Now that 2009 is behind us, we reflect on all that the BTF has accomplished during the past year and all that we plan to achieve in 2010. We are energized by our past successes and, most importantly, inspired to continue building upon these efforts in the upcoming year.

Since its inception, the BTF has worked tirelessly to ensure the safety of both the nation and the warfighter by spearheading the expansion, cultivation, and integration of biometric technology and capabilities across the DoD. With this goal in mind, the BTF continues to promote an architecture of interoperability that will allow federal government agencies to share and exchange biometric data.

In this issue of The Scan, we take a look at where we've been with respect to biometrics and where we're going. Our lead story provides a brief glimpse of biometrics' long and varied history, reaching all the way back to 2600 B.C. Tracing some of the historical foundations of the BTF's work to the present day, this feature also details a few of the most significant biometric technology milestones of the past decade.

We are proud of the BTF's role as the DoD's resident advocate for biometrics. It is in this capacity that we are able to strengthen and secure the Department's position at the leading edge of biometric technology. This issue of The Scan highlights four completed products that were received in response to FY08 Broad Agency Announcements (BAAs). We look forward to exploring how our troops in the field will be able to benefit from the optimized technology offered by each one.

We also bring you an update regarding ongoing efforts to establish system interoperability among various government agencies. Read about how the Biometrics Triad, composed of three biometric databases used by the DoD, DHS, Department of Justice, and Department of State, is working to synchronize data and develop interoperable database capabilities. We also spotlight the BTF's role in promoting the adoption and increased awareness of biometric standards across the DoD Enterprise. One way that the BTF is accomplishing this is through a newly designated appointment as chair of the Defense Information Systems Agency's (DISA) Biometrics Focus Group. In addition, the BTF is working to facilitate DoD-wide migration of version 2.0 of the DoD Electronic Biometrics Transmission Specification (EBTS) in the coming year.

Forging ahead into 2010, we look forward to meeting the challenges associated with the continued expansion of DoD biometric capabilities. The BTF will continue to keep pace with a constantly accelerating rate of growth, both in terms of the quantity of biometric data collected and the need for tools and integrated systems to better equip the warfighter to efficiently store, handle, and retrieve this information.

Biometrics use is growing and expanding as evidenced by the many strides made across the biometrics community of users.