The Defense Biometric Identification System is a centralized, rules-based access verification system that produces identification cards. The DBIDS system of registering military and civilian users into a database with personal information, photographs and 2-print fingerprints, as well as assigning “rules” governing installation access, has provided security at access control points in Korea since 2001, in Germany since 2003, and most recently in Kuwait and Qatar in Southwest Asia. DBIDS is also being employed at Ft. Hood, TX and other stateside bases.

DBIDS was first developed for use in Korea in the late 1990s. Commanders noticed that following increased security measures, a base employee often had as many as eight ID cards on his or her lanyard. As security measures became a top initiative, a more streamlined system that includes a biometric component was developed by the Defense Manpower Data Center. DBIDS enrollment began in Korea in 2000, and the system was fully operational by August 2001. Following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the system was augmented by a wireless hand-held device capable of running independently of the server, a valuable quality in the event of a network outage.

As DMDC notes, “Commanders need an edge, a system that will authenticate a credential at issuance and will verify the credential as valid at access points.”

Headquartered at the DoD Center in Seaside, CA, DMDC has developed a number of solutions to help commanders control access to their camps, posts, and stations. DoD Directive 1000.25, the Personal Identity Protection (PIP) program, describes a family of identity management solutions, including DBIDS, the Real-Time Automated Personnel Identification System (RAPIDS), the Defense National Visitors System (DNVS), the Defense Cross-Credentialing Identification System (DCCIS), and the Common Access Card (CAC), among others.

DBIDS uses DoD ID cards to enroll military members stationed at a particular installation; the system issues DBIDS cards to authorize civilian employees access. At the “gate,” security personnel have the options of viewing the photo ID, scanning the barcode and/or checking fingerprint info as the security situation warrants. A hand-held device simply reads a “green screen” if a person is authorized and “red screen” if he or she is not. Security personnel are then authorized to proceed accordingly. In some cases, lost ID cards have been recovered through use of the system, and in a pilot program at Presidio, CA, even a suspected felon was caught with the DBIDS. An achievement DBIDS Project Manager Mike Masica called, “an unexpected bonus.”

Currently, DBIDS systems are being tested at Fort Hood, TX, and Fort Polk, LA. Increased traffic demands stateside have prompted DMDC to add vehicular identification features and other modifications to meet installation needs. The Fort Hood Automated Access Control System, nicknamed the “Phantom Express,” is being designed to reduce guard requirements/costs while speeding the flow of traffic.