New System for Access Control to Arrive Soon

Heidelberg, Germany -- Access control at Army Europe installations will undergo a major overhaul during the next 12 months. The Office of the Provost Marshal (OPM) will field a new automated Installation Access Control System (IACS) throughout the command between February and September 2003.

The OPM has developed the IACS in coordination with the DOD Defense Manpower Data Center and 5th Signal Command. Using this system, guards at the gate will scan the bar code of a DoD identification card or new installation pass using a hand-held digital assistant. The scanner will then access information in a database, which will tell the gate guard whether or not the cardholder is authorized to enter the installation. The system also automates installation pass production and links all installation access control offices, military police stations and access control points to the database.

"The strength of the new system is that it does not just depend on printed documents for identification and verification purposes," said Maj. Joel M. Johnson, IACS project officer at the OPM. "The system will also be able to compare the fingerprints and digital photographs of people registered in the system with those presented at gates for an extra level of security."

"IACS fielding involves two phases. Phase One is the registration stage," Johnson explained. "The 293rd BSB in Mannheim, Germany, will be the first BSB to start registration in February. The last community will be Ramstein Air Base whose registration phase will end in September."

Area Support Group and Base Support Battalions will conduct registration according to a detailed fielding plan.

Phase Two is called Access Control Point Integration where IACS hardware is installed at gates and connected to the central server.

"This phase will begin in the Spring of 2003 with a completion date yet to be determined," he stated.

In addition to giving a digital fingerprint and posing for a digital photo, existing pass holders must follow these rules to register in the new system:

DOD ID card holders

 ID card holders will register using their ID card, although they must also show the IACS registrar documentation that shows why they are in USAREUR. This requirement helps registrars create an expiration date for IACS registration. Acceptable documents include, but are not limited to, permanent change of station and temporary duty orders; DA Form 31 (Request and Authority for Leave); SF 50 (Notification of Personnel Action); and DA Form 3434 (Notification of Personnel Action - NAF). ID card holders who will leave USAREUR before Sept. 1, 2003, are not required to register in the IACS.

Installation Pass Holders

 Installation pass holders who already have an AE Form 190-13A or AE Form 190-13C will obtain new IACS "USAREUR/USAFE Installation Passes" within the four months following fielding of the IACS in their servicing BSB. Obtaining a new installation pass involves more than simply turning in the old pass and receiving a new one. Installation pass holders must obtain an application memorandum from their employing organization that revalidates the employee's access requirements and privileges. Installation pass holders who are uncertain of their sponsoring organization should consult the appropriate person category in AE Regulation 190-16.

Local national employees must also have a completed Foreign National Screening (FNS) if hired after Oct. 3, 1985. It will not be assumed that employees had an FNS completed when initially employed solely by virtue of their current employment. Sponsoring organizations will verify the completion of the FNS on the Installation Pass Application Memorandum.

September 2003 will mark the end of the transition phase during which both the old and the new systems are in operation in USAREUR. After September 2003, the only authorized access documents in USAREUR will be DoD ID cards and IACS-produced installation passes. Access rosters and sign-in procedures will still be authorized.

The IACS fielding plan and more relevant information on this new system can be found on the IACS website at www.hqusareur.army.mil/opm/iacs/iacs.html.

The fielding plan and Army in Europe Regulation 190-16 provide information on this new system for sponsoring organizations. The site also offers a full list of local POCs for questions on the system.