USS Bainbridge’s VBSS team receives improved biometric system

The US Navy’s Arleigh Burke-class guided missile ship USS Bainbridge (DDG 96) visit, board, search and seizure (VBSS) team has taken delivery of upgraded AN/PYX-1 identity dominance system.

The identity dominance system will enable crew to identify potential hostiles taken into custody during maritime operations while the delivery is a part of US Navy’s effort to meet the needs of sailors during VBSS missions.

Defense Biometrics and Forensics director John Boyd said that the system will gather biometrics such as face, finger, and iris images, and enrolls that information into a local database to match against known persons of interest in a maritime environment.

"Once the information has been captured, the system sends the information back to the authoritative data base," Boyd added.

Designed for a more rugged environment, the updated system will also help sailors to accurately retrieve information of the suspects in a more timely matter.

"The system also pulls down information from cell phones and ties that in with the biometric data, biographic data, and contextual data about what was going on during the boarding," Boyd further said.

Additionally, the equipment is expected to support the Navy’s maritime strategy as USS Bainbridge prepares for an upcoming deployment this summer.

"This is something that will benefit not just the Navy; the Marines are also looking to use this system as a baseline," Boyd added.