JOINT BASE CHARLESTON, S.C. –
Access to Joint Base Charleston Air Base and Weapons Station is going high tech.
The Defense Biometrics Identification System has been in use in other Department of Defense locations in the United States and abroad since 2001. DBIDS was installed on Charleston Air Force Base in December 2008 and on JB Charleston - Weapons Station in February 2010. Since then, a new high tech version of DBIDS has been created, tested and is currently being implemented throughout all DoD installations. Installation for DBIDS 4.0 on Joint Base Charleston - Air Base and Weapons Station was completed Dec. 14.
Gate guards currently use handheld scanners to electronically scan Identification Cards instead of relying on a visual inspection. The scanners are wirelessly connected to a DoD database where identity data is stored. The database includes biometric data such as eye color, weight and other physical identifying information from the Defense Enrollment Eligibility System.
With DBIDS 4.0, your ID card will be scanned by the gate guard as usual and if you have not previously registered your card at the Pass & Registration office, it will automatically register your card in the database. This will save you time from having to go to Pass & Registration to have your card registered.
The electronic scan should take about the same amount of time as a visual inspection but will be much more accurate. Another benefit of DBIDS is easier control of an individual's access to the base, to include varying access rules based on the threat condition. If a member is barred from the base, on a driving revocation or suspension, that information will come up immediately on the scanner to alert the gate guard.
DBIDS ID cards or DBIDS access passes will be issued to individuals such as contractors who meet the requirements, vendors who require access to a DoD installation but do not qualify for a Common Access Card, and long term guests, etc. The DBIDS cards and access passes will have an expiration date embedded in their data.
All CAC holders, dependents, retirees and other cards that are DoD compliant are registered in DBIDS. Retirees who have the old retiree card that does not have a bar code will need to go to their Military Personnel Section, to receive a new retiree card. Those cards that are not DoD compliant will not be authorized entry to the installation.
Personnel will have until Feb. 1, 2012 to update their cards. After that time, if your card is not compliant with DBIDS, your card alone will not grant you entry to Joint Base Charleston.
Retiree's with the old retiree card will be given a pass at the Visitor Control Center during duty hours, Monday thru Friday, 6 a.m. to 5 p.m., or by the gate guard after duty hours to go to the Military Personnel Section to obtain a new retiree card. The JB Charleston - Air Base MPS is located in Bldg. 503 and is open Monday and Wednesday from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., and Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The MPS on JB Charleston - Weapons Station is located in Bldg. 302, and is open Monday thru Friday from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
To speed the process of getting a new I.D. card, log onto
https://rapids-appointments.dmdc.osd.mil to schedule an appointment.
From January to July, 2011, DBIDS scanned more than four million CACs stateside. Of those, DBIDS identified more than 92,000 personnel trying to enter bases without proper authorization, to include members using expired, suspended or duplicate CACs.