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Changes to AETC base acces to start soon

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Brian McGloin
  • Air Education and Training Command
RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  Access to Air Education and Training Command installations is going high tech.

In the near future, gate guards will use Defense Biometric Identification System to scan ID cards to validate authorization to enter AETC bases.

DBIDS installation is scheduled to begin in November and December at eight Air Education and Training Command installations: Lackland AFB, Randolph AFB, Luke AFB, Tyndall AFB, Goodfellow AFB, Altus AFB, Sheppard AFB and Laughlin AFB. All base personnel, to include dependents and retirees, will be required to register their ID cards in the DBIDS database.

Registration is a quick and easy process; it usually takes less than five minutes to register. Registration stations will be available at multiple locations throughout the base, such as the fitness center, base exchange and the commissary.

Each unit will have a scheduled time, date and location for their members to register, said Derrick Austin, AETC DBIDS program manager.

The only thing registrants will need to register is their Department of Defense-issued identification card, such as the common access cards, dependent or retiree identification cards.

DBIDS ID cards will be issued to vendors and other civilians who require access to a DoD installation, but do not qualify for a CAC. The temporary cards will have an expiration date embedded in their data, Mr. Austin said.

Gate guards will use handheld scanners to electronically scan ID cards instead of relying on a visual inspection. The scanners will be wirelessly connected to a DoD database where identity data is stored. The database will include biometric data such as eye color, weight and other physical identifying information from the defense enrollment eligibility system.

The scan should take about the same amount of time as a visual inspection, but will make it easier to detect individuals who should not be on base as well as finding people in an emergency.

If a member is barred from the base, information will come up immediately on the scanner to alert the gate guard. This system is an integral part of the AETC long-term plan to improve force protection throughout the command.

DBIDS is new to AETC, but it has been in use in other DoD locations in the United States and abroad since 2001.

"AETC just waited for the best version to provide our command the best return on investment," Mr. Austin said. "Additionally, the A7S goal is to become the first [major command] to install DBIDS command-wide."

DBIDS works.

From January to July, 2009, more than two million CACs were scanned using DBIDS in the continental U.S. Of those, DBIDS identified more than 52,000 personnel trying to enter bases without proper authorization, including members using expired, suspended or duplicate CACs.

"Our goal is to provide AETC with state-of-the-art technology for first rate security, but not to disrupt the day-to-day operations in the process," Mr. Austin said.