By Calvin Biesecker
TAMPA, Fla.–Earlier this month Pentagon Acquisition Chief John Young directed that the DoD Biometrics office, led by the Army, be designated an Acquisition Category 1 program, starting a process that is expected to lead to the various programs managed by the office to have their own budget lines beginning in the FY ’10 budget request that will go to Congress early next year.
The Sept. 2 Acquisition Decision Memorandum (ADM) says the Biometric Enterprise Core Capability (BECC) and the Biometric Family of Capabilities for Full Spectrum Operations (BFCFSO) are included in the ACAT 1 designation. The BECC refers to the current and next-generation biometric DoD database, commonly known as the Automated Biometric Identification System, or ABIS, which is used to store fingerprints of known and suspected terrorist and enemy insurgents. Northrop Grumman [NOC] is developing the next-generation ABIS, which will eventually feature other biometric modes such as facial and iris images.
The BFCFSO refers to a series of tactical collection devices currently in use by the Army in the Iraqi and Afghanistan operational theaters and elsewhere. These devices include the Biometric Automated Toolset (BAT), which consists of several components for the capture of different biometrics, and the handheld unit called HIIDE that can capture iris images, a digital photograph and a single fingerprint at a time. The BAT effort is integrated by SAIC [SAI] and HIIDE is developed and produced by L-1 Identity Solutions [ID].
With the ACAT-1 designation, the BECC and BFCFSO will become programs of record, meaning they will compete within the Army’s annual budget process for funding. But it also means that these programs will have higher visibility in terms of obtaining regular funding. Currently, these efforts are being supported by the supplemental budget process to fund the ongoing wars, which means funding sources could be harder to come by as the wars wind down or if this budgeting process is ended.
“This overarching designation is assigned to: ensure that development, acquisition, and fielding of biometric capabilities across the Department supports common, joint, and service-unique requirements; and provide a framework in which biometrics developers and users can program and budget sufficient resources to support DoD biometrics needs,” the ADM says.
The Army is the executive agent for DoD Biometrics and is responsible for piecing together the acquisition plan for current and proposed biometric programs, Young says in the memo. He says the service should aim for a Milestone B decision, which is a development effort, no later than FY ’10. Milestone C, which is a production decision, is slated about 18 months later in FY ’11, Col. Ted Jennings, the Project Manager for DoD Biometrics, said on Tuesday at the annual Biometrics Consortium Convention.
Young, who is the under secretary of defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics, will have Milestone decision authority.
Before the Milestone B decisions for the BECC and BFCFSO are made, an analysis of alternatives will have to be completed that examines the various capabilities DoD Biometrics is exploring. The alternatives analysis in turn will feed into a capabilities development document process, which describes the requirements. Once that is done, the programs will be better defined.
The capabilities development documents will be performed by the Pentagon’s Biometrics Task Force for the BECC and the Army’s Training and Doctrine Command for the tactical collection devices.