US Army Advances in Deploying Next-Gen Biometrics System

"The US Army recently completed field tests of its Next Generation Biometric Collection Capability (NXGBCC) hardware and software at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. The goal was to collect feedback from soldiers on the effectiveness of the still-in-development NXGBCC system. The soldiers completed tasks involving mobile biometric collection centered around a laptop for static operations. Expected to be fielded in 2025, NXGBCC will replace the Army’s Biometrics Automated Toolset-Army (BAT-A), which the Army says “is old and obsolete.”

This is the first time the Army is deploying a capability that is software-based, with added voice modality, and not tied to unique hardware that must be maintained. The Army says NXGBCC “is more integrated” with the U.S. Department of Defense’s (DOD) biometric enterprise and unified action partners.

The system was field-tested by the Army in late 2019 and was chosen for further development. The Soldier Touch Point concept was created specifically to gather soldier input early in the development process to ensure that prototype designs meet the needs of soldiers operating on the frontlines.

People say that feedback is a gift, and there is no better gift for a product office than direct feedback from the soldiers that will be using the equipment,” said Forrest Church, product manager for Biometrics Enabling Capability/Army PM DOD Biometrics. “Our opinion on whether NXGBCC meets their mission needs is not important. It’s their feedback that really matters.”

BAT-A is the current Army Program of Record for its tactical biometrics collection capability requirements and was originally developed as a quick reaction capability. Existing devices have been deployed in a combat zone for nearly 20 years, “well beyond the standard three to six years of useful electronic equipment life,” the Army said.

The NXGBCC system employs an integrated system of commercial-off-the-shelf hardware and software that is intended to ensure the end-to-end data flow that’s required to support different technical landscapes during multiple types of operational missions. To support these operational missions, NXGBCC will be capable of operating on both organic and non-organic infrastructures to support varying technical and communication environments.

Adhering to federal government’s electronic biometric transmission specifications is essential to the success of full-scale fielding of NXGBCC. In November, the U.S. Department of Defense’s (DOD) Inspector General (DODIG) reported that some biometric devices of the armed services and combatant commands “did not have the ability to encrypt data stored on them because current DOD biometrics policy does not specify information security standards or require encryption capabilities on biometric devices.”

During the two days of testing at Fort Leonard Wood, soldiers with no experience using biometrics collection equipment, and with less than four hours of training on two devices, performed enrollment tasks at six stations indoors and outdoors with assistance from engineers, in both connected and disconnected environments to reflect real-use situations. The soldiers said the NXGBCC devices and software were easy to navigate.

The Fort Leonard Wood Soldier Touch Point initiative is part of a dynamic strategy to ensure NXGBCC’s success. Along with the STP, NXGBCC events include a Requirements Evidence Demonstration, Government Acceptance Test, and ICA-V Independent Security Control Assessor Validator.

NXGBCC will be showcased this August at the Titan Warrior exercise at Camp Shelby, Louisiana. Titan Warrior is a two-week long exercise where soldiers train on job-specific tasks. The exercise will provide an opportunity for soldiers to perform detainee biometric enrollment simulations using the system and peripherals.

The Project Manager, Terrestrial Sensors (PM-TS), located at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, is assigned to execute the NXGBCC program. PM-TS procures, fields, and supports numerous state-of-the-art ground sensor systems globally, including within the United States at the southwestern border, and in the National Capital Region of Washington, D.C.

The US Army Futures Command has said “soldier feedback is critical in shaping the future of US Army technology.” The Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Cyber and Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Center (C5ISR) began deploying and testing software to identify persons of interest in real-time in 2020.

"Q: What is the Next Generation Biometric Collection Capability (NXGBCC) system?

A: The NXGBCC system is a $28.3 million project aimed at replacing the outdated Biometrics Automated Toolset-Army (BAT-A) with a software-based system that includes added voice modality.

Q: What is the goal of the Soldier Touch Point initiative?

A: The goal of the Soldier Touch Point initiative is to gather soldier input early in the development process to ensure that prototype designs meet the needs of soldiers operating on the frontlines.

Q: How long has BAT-A been deployed in combat zones?

A: BAT-A has been deployed in combat zones for nearly 20 years, well beyond the standard three to six years of useful electronic equipment life.

Q: What is the importance of adhering to federal government’s electronic biometric transmission specifications?

A: Adhering to federal government’s electronic biometric transmission specifications is essential to the success of full-scale fielding of NXGBCC.

Q: Where will NXGBCC be showcased this August?

A: NXGBCC will be showcased this August at the Titan Warrior exercise at Camp Shelby, Louisiana."