In just a few short years, the collection and transfer of biometric information has pushed DoD data storage and retrieval systems to capacity and resulted in the need to accommodate such growth.

A top priority of the BTF is to ensure that the warfighters serving on the front lines have the tools and resources they need to do their jobs quickly and efficiently.  To that end, the Department of Defense Automated Biometric Identification System (DoD ABIS) is designed to be one of those critical resources.  The new DoD ABIS has increased the number of modalities that can be collected and stored, improved the match rate, and reduced the response time to ensure that the warfighters have what they need to be operationally effective.  Our lead article describes how this increased capacity and faster processing is already making a difference.

Measureable achievement has also occurred in BTF plans to build a permanent facility to house and secure this cutting-edge technology.  Our once temporary facility plans have matured into a joint DoD-FBI Biometric Center of Excellence concept and future plan.

In other developments, the Air Force and Coast Guard are optimizing biometric capabilities for two very different purposes:  access control and capturing wanted criminals and illegal migrants, respectively.  In the next vignette in the series, “A Day in the Life of Biometrics,” a biometric enroller in Basra, Iraq, gives his first-hand account of how these new and emerging technologies are being used in the war zones.

We also delve into the policy work that supports BTF interagency coordination efforts.  This work, along with this issue’s Q&A, will describe in detail the initiatives related to the ongoing development of the Department of Defense Instruction (DoDI) for Biometrics.