Collaboration

Biometric technology offers countless solutions for military applications in future systems, including identity assurance, access control, and force protection, as well as new uses yet to be discovered. Several devices have been deployed in recent military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, viewed by the entire world in real time, clearly showing the success of and the increased need for secure information and weapon systems. Through collaboration of the best-of-breed biometric technologies in government, industry, and academia, the Biometrics Identity Management Agency (BIMA) can ensure that the nation's security efforts stay technologically advanced and relevant.

DoD Organizations DoD organizations with biometric requirements or a desire to improve existing security or business processes should contact BIMA. BIMA can inform you about biometrics, how they can best meet your needs, and what steps you should take to accomplish your goals. To contact the BIMA, please call (703) 571-0507 (VA office) or (304) 326-3000 (WV office) or send an e-mail specifying your needs to hd@biometrics.mil. Please include 'DoD Request' in the subject line of your e-mail.

DoD Biometrics Executive Committee

The DoD Biometrics Executive Committee (EXCOM) serves as the military Services' and Defense agencies' focal point and voice to identify biometric requirements, coordinate biometric programs, and ensure military Services' planning, programming, and budgeting processes support acquisition and sustainment of biometric technologies.

The EXCOM is co-chaired by the Principal Staff Assistant for Defense Biometrics and the Executive Manager for Defense Biometrics. Voting membership includes general officers from the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and the Air Force and flag or general officers from the Joint Staff, and Joint Forces Command. Non-voting membership consists of OSD (NII/CIO), OSD(P), OSD(I), OSD(P&R), and OSD(AT&L). The EXCOM provides DoD Biometrics program oversight, prevents duplication of effort, and undertakes resolution of problems on biometric programs for the DoD.

It ensures that all biometric programs conform to an overall DoD Biometrics architecture that enables interoperability with DoD, interagency, and international standards and practices and reviews and approves the DoD Biometrics vision and strategy as prepared by the Executive Agent and coordinated with the military Services. It also reviews and approves annual program plans and resources to support Service, joint, and common biometric capability requirements.

DoD Biometric Standards Working Group

The DoD Biometric Standards Working Group (BSWG) is an interagency working group that champions the development of biometric standards at the national and international levels, coordinates and advocates DoD interests, and builds consensus on standards development, evaluation, adoption, and implementation issues across the DoD and in coordination with other federal agencies.

BSWG membership consists of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Biometrics Identity Management Agency, DoD Program Manager - Biometrics, Defense Manpower Data Center, Defense Information Systems Agency, Defense Information Technology Standards Registry Information Assurance Technical Working Group, OASD(NII), NIST, National Biometric Security Project, intelligence community, Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Coast Guard, West Virginia University, and the Department of Homeland Security.

The BSWG participates in standards development bodies and communicates standards activities status to interested DoD organizations, utilizes DoD and interagency expertise to prepare contributions to standards development projects, develops biometric standards identified as critical to support DoD implementation of biometric standards, supports DoD adoption of high-priority published biometric standards, develops conformance testing tools to ensure conformance to DoD-adopted standards, and provides technical expertise to support DoD implementations of standards-based biometric technologies.

Joint Biometrics Operational Coordination Board

The Joint Biometrics Operational Coordination Board (JBOCB) gathers operational requirements and resolves stakeholder issues that affect the joint biometrics enterprise. Additionally, the JBOCB provides a single forum for identifying common biometric requirements and submitting them for approval and/or validation by senior leadership through the JCIDS process.

The JBOCB is an action-officer-level (O-4 to O-6 or GS-13 to GS-15) collaborative body that incorporates all DoD Biometrics community stakeholders, to include COCOMs, Services, agencies, Joint Staff, and OSD. It is the initial entry forum that is one of four voting bodies comprising the larger biometrics coordination structure.

Principal members are those organizations authorized to develop and submit DoD requirements. Only principal members have voting authority. Supporting members will provide subject matter expertise and contextual information to assist in resolving JBOCB issues.

Academia

BIMA is a member of the Center for Identification Technology Research (CITeR) and a partner with West Virginia University (WVU) in providing biometric education programs. If you have questions on BIMA education initiatives, please contact the BIMA at (703) 571-0507 (VA office), (304) 326-3000 (WV office) or hd@biometrics.mil

Biometrics Industry

BIMA is aware of the increased interest among biometric industry vendors in providing products to U.S. government organizations. If you are a vendor with Commercial Off-the-Shelf (COTS) or Government Off-the-Shelf (GOTS) biometric products and wish to provide additional information on the capabilities of your product, please contact the BFC (ATEC, RDECOM) at 304-326-3023 or fax 304-326-6156. In addition, please fill out this questionaire about your product.

Biometrics Architecture Working Group

The Biometrics Architecture Working Group develops a biometric-enabled identity superiority architecture in support of leading DoD activities to program, integrate, and synchronize biometric technologies and capabilities in military operations and business functions. The enterprise-level biometric architecture will be used by DoD leadership to resolve biometric capability gaps, guide biometric system-of-systems development, and align DoD biometric resources. The DoD Enterprise Biometric Architecture will be developed to support the results of the full capability-based assessment and deployment of biometric programs of record. For more information on this working group, contact BIMA at (703) 571-0433 or -0434.