Since the 9/11 attacks, the Department of Defense has spent millions of dollars hardening facilities and upgrading detection equipment to prevent unauthorized entry onto military installations both inside and outside the continental U.S.
However, despite having made great strides in applying multilayered physical security measures to protect our personnel it has been determined that most of these security measures can be circumvented by something as simple as a good fake ID. Good fake IDs, including very detailed DoD Common Access Cards (CACs), can now be easily acquired with the click of the mouse and a simple transfer of funds. Currently there are a handful of companies overseas willing to make and sell these fake IDs for the low cost of $200 to anyone willing to upload a photo and wire money.
These companies have used the latest technologies available to make these fakes indistinguishable from the real thing, including state-of-the-art holograms and bar codes; making it easier for unauthorized personnel, including terrorists, to avoid detection at our installation entry points.
A good example of the very real threat this poses was seen prior to the events of 9/11 when terrorists used fake IDs, including 26 different drivers' licenses to bypass airport security, conduct preoperational surveillance of travel routes and travel about the country undetected. Since that time, the number of individuals trying to cause harm within the homeland has not decreased.
To counter this threat the DoD has recently undergone the adoption of the Defense Biometrics Identification System (DBIDS). The DBIDS system is a force protection multiplier providing Installation Entry Controllers with hard-to-defeat real time information needed to distinguish those who are authorized to access the installation from those who are not.
The simple process is implemented by using a hand-held scanner to read the barcode on each DoD CAC to obtain the card holder's unique biometrics and other automatic identification technologies. The biometrics and identification information is then in-turn matched against information within several DoD databases; the one thing these unscrupulous fake ID companies cannot duplicate. With the adoption of the new system rapidly under way at Hill Air Force Base, everyone is urged to remain patient when entering the installation and understand without this new technology our entry controllers may be unable to differentiate between real or fake identification; DBIDS enhances the safety and security of Team Hill.
