DOD considers facial recognition technology to speed up secure entry at Air Force bases
To gain entry to Air Force bases in the future, military officials may have to have their faces digitally scanned to prove their identities.
In a recently published federal contracting notice, the Air Force confirmed plans to conduct a proof-of-concept at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, employing facial recognition technology to accelerate entries and improve security in its process for welcoming personnel into the facility.
Officials are searching for a vendor to engineer, procure and furnish a “3D Facial Module/Reader” that can be deployed to bolster existing screening.
“Scott Air Force Base currently operates an automated vehicle installation access control platform (IACP) to expedite the authentication of approved users onto the base,” according to the sources-sought notice. “The 3D Facial Module/Reader will provide an out of the box access control solution that incorporates face recognition capability.”
Specifically, the Air Force wants to partner with a U.S.-based company that can implement a National Institute of Standards and Technology-approved face recognition algorithm to the proof-of-concept solution.
Among other requirements such as face-matching accuracy criteria, the full stack capabilities would need to be deployable on edge devices — and already leveraged under a government Small Business Innovation Research Phase II contract or greater.
“During this proof of concept, the reader will be assessed in the operating environment. The contractor will provide recommendations to optimize performance for the automated vehicle access control lane solution at Scott” Air Force Base, the document said.
Responses to the sources-sought notice are due by Jan. 10.
