JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-RANDOLPH, Texas –
A major overhaul of the Air Force installation access control system at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, scheduled for completion today, will improve force protection through tighter security and greater efficiency, 902nd Security Forces Squadron officials said.
Randolph's Defense Biometric Identification System received hardware and software upgrades that will offer several advantages, including the automatic registration of every Department of Defense-issued ID card into the DBIDS database when it is first scanned at the base's entry control points. Once registered, the ID card will be recognizable at all bases in the continental United States.
Maj. Robert Ford, 902nd Security Forces Squadron commander, said the installation of the hardware and software upgrades, known as DBIDS 4.0, "will result in significantly enhanced improvements in protecting the force on a daily basis.
"These upgrades will further increase base access effectiveness and security," he said. "By adding a higher level of automation to our entry control process, it further reduces the chance of an unauthorized person gaining access to the installation."
Air Education and Training Command introduced DBIDS to the command in 2010, the first move toward automated installation access control. Since then, AETC security forces squadrons have registered more than 200,000 members and averaged 500,000 scans per month at entry control points. About 5 percent of personnel scanned were reported as barred because they had an expired or invalid ID or were not registered.
Ford said integrating DBIDS at Randolph's entry control points did not occur without a cost.
"The vast amount of manpower, man-hours and resources committed to the execution of our new registration plan was in no way a small feat," he said. "Educating the base's military, civilian and civilian retiree populace about the new way of checking ID cards has paid great dividends."
A DBIDS installation team arrived at Randolph Monday and was expected to finish installation of DBIDS 4.0 today. In addition to automatic registration of DoD ID cards when they are first scanned, the upgrades will eliminate the need to register at the Randolph Visitor Control Center, Bldg. 1032, and reduce DBIDS workstations from six types to two.
"Bottom line, we'll protect the force, but we will do it more efficiently," Derrick Austin, AETC DBIDS program manager, said.
The Department of Defense and Homeland Security require the proofing and vetting of all visitors requesting access to military installations. The 902nd SFS accomplishes these requirements at the VCC, which vets each visitor through state and federal criminal databases before access is granted.
Through the DBIDS 4.0 migration phase, DBIDS will be capable of interfacing with the National Crime Information Center database, eliminating existing manual checks through the VCC. In addition, when any DoD-issued ID card or DBIDS pass is scanned at any Randolph entry control point, the handheld scanner will show an alert message if the person has a record or open warrant in NCIC.
Periodic shutdowns of DBIDS functions at the VCC were expected throughout the migration phase this week due to the upgrades and a mandatory uninterrupted DBIDS synchronization process.
If there are any questions or concerns, call Ernest Felder, 902nd SFS DBIDS site security manager, at 652-3939.