MILITARY BIOMETRIC TECHNOLOGIES: USA

Western societies, which are concerned about the use of biometric technologies, tend to overlook their use by military entities, where the observers are not themselves.

The global military biometric market, which includes subfields such as iris recognition, facial recognition, and fingerprint recognition, is projected to grow from $5.65 billion in 2020 to over $10.62 billion by 2025.

The U.S. Department of Defense is not only a significant source of demand for biometric technologies but also one of the key elements in their development. For instance, the Department of Defense allocated over $6.5 million to the FERET program (Facial Recognition Technology Program) from 1993 to 1998.

The FERET program was created to develop automatic facial recognition capabilities to aid security, intelligence, and law enforcement personnel. Its three main objectives were:

1. To establish the technological foundation necessary for facial recognition systems, converting theoretical facial recognition into working laboratory algorithms.
2. To create a large database of facial images.
3. To evaluate and compare the capabilities of facial recognition algorithms using the FERET database.

One of the program’s significant outputs was the legitimacy it conferred to subsequent research.

September 11 Attacks: A Turning Point

The September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks further demonstrate that scientific and technological advancements are not merely the results of rational activities.

September 11, 2001, marked a turning point at both macro and micro levels, leading to a significant shift in the U.S. Administration’s approach to biometric technologies.

On November 14, 2001, Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein asked: “How could a coordinated large terrorist group operate in the U.S. for over a year without being detected and board four different passenger planes in one morning without being stopped?” Feinstein’s answer was clear: “We could not detect them. We did not know they were here.” According to Feinstein, identifying terrorists planning to attack the U.S. was crucial to stopping them, and biometric technologies offered a “new” way to achieve this.

Before September 11, 2001, U.S. Department of Defense considered biometric technologies for secure access to military facilities and networks. After September 11, “counter-terrorism” became the Department’s focus, and biometric technologies became an integral part of this effort. Consequently, these technologies were used to protect U.S. and allied troops in Afghanistan and Iraq and became an operational tool for the Department of Defense.

According to open sources, the U.S. military collected biometric data, including fingerprints, iris scans, and facial images, not only from detainees but also from civilians in Afghanistan and Iraq.

As of 2021, it is reported that the U.S. Department of Defense aimed to collect biometric data from approximately 25 million people, or 80% of the Afghan population.

Biometric Data Not Shared with Iraqi Authorities

In 2010, it was revealed that the Pentagon, using its extensive wartime powers, had collected biometric data such as fingerprints, DNA, iris scans, and facial images from Iraqis. During this period, about 7% of the 27 million Iraqis were categorized as either “friend” or “enemy.” U.S. experts indicated that transferring this database to Iraqi authorities after the war could pose various threats to Iraqis who had worked with the U.S. and might turn the list into a “death list” in the “wrong hands.” In December 2011, it was reported that the U.S. military had collected biometric data on 3 million Iraqis, which was not transferred to Iraqi authorities after the war.

According to a GAO report, the Department of Defense utilized its biometric and forensic capabilities to capture or kill 1,700 individuals and deny access to 92,000 military facilities between 2008 and the report’s publication in 2017.

In 2017, U.S. Major General James Jarrard revealed that biometric data on individuals who were released despite aiding ISIS had been collected, along with data gathered with the Syrian Democratic Forces (which is associated with the YPG/PKK). A researcher from Human Rights Watch claimed that “Kurdish authorities” kept biometric records of suspects they captured, while Iraq did not widely use this method. In October 2020, the U.S. initiated a $400 million support program for the YPG/PKK, which included the provision of fingerprint tracking devices.

In summary, after September 11, the U.S. positioned biometric technologies as a “new way” in counter-terrorism, and today it provides biometric capabilities to the YPG/PKK terrorist organization.