Terrorists Get BATized on the Go

U.S. forces have some new tools at their disposal. The Biometrics Automated Toolset, or BAT for short, now includes lightweight portable units capable of scanning and identifying bad guys on the run...and in the blink of an eye.

With today’s technology, however, the size and weight of systems have been reduced, which means members of America’s armed forces are more willing to use them. Currently 735,000 detainees in Iraq have been entered into a BAT system that can be obtained quickly -- even in the field, Jones said. The system provides an opportunity for a soldier to check to see if a person caused problems before or was a suspect but released. […] Being small, portable and affordable, the GIs like the new biometric systems, which also are being used by military police, check point security guards, and base compound guards as a way to rapidly identify insurgents. The Language and Technology Office continues to look for additional systems that will provide other information to add to the BAT arsenal. When the office began a few years ago, there were three government employees and a few contractors. Now “we have three govs (government employees) and 60 contractors,” which shows the increased importance of biometrics, Jones said.