Security in Korea enters the 21st century—the biometric identification system - BIDS

Military Police, March, 2002 by Bradley B. Scofield

As a result of the terrorist attacks on 11 September 2001, installation security has become the number one priority for American organizations worldwide, especially within the U.S. military. Within the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) theater of operations, BIDS has been fielded and operational for a little over 6 months. Since its inception in May 2001, BIDS in Korea has been recognized as a successful force-protection-enhancement initiative. In light of the recent increased security, BIDS has established itself as a valuable tool by assisting with verifying personal identity to determine who is granted access to U.S. military installations in Korea. Our recent increase in force protection conditions (FPCON) has provided the perfect test bed for the system, therefore, solidifying its command value.

BIDS is an access-verification system that produces automated installation access media and provides photographic and fingerprint identification from a centralized database of personnel, vehicle, and firearms records. The USFK Provost Marshal' s (PM's) office has fielded it within theater--the culmination of over 3 years of design and development effort.

The genesis of BIDS began when the local, area, and theater PM offices attempted to develop innovative procedures to overcome several Korean-theater unique challenges. First, U.S. military installations within USFK are closed and require a 100 percent identification check. This is drastically different from the way many stateside military installations have operated, being just too big to effectively close and not having the manpower or resources to do so. Gradually, however, this is changing at continental U.S. installations as well.

Second, USFK employs large numbers of host nation (HN) personnel who are not entitled to a DOD identification (ID) card; thus they do not have the primary means of access verification for active-duty military, reservists, family members, DOD civilians, and retirees.

Over time, the command developed various forms of ID cards or passes for these HN personnel. However, the cards were not automated or standardized and, unfortunately, were very easily forged. Additionally, many HN personnel with no DOD affiliation attempted to enter installations for various criminal (black-marketing) and noncriminal (use of morale, welfare, and recreation facilities) activities. Also, the command did not have a centralized database of pass holders. The convergence of these factors at all the command's installations made antiterrorism/force protection and crime prevention extremely difficult.

Recognizing that program development was beyond the internal capabilities of the PM, discussions were begun with the Defense Manpower Data Center (DMDC), a DOD agency operating for the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness. DMDC developed the current Defense Enrollment and Eligibility Reporting System--Real-time Automated Personnel Identification System (DEERS-RAPIDS) ID card for the military. This ID-card system now serves as the framework for the BIDS ID card and ensures its compatibility with the current military ID cards. Let me explain the capabilities of BIDS.

Let us assume it is an average day in Korea. The FPCON level is Alpha and our HN direct hire or contract security guards are conducting the normal 100 percent hands-on ID-card check for all personnel requesting installation access. During the check, a guard spots a suspicious dependent ID card. He swipes the card through a card reader and, within seconds, he validates it as legitimate. He can further establish that it was issued to the person attempting to enter the installation by either a photographic comparison with the database file or a fingerprint comparison that is available on his laptop computer. Fingerprints provide both a permanent and positive identification system. However, with the increasing size of fingerprint databases, manual searches are too time-consuming. Therefore, the technology has been developed that allows fingerprints to be digitized, the type BIDS uses.

Again, on the same average day, the PM has ordered a random verification of ID cards presented for entrance through the gate as a random antiterrorism measure. Knowing that a random check is possible at any time serves as a deterrent to individuals considering using a forged card to gain access to the installation.

BIDS also includes vehicle and firearms registration capabilities in its single, centralized database. By having this information available, law enforcement personnel can quickly and accurately search for and identify useful information for investigations, law enforcement operations, and special situations such as hostage or barricaded criminal incidents. The database can store and retrieve information on private-weapon types, their owners, and storage locations. Vehicle identification is also maintained.

Even as fielding begins, the command is seeking ways to improve the system. Although there is still work to be done, there are numerous ideas on the drawing board in anticipation of changing environments and new challenges. For instance, linking the Noncombatant Evacuation (NEe) Tracking System and BIDS would allow the USFK commander in chief to know exactly who is currently in theater. Linking the command's current ration-control tracking system and BIDS would allow identification verification at cash registers in exchanges and commissaries, severely curtailing black-marketing. By automating, the commissary would be able to track purchases and identify and target personnel who have been identified as black marketers.