By Spc. Cody Campana, 301st PAD.
FORT IRWIN, Calif. – During a war of insurgency when enemies do not wear uniforms or distinguish themselves from other local nationals, the uncertainty Soldiers feel about who their enemy is can be unsettling.
One way a Soldier may overcome this uncertainty is through biometric technology. At the National Training Center here many Soldiers are learning how to use the Biometric Automated Tool Set to identify their hidden enemies.
BATS is a system that allows Soldiers to identify their enemies and locate them through biographical information, said Randy E. Payne, a military analyst and biometrics instructor with the Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization.
BATS includes a retinal scanner, camera for facial photos, fingerprint scanner and a laptop computer. The system can store retina scans, photos, fingerprints, and any other biographical information for later use. Company intelligence support teams are the main users of BATS, said Payne.
If a roadside bomb exploded or a weapon used in an attack was recovered, Soldiers are able to use the system to find out who used the weapons and correctly identify enemies by using the tool set and data base, he said.
BATS is not the only biometric system Soldiers may have access to.
Like something found in a science fiction movie, Soldiers have access to the Handheld Inter-agency Identity Detection equipment, which is a smaller, hand-held, portable device that includes an iris scanner, camera and fingerprint scanner. All information collected by the systems is stored and can be accessed at any time through the systems to identify people.
“The HIIDE can store the information of approximately 45,000 people,” said Payne.
The size of HIIDE makes it easy to bring on any mission.
“The system is about the size of an older hand-held camera,” said Pfc. Calvin Robertson an Army Reserve military policeman with the 603rd Military Police Combat Support Company from Kansas City, Missouri under the 530th Military Police Battalion. It is light weight and does not take up much space, he added.
The ability to have the average Soldier documenting suspects and identifying insurgents may finally clear the mist of uncertainty which has taunted them overseas.
HIIDE is very user friendly and self explanatory, said Cpl. Scott Scassellati a military policeman with the 603rd. The simplicity of HIIDE can be useful because of the fast and easy training required to use it. Even the most sophisticated equipment the system has, such as the retina scanner, is easy to use.
Some Soldiers believe the retinal scanner is the most useful of the futuristic tools for finding a person.
“The retinal scan is the best tool for identifying a person,” he said.
The retinal scan is the most accurate identifier of people because a retina is more unique than a fingerprint.
“The eye does not lie,” added Payne.
Using such high-tech equipment may seem difficult and intimidating to some people, but the Soldiers at NTC are learning quite the opposite.
“Any Soldier can learn and apply it”, said Payne.
It takes approximately 90 minutes to learn the HIIDE, he said. The Soldiers are given a basic course in a classroom and continue to use the equipment during their training in the field. The classroom training for biometric technology includes a basic 90 minute course, or advanced six or eight hour course depending on which system the Soldiers will be using and how often they will be using it.
Instructors of biometrics at NTC may help servicemembers clearly differentiate between friend and foe through competitive and intuitive training.
The biometrics course at NTC is very hands on, said Robertson. The instructors give a lot of individual help and make sure everyone understands how to use the equipment. Soldiers can use the systems confidently after the training, because instructors go out of their way to insure Soldiers completely understand the system, he added.
Through understanding of the HIIDE and BATS Soldiers may be learning how to accurately find their phantom attackers. The modern gear NTC provides servicemembers can lead them through the fog of war like a lantern in the darkness of enemy insurgency. The modern technology and training the Army and NTC provide Soldiers may be their best defense in a war of unseen adversaries.
| Date Taken: | 08.12.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 08.12.2010 12:00 |
| Story ID: | 54412 |
| Location: | ALABAMA, US |
| Web Views: | 786 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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