https://armypubs.army.mil/epubs/DR_pubs/DR_a/ARN36772-ARMY_DIR_2022-15-000-WEB-1.pdf
MEMORANDUM FOR SEE DISTRIBUTION
SUBJECT: Army Directive 2022-15 (U.S. Army Biometric Program)
1. References. See references enclosed.
2. Purpose. This directive provides policy and guidance for the U.S. Army Biometric
Program to reduce risk to Army missions and resources, including personnel,
information, and facilities, and will serve as the basis for a new Army regulation that
defines roles and responsibilities.
3. Applicability. The provisions of this directive apply to the Regular Army, Army
National Guard/Army National Guard of the United States, and U.S. Army Reserve. This
directive does not address physical evidence and deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)
collection requirements in reference 1h, or logical access control described in
reference 1u, and does not apply to law enforcement or intelligence activities.
4. Policy.
a. Army mission command will employ information derived from biometric
capabilities across the operational continuum through the warfighting functions
(command and control, movement and maneuver, intelligence, fires, sustainment, and
protection) to facilitate lethal and nonlethal effects. These capabilities include existing
and developing modalities, such as fingerprint, iris recognition, retinal scan, facial
recognition, hand geometry, palm print, voice recognition, keystroke recognition, and
gait. Unclassified biometric program activities conducted by Army components and
tenants on Army installations and facilities will follow policy pursuant to this directive and
references 1e and 1g.
b. The Army will use biometric, biographic, behavioral, and contextual data
(hereinafter referred to as “identity information”) to identify physiological and/or
behavioral characteristics and differentiate one individual from another in support of
national and military objectives consistent with reference 1m.
c. Identity information from individuals affiliated with the Department of
Defense (DoD), as well as those not affiliated with DoD, and collected as a part of
national security-related operations, Army missions, and bulk collections from
interagency or foreign partner repositories, will be stored according to applicable law,
policy, and guidance in reference 1i in the authoritative repository—the Defense
S E C R E T A R Y O F T H E A R M Y
W A S H I N G T O N
SUBJECT: Army Directive 2022-15 (U.S. Army Biometric Program)
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Biometric Identification Records System (DoD Automated Biometric Identification
System, or DoD ABIS).
d. Acquisition of identity information on individuals not affiliated with DoD will be
restricted to efforts essential to the accomplishment of assigned DoD and Army
missions consistent with references 1e and 1r.
(1) Prior to acquisition of any biometric identity information, the acquiring
organization will develop a concept of operations (CONOPS) (template available at:
https://acqnotes.com/acqnote/acquisitions/concept-of-operations-conops) to
communicate the vision for the proposed capability. The CONOPS will define the
objectives of the capability and, at a minimum, will detail the information being collected,
the population scope of the collection, the purpose and use for collecting the
information, the organizations and personnel performing the collection, and the term of
collection activities. Information enrolled into DoD ABIS may be restricted using
handling caveats. Where the acquisition impacts privacy and civil liberties of protected
individuals, the CONOPS will prioritize applicable protections regarding the persons
about whom the information is collected.
(2) Prior to implementing the capability, the acquiring organization will ensure
coordination of the CONOPs (described in paragraph 4d(1) of this directive) with the
Defense Forensics and Biometrics Agency. The CONOPS will be approved by the first
general officer or member of the Senior Executive Service in the chain of command
following review by the servicing staff judge advocate, who will ensure coordination with
the Office of The Judge Advocate General.
e. All identity information collected and maintained in DoD ABIS will be unclassified
or classified at the lowest appropriate level, consistent with reference 1o, to maximize
interagency and international accessibility, data sharing, discoverability, and use.
f. The Army will submit identity information collected on international military
students (IMSs) and their accompanying family members (AFMs), as outlined in
reference 1l, and submit the data to the DoD ABIS. The in-country organization
responsible for facilitating collection will provide identity information to the repository
prior to an individual’s travel to an Army-controlled facility. If identity information was not
obtained prior to the individual’s departure for an Army facility, the sponsoring Army
organization will coordinate for the data to be acquired and submitted immediately on
arrival at the individual’s destination. The Army will acquire identity information from
international visitors or representatives of foreign governments only when authorized by
the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy or Office of the Under Secretary
of Defense for Intelligence and Security, as directed by the U.S. Army Deputy Chief of
SUBJECT: Army Directive 2022-15 (U.S. Army Biometric Program)
3
Staff, G-2; Provost Marshal General; or by the senior commander, as defined in
reference 1s.
g. The Army will operate and maintain DoD ABIS in support of Army and DoD
identity operations. Furthermore, the Army will continue to resource the research and
development of technologies to advance biometric identity activities as part of the Army
modernization strategy.
h. The Army’s biometric enterprise capabilities will be designed and optimized to—
(1) Verify, attribute, and identify persons of interest, adversaries, and military
threat actors to enhance operational environment understanding.
(2) Synchronize and integrate Army biometric enterprise capabilities with other
identity-related efforts, such as expeditionary forensics, digital multimedia forensics,
document and media exploitation, and identity intelligence, to support warfighter
functions in a manner that ensures consistency and interoperability across the Army,
within DoD, and at national and international levels.
(3) Provide appropriate Army biometric support to relevant national and
homeland security screening and vetting missions and activities, including intelligence
analysis, homeland defense, watchlisting, targeting, collection, Federal law enforcement
activities, border and immigration security, Defense support to civil authorities, and
partner capacity building.
(4) Incorporate the DoD Data Strategy (reference 1n) to enable pedigree of
identity information from the point of collection or creation to its placement into the DoD
ABIS. Facilitate automated information discovery, integration, sharing, and use across
components, security domains, and capability areas in support of warfighting functions
and homeland defense.
(5) Incorporate or develop (as needed) data formats for the interchange of
biometric signatures to enable system interoperability and placement in the DoD IT
Standards Registry (DISR).
(6) Implement data governance to provide principles, processes, frameworks,
tools, metrics, and oversight to effectively manage identity information at all levels, from
creation to disposition.
(7) Discover, access, share, and integrate biometric data for biometric-
augmented operations, law enforcement activities, and intelligence production through
the development of relevant tactics, techniques, and procedures.
SUBJECT: Army Directive 2022-15 (U.S. Army Biometric Program)
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i. Identity information will be exchanged between Army forces and will be
integrated and interoperable to the fullest extent possible to enable operations.
j. The DoD ABIS expressly does not maintain any record or information that is
subject to Executive Order 12333 (United States Intelligence Activities), DoD
Directive 5240.01 (DoD Intelligence Activities), or Army Regulation 381–10 (U.S. Army
Intelligence Activities).
k. Identity information collected, maintained, used, and disseminated is maintained
by the Defense Forensics and Biometrics Agency in accordance with the DoD ABIS
system of records notice (reference 1v). The Army Records Management Directorate,
Privacy and Civil Liberties Office will oversee compliance of U.S. and Army privacy
policies (references 1a, 1f, and 1q) to ensure Army biometrics operations are conducted
consistent with the U.S. Constitution, the Privacy Act of 1974 (as amended), and DoD
and Army privacy and civil liberties policies.
5. Proponent. The U.S. Army Provost Marshal General is the proponent for this policy,
responsible for incorporating the provisions of this directive into a new Army regulation
within 2 years of the date of this directive. The Provost Marshal General serves as the
Army’s principal and responsible official for DoD biometrics and executes Secretary of
the Army responsibilities as the DoD Executive Agent for biometrics in accordance with
this directive and references 1d, 1g, and 1p.
6. Duration. This directive is rescinded on publication of the new regulation.
Encl Christine E. Wormuth
DISTRIBUTION:
Principal Officials of Headquarters, Department of the Army
Commander
U.S. Army Forces Command
U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command
U.S. Army Materiel Command
U.S. Army Futures Command
U.S. Army Pacific
U.S. Army Europe and Africa
U.S. Army Central
U.S. Army North
(CONT)
SUBJECT: Army Directive 2022-15 (U.S. Army Biometric Program)
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DISTRIBUTION: (CONT)
U.S. Army South
U.S. Army Special Operations Command
Military Surface Deployment and Distribution Command
U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command/Army Strategic Command
U.S. Army Cyber Command
U.S. Army Medical Command
U.S. Army Intelligence and Security Command
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
U.S. Army Military District of Washington
U.S. Army Test and Evaluation Command
U.S. Army Human Resources Command
Superintendent, U.S. Military Academy
Commandant, U.S. Army War College
Director, U.S. Army Civilian Human Resources Agency
Executive Director, Military Postal Service Agency
Director, U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division
Superintendent, Arlington National Cemetery
Director, U.S. Army Acquisition Support Center
CF:
Principal Cyber Advisor
Director of Business Transformation
Commander, Eighth Army
REFERENCES
Enclosure
a. Title 5, United States Code, section 552a (Privacy Act of 1974), as amended
b. National Security Presidential Memorandum 7 (Integration, Sharing, and Use of
National Security Threat Actor Information to Protect Americans), 4 October 2017
c. National Security Presidential Directive 59/Homeland Security Presidential
Directive 24 (Biometrics for Identification and Screening to Enhance National Security),
5 June 2008
d. Department of Defense (DoD) Directive 5101.1 (DoD Executive Agent),
3 September 2002, incorporating Change 1, effective 9 May 2003
e. DoD Directive 5200.27 (Acquisition of Information Concerning Persons and
Organizations Not Affiliated With the Department of Defense), 7 January 1980
f. DoD Directive 8521.01E (DoD Biometrics), 13 January 2016, incorporating
Change 2, effective 15 October 2018
g. DoD Instruction 5400.11 (DoD Privacy Program), 29 October 2014
h. DoD Instruction 5505.14 (Deoxyribonucleic Acid Collection Requirements for
Criminal Investigations, Law Enforcement, Corrections, and Commanders),
22 December 2015, incorporating Change 2, effective 7 May 2021
i. DoD Instruction 8320.02 (Sharing Data, Information, and Information Technology (IT)
Services in the Department of Defense), 5 August 2013, incorporating Change 1,
effective 24 June 2020
j. DoD Manual 8910.01, Volume 2 (DoD Information Collections Manual: Procedures for
DoD Public Information Collections), 30 June 2014, incorporating Change 2,
19 April 2017
k. Secretary of Defense memorandum (Classification of Materials Captured, Collected,
or Handled by the Department of Defense), 9 January 2020
l. Office of the Under Secretary of Defense (Intelligence & Security) memorandum
(Fitness Determinations for Credentialed Recurring Access for International Military
Students and Their Accompanying Family Members), 8 December 2020
m. DoD Capstone Concept of Operations for Employing Biometrics in Military Army
Operations, 10 June 2012
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n. DoD Data Strategy, 2020, available at: https://media.defense.gov/2020/Oct/08/
2002514180/-1/-1/0/DOD-DATA-STRATEGY.PDF
o. OUSD(I&S) Security Classification Guidance (classified)
p. Army Regulation (AR) 10–90 (Department of Defense Executive Agent
Responsibilities of the Secretary of the Army), 9 February 2018
q. AR 25–22 (The Army Privacy Program), 22 December 2016
r. AR 380–13 (Acquisition and Storage of Information Concerning Nonaffiliated
Persons and Organizations), 30 September 1974
s. AR 600–20 (Army Command Policy), 24 July 2020
t. Army Doctrine Publication 3.0 (Operations), 31 July 2019
u. Department of the Army Pamphlet 25–2–13 (Army Identity, Credential, and Access
Management and Public Key Infrastructure Implementing Instructions), 8 April 2019
v. Department of the Army notice to add the Defense Biometric Identification Records
System (A0025-2 Provost Marshal General Defense Forensics and Biometrics Agency
DoD); Volume 80, Federal Register, 17 February 2015, page 8292