Marines Evaluate Biometric Systems In Tactical Environment
by U.S. Marine Corps Matt Gonzales, Systems Command August 8, 2019
Marine Corps Systems Command sent a group of Marines and
civilians to rural Indiana in April 2019 to participate in a
weeklong series of tactical exercises to evaluate two intelligence
capabilities the Corps is considering as a replacement biometric
system.
“The event gave Marines an opportunity to be in the
field, evaluate the equipment and provide candid feedback of these
systems,” said Sarah Swift, MCSC’s Identity Operations team lead.
“They let us know which system is more operationally relevant to
them.”
The exercises took place on an urban training complex
in Muscatatuck, Indiana, located about 75 miles southeast of
Indianapolis. The event offered stakeholders the opportunity to
observe Marines employing identity operations equipment in a
tactical environment.
Throughout the week, Marines used the
capabilities to perform a gambit of operations involving scenarios
they could experience on the battlefield. They also incorporated an
Expeditionary Forensics Exploitation Capability (EFEC) to test
interoperability between systems.
“They conducted the full concept of operations with the identity
operations equipment, from biometrics collection and forensics
exploitation, to receiving reporting through the Identity
Intelligence Analytics Cell,” said Swift.
Testing The Systems
Marines spent equal time evaluating each system during several
activities based on fictional scenarios.
The exercises began
with Marines from different military occupational specialties
setting up an Entry Control Point near a detention facility. Role
players acting as dislocated populace would approach the ECP seeking
employment. Before offering work, Marines would collect biometric
and identity information from each person using the systems.
 April
3, 2019 - A Marine employs a
biometric system to examine the profile of an exercise
participant at an Entry Control Point. A group of Marines
and civilians are participating in a series of roleplaying
activities to test two intelligence systems the Corps is
considering as a replacement biometric system. (U.S. Navy
photo by Keystella Mitchell)
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“During these exercises, we had role players and we had
scenarios,” said Chief Warrant Officer 3 Jimmy Chon, criminal
investigation divisions officer for the 1st Law Enforcement
Battalion, I Marine Expeditionary Force Information Group. “The
missions forced us to evaluate equipment as we’d use it in a
tactical environment.”
In the fictional humanitarian aid
disaster relief sequence, enemy forces detonated an explosive
device, causing flooding to a housing complex and panic among
villagers. Using the biometric capabilities, the tactical site
exploitation team employed the EFEC to assess the bomb site to
gather more information about the cause of the explosion and the
locals.
“We used these intelligence systems for biometric and
forensics collection,” said 1st Lt. Timmothy J. Smith, military
police platoon commander with 2d Law Enforcement Battalion at Camp
Lejeune, North Carolina. “We scanned fingerprints and irises, took
photographs and swabbed the inner mouth to see if anybody showed up
on our watch list, which helped us identify the ‘good’ people from
the ‘bad.’”
The knowledge gained from this mission led
Marines to conduct a raid on an area occupied by enemy forces.
There, Marines used the intelligence capabilities to exploit
computers, cell phones and other equipment to collect more
information about adversaries.
After completing the raid, the
Marines employed the devices to enroll the deceased and collect
other evidence.
“We used these systems to the best of our
abilities and to the limits of our imaginations to gain
intelligence,” said Smith.
Nobody
Quit
The Indiana
weather was sunny and clear, but days were long and arduous for
participants. Many worked from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. each day, operating
on little sleep. However, Chon said he did not hear complaints from
Marines or civilian contractors participating in the exercises.
Despite experiencing bouts of exhaustion, all participants completed
the activities.
“Nobody quit,” said Chon. “Not a single
person.”
Marines found the exercises beneficial. Smith
expressed appreciation for the event, as his team found creative
ways to use the intelligence systems. For Chon, the highlight of the
weeklong exercises was witnessing the interaction between all
parties involved and realizing how hard engineers work to provide a
quality capability to the warfighter.
“It’s a unique position
to have junior Marines evaluate a piece of equipment that will be
used in the future,” said Chon. “It’s not common for a lance
corporal to sit down with engineers and say, ‘I like this’ or ‘I
don’t like this.’”
The test and evaluation data and feedback
from Marines collected by the program office will help to inform a
follow-on procurement. It’s a data point that MCSC will communicate
to the Milestone Decision Authority for a final decision.
Swift projects a new intelligence system to be fielded by Marines in
the second quarter of fiscal year 2020. She also emphasized the
significance of the identity operations exercises and of involving
stakeholders in the process.
“This was a really important
event for the Marine Corps,” said Swift. “It helped shape how
identity operations is utilized in the Corps.”
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