Army personnel and other visitors to Army bases nationwide could see increased traffic while getting through the gates between now and mid-June as the service checks all incoming IDs in an effort to study security guard staffing requirements.
A release from Redstone Arsenal in Alabama on Wednesday warned of the possibility of heightened traffic because of an "Army-wide 100% ID check" project that was starting Friday and will last through May 12.
Army spokesperson Lt. Col. Lindsey Elder confirmed to Military.com that the ID checks were being implemented Army-wide. During the checks, security guards will need to scan IDs for all vehicle occupants. Bases will conduct the checks in phases through mid-June with the exact timing determined by the base, she said.
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“It is part of an effort by the Army Office of the Provost Marshal General to revalidate the Army Installation Access Control Security Guard Model and to refine manpower requirements for the future,” Elder said in an emailed statement. “Individual installations are informing their communities about potential impacts, including delays.”
At many posts, soldiers and others who work on base can simply self-scan their Common Access Cards in designated lanes, allowing them to move through gate security quickly. The ID check would mean that a guard must verify the card matches the vehicle occupant, requiring extra time.
For Redstone, another period of mandatory ID checks is scheduled from June 1 to 14, according to the release.
Certain entry lanes at Redstone base will be "curtailed,” including ones that use facial recognition systems, RFID chips and the "Trusted Traveler Program" that allows service members and dependents to vouch for guests inside their car, the release said.
"We're asking leaders and employees to allow for more time to come through the gates," Redstone Garrison Commander Col. Brian Cozine said in the release.
Data collected from the ID checks will be used to recalibrate security guard staffing levels at the base, according to the release. As such, base officials discouraged personnel from trying to avoid traffic by switching to telework since that could skew the results.
"The data collected from these events will be used to determine staffing requirements at access control points and will make traffic smoother for personnel in the future," Cozine said. "This study could potentially demonstrate we need more gate guards, which would allow us to open more lanes. We are asking the workforce to be patient with us while we collect this data for the Army."
During the checks, gate security will accept Common Access Cards; Defense Department-issued Teslin cards; Automated Installation Entry, or AIE, system-generated access badges; AIE-generated paper passes; and state-issued driver's licenses or IDs registered in the AIE system.
-- Rebecca Kheel can be reached at rebecca.kheel@military.com. Follow her on Twitter @reporterkheel.
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