US Coast Guard seeks iOS-compatible biometric devices for at-sea identity checks

The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) is asking industry for information on iOS-compatible biometric collection devices that could support its Biometrics at Sea System (BASS), a maritime law enforcement program used to identify people encountered during interdictions, boardings, and other at-sea operations.

The request for information describes the Biometrics at Sea System, or BASS, as a critical Coast Guard capability for collecting, analyzing, and using biometric data in support of maritime law enforcement authorities, maritime domain awareness, officer safety, and the identification of people involved in illicit activity.

The request comes as the Coast Guard continues to modernize BASS. In September, the service announced that it had awarded Parsons Corporation’s InCadence Strategic Solutions an indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contract worth up to $9.7 million to support BASS 2.0.

That contract covers additional biometric devices, software and hardware sustainment, peripheral equipment, integration, infrastructure, and cybersecurity work. The Coast Guard said at the time that crews collect biometrics at sea and submit them to DHS enterprise systems for identity checks that inform law enforcement decisions.

The new RFI appears to explore whether the Coast Guard can expand or diversify the hardware available for the same operational environment, specifically by identifying devices compatible with Apple’s iOS ecosystem.

The current fielded device identified in the capability statement is the Javelin XL, a rugged handheld capable of collecting multiple biometrics, including a four-finger fingerprint sensor, dual iris camera, and Android smartphone camera for face capture and photographs.

The operational need is straightforward. Coast Guard boarding teams often work in disconnected, intermittent and low-bandwidth environments, where connectivity may depend on Wi-Fi, cellular links, docking stations, or other available communications.

The capability statement says teams need to collect biometric and biographic data from individuals onboard vessels, query local watchlists, submit data to authoritative biometric repositories when connectivity is available, and receive results that can be used by boarding officers and decision-makers.

The Coast Guard’s use cases show how the system is expected to work during vessel boardings. A designated law enforcement team boards a vessel, physically carries the BASS device, and uses it to capture biometric information from onboard individuals.

The device may be used on battery power during a standard boarding and must be able to remain operational during longer missions, including through battery replacement. The captured data can be submitted through available connectivity for search and enrollment in authoritative biometric repositories.

The data exchange component is central to the program. The capability statement says biometric data is sent to authoritative databases owned by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Defense Department and Department of Homeland Security, while biographic data is used to run encounter checks for wants, warrants, and other relevant law enforcement information.

Results are returned to the device and may identify a person, flag potential officer-safety concerns, or prompt the boarding team to contact a command center for deeper analysis of derogatory information.

The system is also meant to support intelligence and mission coordination after the initial encounter. Personnel from the originating unit, tactical control elements, and supporting intelligence components may access enrollment data and query results.

The capability statement says authorized users may access summary information from searches and enrollments, coordinate with Coast Guard and external mission partners, and use captured biometric and biographic information to nominate illicit actors to federal watchlists when appropriate.

The capabilities sought are organized around three main areas: on-scene identity verification and enrollment, seamless and assured data exchange, and mission-ready operational capability.

The first area requires rapid collection of multiple biometric modalities, including fingerprints, iris scans, and facial images, as well as contextual photographs of scars, marks and tattoos and associated biographic data.

It also calls for local watchlist screening on the collection device, so operators can receive immediate results even when disconnected from networks.

After that initial local screening, the system must be able to query national and international authoritative databases to determine whether an individual is a known threat, person of interest, or otherwise requires further action.

If the person is not found in any database, the Coast Guard wants the ability to enroll the person’s complete biometric and biographic profile into the appropriate systems directly from the operational location.

The second capability area focuses on moving data reliably between collection devices and databases. The document says the system must work whether personnel are pier-side, near shore, or operating in remote areas with degraded connectivity.

It must automatically use available connections without complex manual configuration, confirm that submissions have been received and processed, and maintain a verifiable audit trail by logging data as it moves between collection devices and authoritative databases.

The third area addresses the practical realities of maritime enforcement. The device must be portable, unobtrusive, rugged, and able to withstand water, salt, and shock.

It must support tactical awareness and personal safety during boardings, remain powered for the duration of missions that may exceed a standard battery life, and be backed by training that goes beyond basic device operation.

Security and interoperability are major concerns. BASS operations require extracted data to be securely stored on the device before transmission, with data stored in encrypted formats using Coast Guard-approved hardware and software tools.

Once transmitted, data from BASS devices must integrate with the data exchange that pushes biometric data to authoritative databases and biographic data for encounter checks.

The capability statement says authorized personnel in the Coast Guard, DHS and the Intelligence Community have access to the data exchange for further analysis, storage and dissemination.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  Biometrics at Sea  |  data collection  |  RFI  |  U.S. Coast Guard  |  U.S. Government