DOD Conducts Biometrics Training, but Its Training for Leaders Does Not Fully Support Warfighter Use of Biometrics

DOD has trained thousands of personnel on the collection and  transmission of biometrics data since 2004; however, training for leaders  does not fully support warfighter use of biometrics because it does not  instruct unit commanders and other military leaders on (1) the effective  use of biometrics, (2) selecting the appropriate personnel for biometrics  collection training, and (3) tracking personnel who have been trained in  biometrics collection to effectively staff biometrics operations. The Office of the Secretary of Defense, the military services, and Central  Command each has emphasized in key documents the importance of  training. Biometrics Training for Leaders Does Not Provide Detailed Instruction on the Effective Use and Management of Biometrics

DOD’s draft instruction for biometrics emphasizes the importance of  training leaders in the effective employment of biometrics. Moreover, existing biometrics training for  leaders limits the ability of military personnel to collect higher quality  biometrics enrollments to better confirm the identity of enemy  combatants through biometrics. Biometrics Collections Occur across Afghanistan, but Several Factors during the Transmission Process Limit the Effectiveness of Biometrics Data

Since 2004, U.S. forces in Afghanistan have collected biometrics from  more than 1.2 million individuals with approximately 3,000 successful  matches to enemy combatants, but factors during the transmission  process limit biometrics’ timely identification of enemy combatants using  biometrics. Although DOD officials said they are aware of this  and other synchronization issues, the absence of clearly defined  responsibility during the biometrics data transmission process has  contributed, in part, to DOD’s inability to expeditiously correct data  transmission issues as they arise, such as instances in which biometrics  data collected in Afghanistan have been separated from their identities. However,  DOD is unclear on how the number of servers correlates to  transmission timeliness. Biometrics Lessons Learned Are Collected, but Not Disseminated across DOD

Lessons learned from U.S. forces’ experiences with biometrics in  Afghanistan are collected by and used within each of the military services  and Special Operations Command, but those lessons are not  disseminated across DOD. Army and Marine Corps guidance both  emphasize using lessons learned to sustain, enhance, and increase  preparedness to conduct current and future operations. Currently, DOD has no requirement to disseminate biometrics lessons  learned across the department. Recommendations for Executive Action

We recommend that the Secretary of Defense take the following seven  actions:  To better ensure that training supports warfighter use of biometrics, direct  the military services and Special Operations Command to expand  biometrics training for leaders to include  the effective use of biometrics in combat operations,  the importance of selecting appropriate candidates for training, and  the importance of tracking who has completed biometrics training prior  to deployment to help ensure appropriate assignments of biometrics  collection responsibilities. To better ensure the completeness and accuracy of transmitted  biometrics data, direct the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Research  and Engineering, through the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition,  Technology, and Logistics, and in coordination with the military services,  Special Operations Command, and Central Command, to identify and  assign responsibility for biometrics data throughout the transmission  process, regardless of the pathway the data travels, to include the time  period between when warfighters submit their data from the biometrics  collection device until the biometrics data reach ABIS. Agency Comments

We requested comments from DOD on the draft report, but none were  provided. To determine the extent to which DOD is effectively collecting and  transmitting biometrics data, we obtained, reviewed, and analyzed  relevant Central Command issued Joint Urgent Operational Need  Statements. To determine the extent to which DOD has developed a process to collect  and disseminate biometrics lessons learned, we analyzed relevant Office  of the Secretary of Defense, Army, and Marine Corps guidance and  policies, and met with officials from each of these organizations to discuss  current practices.
Why GAO Did This Study

The collection of biometrics data, including fingerprints and iris patterns, enables U.S. counterinsurgency operations to identify enemy combatants and link individuals to events such as improvised explosive device detonations. GAO was asked to examine the extent to which (1) DOD's biometrics training supports warfighter use of biometrics, (2) DOD is effectively collecting and transmitting biometrics data, and (3) DOD has developed a process to collect and disseminate biometrics lessons learned. To address these objectives, GAO focused on the Army and to a lesser extent on the Marine Corps and U.S. Special Operations Command, since the Army collected about 86 percent of the biometrics enrollments in Afghanistan. GAO visited training sites in the United States, observed biometrics collection and transmission operations at locations in Afghanistan, reviewed relevant policies and guidance, and interviewed knowledgeable officials.

What GAO Found

The Department of Defense (DOD) has trained thousands of personnel on the use of biometrics since 2004, but biometrics training for leaders does not provide detailed instructions on how to effectively use and manage biometrics collection tools. The Office of the Secretary of Defense, the military services, and U.S. Central Command each has emphasized in key documents the importance of training. Additionally, the Army, Marine Corps, and U.S. Special Operations Command have trained personnel prior to deployment to Afghanistan in addition to offering training resources in Afghanistan. DODs draft instruction for biometrics emphasizes the importance of training leaders in the effective employment of biometrics collection, but existing training does not instruct military leaders on (1) the effective use of biometrics, (2) selecting the appropriate personnel for biometrics collection training, and (3) tracking personnel who have been trained in biometrics collection to effectively staff biometrics operations. Absent this training, military personnel are limited in their ability to collect high-quality biometrics data to better confirm the identity of enemy combatants.
Several factors during the transmission process limit the use of biometrics in Afghanistan. Among them is unclear responsibility for the completeness and accuracy of biometrics data during their transmission. As a result, DOD cannot expeditiously correct data transmission issues as they arise, such as the approximately 4,000 biometrics collected from 2004 to 2008 that were separated from their associated identities. Such decoupling renders the data useless and increases the likelihood of enemy combatants going undetected within Afghanistan and across borders. Factors affecting the timely transmission of biometrics data include the biometrics architecture with multiple servers, mountainous terrain, and mission requirements in remote areas. These factors can prevent units from accessing transmission infrastructure for hours to weeks at a time. The DOD biometrics directive calls for periodic assessments, and DOD is tracking biometrics data transmission time in Afghanistan, but DOD has not determined the viability and cost-effectiveness of reducing transmission time.
Lessons learned from U.S. military forces' experiences with biometrics in Afghanistan are collected and used by each of the military services and U.S. Special Operations Command. Military services emphasize the importance of using lessons learned to sustain, enhance, and increase preparedness to conduct future operations, but no requirements exist for DOD to disseminate existing biometrics lessons learned across the department.

What GAO Recommends

GAO recommends that DOD take several actions to: expand leadership training to improve employment of biometrics collection, help ensure the completeness and accuracy of transmitted biometrics data, determine the viability and cost-effectiveness of reducing transmission times, and assess the merits of disseminating biometrics lessons learned across DOD for the purposes of informing relevant policies and practices. GAO requested comments from DOD on the draft report, but none were provided.