The Defense Biometric and Forensic Office (Defense Forensic Office) oversees the day-to-day execution of principal staff assistant responsibilities for the Defense Biometric and Forensic Enterprises assigned to the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics (Under Secretary).  The Defense Forensic Office tasked ANSER to provide essential test and evaluation subject matter expertise and forensic policy research.

The ANSER team finalized the Defense Forensic Enterprise’s Department of Defense-wide forensic strategy for signature by the Under Secretary and completed an implementation plan to ensure that the strategy’s goals and objectives are realized. The team also drafted a revision to the Forensic Enterprise’s chartering of a Defense Department Directive to 1) reflect Department of Defense structural changes that impact the Forensic Enterprise, 2) properly align oversight of the forensic supported activities identified in the Forensic Enterprise strategy, and 3) reflect changes in the Enterprise over the past five years.  These documents will help guide the Enterprise over the next few years as it continues provide vital forensic services across the Department.

The ANSER team also supports the Defense Forensic Office by monitoring and reporting on the implementation of the Forensic Initial Capabilities Document and the Doctrine, Organization, Training, Material, Leadership & Education, Personnel, and Facilities Change Recommendation.  The ANSER team’s efforts have helped promote the institutionalization of forensic capabilities built and employed by the Department of Defense over the past decade to support counterterrorism and counterinsurgency operations.  The team also provides research, development, test and evaluation program oversight to a number of on-going forensic research programs funded by the Defense Forensic Office that  include:

• Rapid DNA project employing an innovative approach to DNA chemistries that allows for radical miniaturization of DNA screening devices, potentially down to the hand-held scale.
• New explosive detection device employing the same chemistry approach named above to miniaturize and automate the analysis of materials for the presence of explosives.
• Automated file carving that will radically speed up the process of file identification during computer and media forensics operations.
• Project using existing sensor technology to discover the locations of lost gravesites and service members missing from previous conflicts.

These programs will help improve the Enterprise’s ability to support current and emerging Defense Department forensic requirements by pushing forensic analysis further forward and increasing the speed and reliability of forensic analysis while ensuring it still meets the requisite level of scientific rigor.

The ANSER team has helped the Defense Forensic Office address complex research challenges and has made our nation more secure by promoting the institutionalization of forensic capabilities within the Department of Defense to ensure that forensic capabilities will be available to warfighters on the battlefield.

The Under Secretary noted that, “The ANSER team was instrumental in the development of the biometric and forensic research, development, test and evaluation strategy.  This strategy better defines the roles and responsibilities of our office as well as other funding stakeholders throughout the Department.  The strategy creates better coordination and collaboration among the stakeholders and is proven to reduce program development times and cost while accelerating the delivery of new capability to the warfighters.”

“Most notable was the ANSER team’s efforts to develop a Defense Department-level forensic policy that assigned new responsibilities for forensic activities across the Department.  The team’s expertise helps shape discussions involving Department of Defense senior executive leadership as well as presenting recommendations to the Deputy Secretary of Defense.”