US Army seeks next-generation system to track detainees from capture to release

The U.S. Army has issued a Request for Information (RFI) to identify existing and emerging technologies that are capable of supporting a modernized Detainee Management, Accountability, and Reporting system (DMAR).

The effort is part of a broader push to overhaul how the military handles detainee tracking, reporting, and data management across the full spectrum of operations, from the moment of capture through final disposition.

The RFI makes clear that the intent is to move beyond the limitations of the aging Detainee Reporting System, which has served as the core digital tool for tracking detainee information, and has been criticized for its lack of integration with modern data systems and its limited capacity for handling the breadth of information required in today’s operational environments.

A “detainee” is any person who has been captured, held, or otherwise placed under the control of U.S. armed forces during armed conflict or other military operations. This includes enemy combatants, known and suspected terrorists, individuals detained for security purposes, and persons held for criminal prosecution under local or international law.

Detainees can be housed in anything from short-term battlefield holding areas to long-term theater internment facilities, and their status may change as intelligence, legal findings, or operational conditions evolve. DMAR is intended to track these changes seamlessly, ensuring that every status adjustment is documented and visible to the relevant commands.

The modernized DMAR platform is envisioned by the Army as a “solution that provides end-to-end detainee lifecycle management, from point of capture to final disposition. This includes the documentation of biometric, biographic, medical, and legal information; tracking of detainee movement and status; audit logging; and integration with related intelligence, law enforcement, and command and control systems.”

The RFI says “the capability must be scalable, cybersecure, and compliant with all applicable Department of Defense (DOD), U.S. Government, and international regulations governing the handling of detainees in both kinetic and non-kinetic operational environments.”

The Army’s solution would be able to handle detainee lifecycle management under the most challenging conditions – battlefield captures, coalition-run detention facilities, and long-term custody scenarios – while meeting DOD cybersecurity standards.

The system would also need to integrate seamlessly with modern biometric collection technologies, including fingerprint, iris, facial, and even voice recognition capabilities like the Biometrics Automated Toolset–Army (BAT-A) and newer platforms like the Next Generation Biometric Collection Capability (NXGBCC).

DMAR is rooted in existing U.S. military detention doctrine, which has evolved significantly since the early 2000s. Under DOD Directive 2310.01E and related Army field manuals, detainee operations are governed by a comprehensive framework that encompasses humane treatment, intelligence exploitation, and the legal processing of detainees in compliance with the Geneva Conventions and other applicable laws of war.

Within this framework, detainee accountability is not simply a matter of recordkeeping, but it also is a command responsibility that underpins operational legitimacy and legal compliance.

In the early years of the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts, detainee management relied heavily on the Theater Internment Facility Detainee Reporting System (TIFDRS), a database designed primarily for internment facility use.

While TIFDRS provided a structured way to log detainees’ basic information, it was largely static, lacked integration with biometric systems, and could not easily follow a detainee across different facilities or operational theaters.

Data sharing between commands was cumbersome, and the system did not provide the kind of rapid, field-accessible reporting needed by forward-deployed units.

The shortcomings of TIFDRS and other ad hoc solutions led to the creation of the Detainee Reporting System, which expanded functionality and began integrating limited biometric data through systems like BAT-A. DRS represented a step forward in centralizing detainee information, but it still suffered from siloed data streams, limited coalition interoperability, and a heavy reliance on manual data entry that increased the risk of errors.

Battlefield lessons from Iraq and Afghanistan repeatedly underscored that delays or inaccuracies in detainee records could lead to mistaken releases, hinder intelligence exploitation, and undermine trust with coalition partners.

By the mid-2010s, the Army recognized that the pace of modern operations, combined with advances in biometric and cloud technologies, required a more integrated, real-time approach.

At the operational level, DMAR provides a digital backbone for the roles and responsibilities outlined in detention doctrine. Commanders at every echelon are charged with ensuring that detainees are properly identified, safeguarded, and processed.

In the intelligence domain, DMAR serves as a central repository for biometric and biographic data that can be cross-referenced against watchlists, criminal databases, and other intelligence holdings to determine potential threat levels or connections to ongoing investigations.

Historically, detainee management systems in the U.S. military have struggled with fragmentation, with separate databases for biometrics, legal proceedings, and medical records, often managed by different commands or agencies.

This fragmentation created gaps that could be exploited by detainees attempting to obscure their identities, and it complicated coalition operations where data-sharing protocols were inconsistent.

The RFI’s language reflects the recognition that detainee operations in the 21st century are not confined to traditional military prisons. Counterterrorism, counterinsurgency, and stability operations often involve short-term holding facilities in austere conditions, rapid transfers between jurisdictions, and the need for instant identity verification in the field.

The Army has not set a formal procurement timeline. However, the performance requirements outlined in the RFI suggest that any eventual contract would cover not just the procurement and deployment of the technology, but also training, sustainment, and rapid in-theater support.

Interested vendors may be invited to demonstrate their solution at a future Industry Day and should indicate their interest in a demo opportunity.

RFIs must be submitted no later than August 21 at 2:00 PM ET.

Article Topics

biometric identification  |  biometrics  |  Department of Defense  |  government purchasing  |  military  |  RFI  |  tender  |  U.S. Army  |  U.S. Government