By 2010, the Defense Department (DOD) will use biometrics in its classified and unclassified systems to improve physical and cyber security, according to a memorandum released last week by DOD’s Biometrics Management Office (BOM).
According to Government Computer News (GCN), the DOD might require that military, civilian and contractor personnel provide biometric identifiers, such fingerprints and iris scans, to enter buildings or gain access to data.
The Aug. 25 memo, signed by deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz, urges the BMO to develop a scalable biometrics component of the global information grid, the department’s worldwide information infrastructure. It also called for development of standards, interoperability tools, testing frameworks, and product validations to help defense agencies use biometric technology.
Wolfowitz said the provisions of the memo would be incorporated into a biometrics technologies directive and implementation instructions.
