ARMY AL&T


bomber removed from their midst, the remaining family members tell Army interrogators about the two insurgents who used the room and threatened to kill them if they said anything. With the terrorist arrested, they now feel safe enough to cooperate with the U.S. military.


The match report from ABIS identifies the second set of fingerprints as belong- ing to a local civilian who works at a nearby U.S. facility, our local national contractor employee. The military remotely updates the base access system to alert guards the next time the man comes to work. The next day when our local national inserts his badge and scans his finger, guards discover that he is wanted for questioning, so they take his badge and detain him.


This vignette illustrates how biometrics can be used to apprehend insurgents tied to bomb-making activities. Just as importantly, it shows how biometric information can free innocent family members from the terror of hosting insurgents so they can go about their lives in peace. In our scenario, the fingerprint match occurred quickly enough for the bomb maker to be identified and brought into custody, limiting detention time of the innocent family members.


Success With these systems in place, insurgents have come to realize they can no longer gain easy access to U.S. facilities, and, subsequently, attacks have decreased. The key to their previous success was to remain hidden, often in plain sight, blending in with the local population. The American Soldier, unable to speak


Arabic and unfamiliar with the culture and customs of Iraq and Afghanistan, found it difficult to distinguish insurgents from the general populace. Biometrics has helped lift this veil of anonymity.


Having demonstrated their value, use of these biometric systems spread rapidly. At the end of 2009, more than 1,000 BATs and 7,000 HIIDEs were in use by the Army and the U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) in Iraq and Afghanistan, and biomet- ric technology is widely credited with contributing to the U.S. military’s success in Iraq. For example, after the much-publicized USMC operation to capture the Iraqi town of Fallujah, bio- metrically enabled identification badges were issued to the local population to ensure insurgents would have difficulty reestablishing themselves in the city. In 2007 and 2008, more than 1,700 matches linked individuals to impro- vised explosive devices in Iraq alone. The use of biometrics clearly had a positive effect on the overall effort.


This success led the Association for Enterprise Information to award the 2009 Excellence in Enterprise Integration Award to DOD-ABIS v1.0, saying, “This team of government and industry partners has given the war- fighter a stronger, more reliable, and more effective tool that reduces the enemy’s ability to hide among innocent civilian populations—and a tool that


With these systems in place, insurgents have come to realize they can no longer gain easy access to U.S. facilities, and, subsequently, attacks have decreased.


The fi ngerprint scanner is one of three recognition tools the BAT system uses to identify an individual. (USMC photo by LCpl Thomas Provost.)


lays the foundation of a true enduring capability for DOD and its forces.”


PM DOD Biometrics provides tools that enable the U.S. military to effec- tively establish the identity of people they encounter during military operations. As situations demanded, the PM worked quickly to deploy effective biometric devices that enhanced identity manage- ment. DOD ABIS v1.0, BAT, BISA, and HIIDE expose insurgents and remove their ability to hide in local civilian popu- lations, enhancing safety of Soldiers and the quality of everyday life for the people of Iraq and Afghanistan.


JODY KIEFFER is a technical writer and editor for PM DOD Biometrics. She holds an A.A.S. in data processing technology from Northern Virginia Community College and a bachelor’s from the University of Missouri’s School of Journalism.


KEVIN TRISSELL is a senior contract consultant to PM DOD Biometrics. A retired USAF offi cer, he holds a B.S. in physics and a B.A. in French from Oklahoma State University, a B.S. in meteorology from Florida State University, and an M.B.A. and an M.P.A. from the City University of Seattle, WA.


APRIL –JUNE 2010 17


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