U.S. Defense Department biometrics database upgraded

DOD Biometrics today announced that it has deployed an upgraded version of the Automated Biometrics Identification System, known as DOD ABIS.

DOD ABIS is the DOD’s authoritative biometrics enterprise data repository. It allows combatant commanders, DOD agencies, and other federal and international partners to use fingerprints, palm prints, iris images, and facial images of non-U.S. threat forces to identify known or suspected adversaries.

Known and suspected adversaries from the repository are compiled by partner agencies into biometrically-enabled watch lists, making the data actionable by matching encounters against these watch list identities and sharing those match responses with key mission partners.

The system is able to process up to 30,000 daily transactions and hold up to 18 million records. The updated system also automatically makes match determinations at a significantly greater rate, requiring less time intensive manual review by biometrics examiners.

Deemed a critical system in the U.S. national security apparatus, several agencies participated in the testing of the system.

The agencies included: U.S. Special Operations Command, U.S. Central Command, U.S. Africa Command, U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command, Capability Manager – Biometrics and Forensics, the State Department, the Department of Homeland Security, the Biometrics Identity Management Activity, the National Ground Intelligence Center, Customs and Border Protection, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Additional users and inter-agency partners participated in the testing process to assure that DOD ABIS 1.2 met their diverse mission needs.

The upgrade to DOD ABIS was supported by a customer test and evaluation conducted by the Army Test and Evaluation Command. The test agency was the Electronic Proving Ground.

As part of the deployment, DOD ABIS 1.2 underwent an initial operational test and evaluation to verify the functionality of the deployed system. Future testing will enable the fielding of a master recovery system in support of continuity of operations, which will serve as a disaster recovery capability for the authoritative repository. Once the master recovery system is deployed, the milestone decision authority will render a decision on the status of the system, clearing the way for DOD ABIS 1.2 to become a U.S. Army program of record.

DOD ABIS is maintained by DoD Biometrics, which is tasked with designing, engineering, acquiring, deploying, and sustaining enterprise biometric solutions in multiple operating environments, with the goal of enabling identity dominance on the battlefield and across the U.S. Defense Department.

Article Topics

ABIS  |  biometric database  |  biometrics  |  Department of Defense  |  military  |  United States