To better coordinate the various biometric development efforts and databases throughout the Defense Department, the Pentagon soon plans to establish a DoD Biometrics Center of Excellence within the Army.
Creation of the new center will develop a “critical mass for biometrics” within DoD to achieve commonality where its needed and prevent duplication, Thomas Dee, director of defense biometrics within the Pentagon’s Defense Research and Engineering Office, tells TR2.
Dee is quick to point out that the Biometrics Center of Excellence will not be a biometrics defense agency, as some in the Army and Industry have been saying. It will report within the Army command structure not to the Office of the Secretary of Defense, he says.
As the Pentagon’s executive agent for biometrics, it makes sense that the Army be responsible for the new center of excellence. Staffing is underway for the center although the directive establishing it is still pending.
According to a 23 page draft of the directive, the detailed missions, tasks and functions of the Biometrics Center of Excellence include maintaining “master repositories of biometric data and non-intelligence associated information, as well as the means to exchange the data and information with other USG (U.S. Government) agencies and coalition partners…” These activities include standards, process and procedure development for biometric data archiving and maintaining the ability to “rapidly store and match biometric samples” submitted by the military departments and other government agencies.
Under the draft plan, the Biometrics Center of Excellence would also be responsible for biometrics “research and engineering for DoD, and other USG sponsors in support of the DoD S&T (Science and Technology) roadmap.” Dee says that his office expects to have $10.2 million in FY ’08 toward a new biometrics S&T plan. Guidance for the plan is currently being worked with the Army.
“We’re checking throughout DoD on what’s being done on biometrics S&T,” Dee says. “Where are the gaps? We’re mapping what’s being done versus where needs are.” He notes that the Pentagon doesn’t have the “fidelity” yet on future biometrics requirements.
The new center would also conduct biometrics test and evaluation efforts and work with operators to “resolve interoperability and supportability issues,” the draft document says.
The center will not be staffed with acquisition personnel, Dee says. Procurement will remain the prerogative of the individual services although the Army as executive agent will still have coordinating responsibilities, Dee says. “Where things are common the Army will manage them.” However, he says, “We don’t want the services developing their own standards and databases.” That’s why there needs to be a central focus for this, which is the Center of Excellence, he says.
Dee says the Center of Excellence would be a resource advocate within the Army, battling for monies to be spent on biometrics and identity management solutions.
According to industry officials, the high level Pentagon planning for the new Center of Excellence remains in flux. Regardless of the organizational outcome, one official says the debate is important in the “maturation of the organizational command and control of biometric technology as a warfighting capability.”
At some point, this official says that DoD needs to provide a vision statement, strategic plan and directive guidance for developing biometric capabilities. This official and others would like to see the debate settled soon so that the DoD leadership can “begin spending their time communicating that vision to the military services, industry and academia.”
DoD is currently managing its biometrics efforts on near-term and long-term tracks. The near-term efforts are largely guided by the need to maintain and upgrade capabilities fielded following the start of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Earlier this year the Army issued a Request for Information for untethered, man portable tactical biometric devices but found nothing that could meet the requirement, Dee says. Instead the Army decided to upgrade its current devices, such as the HIIDE device supplied by L-1 Identity Solutions [ID]. In the meantime, the strategy includes better developing requirements for an untethered system that hopefully can be met in the FY ’09 timeframe, he says.
Beyond that, the Pentagon is conducting a Capabilities Based Assessment to help it meet its longer-term needs for biometrics. That assessment is expected to be completed sometime in FY ’08, in time to inform initial budget plans for the FY ’10 defense budget.