New Handheld Device Meets Maritime Challenge

Saltwater, dirt and rough handling are tough on electronics, particularly fine-tuned electronics, which is why the Navy/Marine Corps team is developing the System for Intelligence and Identity Management Operations (SIIMON) to enable the use of biometrics in Navy and Marine Corps applications and environments.  As a joint biometric solution, SIIMON will be a small, handheld device providing primarily biometric collection, enrollment, and local watch list matching capabilities for rolled and slap fingerprints as well as iris images.  It will also collect facial photographs.  Collected biometric data will meet the standards for the Department of Defense as well as U.S. law enforcement agencies.

Planned as an Abbreviated Acquisition Program (AAP), which delivers capability on an accelerated schedule, CDR John Funn and a team at the Naval Surface Warfare Center – Dahlgren Division are leading the SIIMON development effort.  The SIIMON AAP is expected to achieve a Limited Production Decision in late summer of 2008.

SIIMON will meet or exceed military standards for a range of harsh environments encountered by the Navy and Marine Corps, as well as interoperability standards for smooth biometric data sharing between disparate groups.  Also, sustainability and logistical support will also be a chief element in the system design.

Tactical Biometric Collection and Matching System device.

SIIMON will build upon the technologies demonstrated in the Tactical Biometric Collection and Matching System (TBCMS).  Bundled with sustainment packages, eight TBCMS completed testing and were delivered to warfighters in August 2007.  Here are just a few comments provided during the recent TBCMS fielding:

“A lot lighter and fewer cables than current system…requires less training, and embedded training is good.”  - Center for Naval Security Forces

“This is a lot nicer to use than our current system.  GUI workflow is smooth.”  - Afloat Training Group Atlantic

“Able to interface EBTS format between BAT and TBCMS…Took a BAT file and added to TBCMS as watch list and matched subject to watch list.”  - Marine Corps Tactical Systems Support Activity (MCTSSA)

“We used the system during a VBSS deployment workup exercise on August 28th and the system worked well.”  - USS Whidbey Island

“This is very easy to learn.”  - Naval Expeditionary Combat Command Intelligence Exploitation Team

The Navy and Marine Corps have worked closely for more than two years to articulate the required capabilities for the full program of record called the Identity Dominance System (IDS).  The IDS Capability Development Document articulates the full range of capabilities to be delivered and is expected to be approved by the Joint Staff in early 2008.  By addressing key elements within the total program required capabilities, SIIMON will advance the integration development in support of the full IDS Program of Record.

(submitted by CAPT. John Boyd, Secretary of Navy staff, Program Manager – Naval Identity Management)