBP’s foresight and agility to meet the increasingly global and complex challenges we face. While we continue to combat the threats of terrorism and transnational crime, safeguarding our economy by enabling lawful trade and travel remains an integral facet of our leadership role in national security. This balance between law enforcement and enhancing economic competitiveness requires a comprehensive understanding of all border threats and potential consequences; the establishment of a network of intelligence and law enforcement capabilities; and complete appreciation of our commercial partners’ needs and operating protocols. CBP’s innovative approaches to intelligence and targeting must anticipate and counter criminal networks that engage in diverse conspiracies that include terrorism, the importation of counterfeit or unsafe goods, drug smuggling, human smuggling and trafficking, as well as the outbound transfer of prohibited weapons and illicit bulk currency. CBP must continue its leadership role in integrating risk-informed, intelligence-based, agile and adoptable operations to advance public safety, national security, and economic prosperity.

The border is a nexus to a continuum of activities that threaten the national interests of both security and prosperity. In response, CBP will lead collaborative efforts that apply multi-directional pressure on those seeking to do us harm; outside the U.S. borders, at the border, and into interior regions of the country. CBP is fully committed to preventing strategic surprise and will continue to reinforce the principle of extending the “zone of security” in order to transcend the physical borders of the United States. CBP understands the global supply chain system is an interconnected network, and will continue to provide leadership in cultivating partnerships to exchange information and intelligence, build capacity, and increase worldwide security and compliance standards. One integral element of this mutually rewarding security and trade partnership between CBP and its international partners is the implementation of entry / exit strategies that promote greater transparency and enable enforcement and interdiction of both travelers and cargo leaving the United States.

In an ever-changing security and exchange environment, CBP has charted a course to ensure organizational efficiencies, optimized business processes, and prioritized capability development to meet operational priorities and overall mission effectiveness. CBP will continue to foster its shared identity and culture by attracting, hiring, developing and retaining top-quality, diverse, and performance-driven employees. CBP serves in a crucial leadership role for America’s national security and trade interests and sets the standard for excellence through the unifying tenets of collaboration, innovation and integration.

R. Gil Kerlikowske
Commissioner

Download the PDF (to the right) to read the full text of the Vision and Strategy 2020: U.S. Customs and Border Protection's Strategic Plan.