Department of Justice and Department of Defense
Joint Technology Program:
Second Anniversery Report

                 
Series: NIJ Research Report
Published: February 1997
18 pages
37,773 bytes

U.S. Department of Justice
Office of Justice Programs
National Institute of Justice

Research Report

Department of Justice and Department of Defense 
Joint Technology Program: Second Anniversary Report

--------------------

Department of Justice and Department of Defense
Joint Technology Program:Second Anniversary Report

Prepared by the Joint Program Steering Group

John J. Pennella -- Chairman
Peter L. NacciDeputy -- Chairman

February 1997

U.S. Department of Justice
Office of Justice Programs

National Institute of Justice

Jeremy Travis 
Director

David Boyd
Director, Office of Science and Technology

Opinions or points of view expressed in this
document are those of the authors and do not
necessarily reflect the official position of the
U.S. Department of Justice.

The National Institute of Justice is a component of
the Office of Justice Programs, which also includes
the Bureau of Justice Assistance, Bureau of Justice
Statistics, Office of Juvenile Justice and
Delinquency Prevention, and the Office for Victims
of Crime.

NCJ 164268

In 1994 the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and
the U.S.   Department of Defense (DOD) entered into
a cooperative agreement to develop technologies of
value to both. This agreement, codified in a
Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and signed by the
Deputy Secretary of Defense and the Attorney
General, formalized and focused a longstanding ad
hoc relationship. To manage this technology
development program and to direct its day-to-day
activities, the MOU established a Joint Program
Steering Group (JPSG) that would represent both
departments and be staffed with members from
several agencies.

Two years have passed since the MOU was signed, but
this cooperative effort has already borne fruit.
Improved personnel armor and new methods for
detecting concealed weapons are being demonstrated.
As this joint effort begins to deliver its
products, DOD and DOJ, through their respective
lead agencies -- the Defense Advanced Research
Projects Agency (DARPA) and the National Institute
of Justice (NIJ) -- have directed the JPSG to
produce this anniversary report.

This report consists of three parts. Part I
explains how this joint technology program
originated and the need for a JPSG. Part II focuses
on seven technology development areas included in
the JPSG program and the anticipated payoffs. Part
III draws conclusions regarding program benefits.

Part I: The Partnership Between Law Enforcement and
the Military

The boundaries separating the functions of the law
enforcement and military communities are clearly
defined in law. The military's function is to
provide for the national defense, while Federal,
State, and local law enforcement agencies maintain
domestic tranquillity.

Although performing different functions, law
enforcement and the military perform many of the
same tasks. Both law enforcement and the military
operate their own judicial, police, and prison
systems. Within the limits set by law, civil law
enforcement and the military communities work
cooperatively. For example, in communities near
large military installations, military police
routinely maintain offices in metropolitan police
stations. The Federal Prison System incarcerates
hundreds of the mili-tary's more difficult
prisoners. At the same time, the Federal Prison
System receives special consideration from the
military in the disposition of military properties
made available when domestic installations close or
in locating prisons on active military
installations. Often law enforcement and the
military may also participate in the same missions.
Such interagency efforts include waging the war
against drugs, countering terrorism and espionage,
and providing disaster relief.

Benefits of Shared Technology 

DOJ and DOD have a long history of sharing
technology. After World War II and the Korean War,
local and Federal law enforcement agencies
benefited from such technology as helicopters and
handheld radios, whose development had been spurred
to meet military needs. Additionally, over the
years, many State and local police agencies have
received surplus military equipment.

However, this flow of technology has not been one
way. Law enforcement has also shared its technology
with the military. For example, the current
generation of "bulletproof" vests, employed both by
the law enforcement and military communities,
evolved from the development of body armor using
Kevlar (Trade Mark), which was sponsored by NIJ
(then the National Institute of Law Enforcement and
Criminal Justice of the Law Enforcement Assistance
Administration) in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
When the U.S. Marine Corps deployed to Somalia in
1995 to assist in the withdrawal of U.N. forces, it
did so with an arsenal of what are termed
"less-than-lethal" weapons, including a "sticky
foam" developed by NIJ. The foam works much like
human flypaper and is used to limit the potential
for injury to bystanders and damage to property.

Benefits of Joint Technology Development

These ad hoc technology and equipment transfers are
beneficial to both law enforcement and the
military. However, greater benefits result when
efforts involve joint technology development in
partnerships throughout the Government.

Cost Effectiveness. The benefits to be gained, in
terms of dollars saved, is clear. For example, the
recent collaboration of the National Oceanic &
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the U.S. Air
Force, NASA, and the U.S. Navy in the development
of meteorological satellites will result in future
satellites that will perform multiple functions.
The satellites will not only help produce daily
weather forecasts but also assist military and
civilian pilots and military planners. Replacement
satellites will last longer and will reduce the
need for more satellites. This effort should
produce a saving in excess of $1 billion over the
next 10 years.

Long-Term Research. Combined technology development
projects involving the military and law enforcement
have spanned decades. In the 1960s the Law
Enforcement Assistance Administration sponsored
joint technology developments in the area of remote
bomb detection. Other early joint projects included
the development of riot control agents, night
vision devices, and "nonlethal" bullets. More
recently, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
and DARPA have worked on a number of projects,
including the application of advanced computer
technology to crime solving, while DEA and other
law enforcement agencies have collaborated with
DARPA in developing technologies to counter the
flow of narcotics into this country.

Joint Technology Improvement and the JPSG. Federal
agencies frequently collaborate to develop
technology. However, the differences in cultures,
missions, and applications among agencies can make
joint development and transition of technology
challenging. To make reasoned judgments about
technology options requires an understanding of
these differences that comes only with experience.
In a partnership between DOD and DOJ, the most
effective way of ensuring that such experience was
applied was to jointly staff a program steering
group; hence the establishment of the JPSG. 

Perhaps the best single example of a technology
area that has been cooperatively advanced by the
military and law enforcement communities is the
development of body armor. Both law enforcement and
military personnel wear body armor. More and more
often, this includes the law enforcement officer
and the ordinary soldier, as well as special
purpose units such as police Special Weapons and
Tactics (SWAT) teams and U.S. Special Forces.
Current body armor is heavy, movement impairing,
and costly, and it does not dissipate heat very
well. Consequently, body armor design has had to
strike a less-than-optimum compromise between level
of protection and area protected. As a result, the
standard issue "bulletproof" vests worn by most
police and soldiers offer limited protection,
especially little if any protection against rifle
bullets.

In the JPSG-managed body armor development program,
jointly developed technologies incorporate design
preferences from both the military and law
enforcement communities. One body armor effort that
the JPSG is managing is development of a
"bulletproof" vest with titanium or ceramic inserts
that does offer some rifle and bullet protection.
Designed to be worn inconspicuously as an
undergarment, the vest causes minimal impairment to
its wearer's freedom of movement. This
"concealable" armor weighs around 8 pounds and
affords handgun protection over the entire area
that it covers. Inserts positioned over the heart
and spine offer rifle fire protection.

Technology Transfer. Joint development programs
such as the body armor program also ease technology
transfer. New products usually require
modifications when transferred from one agency to
another. Such changes are due to differences in
environment, operating procedures, and performance
requirements. Perhaps the most commonly cited
example of modification requirements is the
military's requirement for "ruggedization." This
includes, in certain circumstances, protecting
electronic equipment against the effects of the
electromagnetic pulse produced when a nuclear
weapon is detonated. Very few if any law
enforcement organizations require equipment
designed to such specifications.

Law Enforcement and Military Technology
Convergence: Needed More Today Than Ever

The post-Cold War era has seen a convergence in the
technology needs of the law enforcement and
military communities in more than just law
enforcement operations. Today the Nation's more
than 3,000,000 civilian law enforcement officers
and soldiers, sailors, marines, and airmen find
themselves performing many of the same tasks. The
three facets to this convergence result from the
need to (1) limit force, (2) defend against common
threats, and (3) participate in common missions.

Limiting Force. Increasingly, the military finds
itself conducting operations such as peacekeeping,
in which it is confronted by an absolute mandate to
apply force discreetly and then to use only the
minimum amount of force necessary to accomplish a
particular mission. These are essentially the same
rules under which law enforcement agencies operate.
Like their counterparts in the law enforcement
community, military commanders find that these
constraints severely limit their options and thus
too often limit their effectiveness. On occasion,
the severity of these constraints leaves commanders
with the alternative of doing nothing or placing
the lives of the involved personnel at risk.

A further consideration that affects how the
military and law enforcement apply force is the
greater presence of members of the media or other
civilians who are observing, if not recording, the
situation. Even the lawful application of force can
be misrepresented to or misunderstood by the
public. More than ever, the police and the military
must be highly discreet when applying force.

Defending Against Common Threats. As more and more
military technology finds its way into criminal
hands, law officers today confront threats that
have more and more military aspects. For example,
narcotics traffickers and smugglers use bulletproof
vests, electro-optic devices that enable them to
see at night, and semiautomatic and even automatic
weapons. In addition, law enforcement agencies must
be able to deal with the threat from international
terrorism, from which the United States is no
longer immune -- if it ever was.

The nature of criminals and their crimes has
changed as well. Although the rate of victimization
has declined over the past decade, there have been
surges in rates of violent crimes, especially those
associated with youth.

Participating in Common Missions. The best examples
of law enforcement and military participation in
common missions are the "wars" being waged against
narcotics and terrorism. This convergence of
missions was illustrated by President Clinton's
nomination of the Commanding General of the U.S.
Southern Command to the position of Director of the
Office of National Drug Control Policy. The U.S.
Southern Command, headquartered in Panama, plays a
key role in the effort to stop the flow of drugs
from South America into the United States.

At an overall level, these three shared needs
suggest that the roles of traditional law
enforcement and the military are changing and that
the tactics, technologies, and tools of use to one
may be of use to the other. 

Interagency Agreement

The potential benefits of a joint development
program became clear to officials in DOD and DOJ,
as well as to Congress, in 1993. The overlap of
technology needs had been noted by a senior working
group (SWG) convened by DARPA in 1993 to assist in
formulating a program to develop technologies to
enhance the effectiveness of U.S. forces engaged in
Operations Other Than War (OOTW). These kinds of
operations involve providing humanitarian
assistance, peacekeeping, countering the flow of
drugs into the United States, and countering
terrorism. This initiative was prompted by events
in Somalia and elsewhere. The SWG and DARPA noted
many common technology needs between civilian law
enforcement operations and OOTW.

Congress and senior officials in both DOJ and DOD
moved DARPA and NIJ toward establishing a formal
partnership agreement. In June 1993, the Attorney
General sent a letter to DOD and the Central
Intelligence Agency (CIA) suggesting collaboration
on technology development. In July 1993, Congress
initiated language directing the establishment of
an interagency working group, which included DOJ
and DOD, to look to the development of dual-use
technologies. This was prompted by the recognition
of the effect of defense downsizing on the
industrial base and the effort to reduce Federal
expenditures and by apparent interest within the
administration to "reinvent government" by
eliminating unnecessary redundancies. In hearings
before the House Armed Services Committee's
Subcommittee on Research and Technology that year,
the DOD Director of Defense Research and
Engineering endorsed establishing joint technology
development with DOJ. Also at these hearings, key
NIJ and industry officials testified about the
value such a partnership might produce.

NIJ reorganized in 1994 by elevating its Division
of Science and Technology to full office status and
establishing a Law Enforcement and Corrections
Technology Advisory Council (LECTAC) consisting of
85 representatives from Federal, State and local
law enforcement agencies. At that time, LECTAC
identified law enforcement technology needs for NIJ
and noted that many of these needs were pertinent
to the military.

Memorandum of Understanding. The clear benefits of
this partnership led to the execution of an MOU
between DOJ and DOD on April 20, 1994. Highlighting
the importance attached to this MOU was its
execution by the Attorney General and the Deputy
Secretary of Defense and the presence of the Vice
President, the Secretary of the Treasury, and the
Director of the Office of National Drug Control
Policy at the signing ceremony. This MOU set in
motion the development and enactment of the
technology program described in Part II of this
report.

The MOU calls for the establishment of an
extendable 5-year program in which a JPSG, jointly
staffed by DOD and DOJ representatives, manages
daily operations and a high-level interagency
Senior Review Group sets policy. Members of the
JPSG have been drawn from DARPA, NIJ, the FBI, the
Bureau of Prisons, and the U.S. Army. The JPSG
works at any point along the research, development,
and acquisition (RDA) spectrum so that it can
support demonstrations of existing technology as
well as development of totally new and unique
technologies.

On October 1, 1994, the JPSG was established at
DARPA in Arlington, Virginia. The Chairman, from
DARPA, and Deputy Chairman, from NIJ, co-manage the
program. Congress appropriated $37.5 million in
Fiscal Year 1995 to support the MOU. Of this, $26
million was made available for JPSG-sponsored
projects.

The execution of the MOU set in motion what would
become an important series of briefings and
information exchanges between DARPA and NIJ. These
sessions were used to define agency priorities,
capabilities, and department interest. During these
sessions, similarities in DOJ and DOD technology
needs were apparent. At the same time, many
agency-specific requirements were examined. This
reaffirmed the view that the agencies need to
collaborate in joint development of technology,
rather than for one simply to develop the
technology independently for direct transfer to the
other.

JPSG Technology Plan. The Senior Review Group
approved the technology plan submitted by the JPSG
in March 1995, 6 months after the JPSG was formed.
The plan represented extensive research and
coordination by the JPSG within the law enforcement
and military communities. Essentially, the JPSG
examined technology priorities submitted to it by
both communities, identified overlapping technology
needs not being pursued, and formulated a plan to
address them.

Part II: The JPSG Program

The JPSG program focuses on seven main areas of
technology development. 

Concealed Weapons Detection

Concealed weapons -- principally handguns and
stabbing and edged weapons -- pose a major threat
to military and law enforcement personnel. Existing
detection systems, mainly metal detectors, have
limited ranges and high false-alarm rates; they are
also obtrusive and thus easily circumvented.
Further, low-metal-content handguns and
non-metallic stabbing and cutting weapons make
effective detection challenging.

NIJ Program. Recognizing this problem, NIJ
initiated a program in January 1995 to develop
better ways to detect concealed weapons. This
program is pursuing three technology development
approaches: (1) passive millimeter wave (MMW)
sensor, (2) active low-frequency magnetic sensor,
and (3) magnetometer. Underscoring the importance
of this problem, the JPSG has undertaken a program
that complements this NIJ effort and that is
closely coordinated with it.

The JPSG Program. The JPSG intends to develop safe,
affordable and, inasmuch as possible, inconspicuous
systems that can detect from more than 30 feet away
weapons with little or no metal content as well as
those made of metal. Initial efforts are focusing
on developing stationary devices, much like the
metal detectors found in airports. Such devices
might be used to protect courts and, in today's
environment, even schools. Development of smaller,
handheld versions will also be explored. 

In June 1995 the JPSG selected four approaches for
development, based on the recommendations of a
board of military and law enforcement users and
technical experts. These technology approaches
consisted of the following: (1) an x-ray sensor,
(2) a sensor system combining passive MMW and
infrared (IR) cameras, (3) a sensor system
combining ultrasound and radar sensors, and (4) a
low-frequency magnetic sensor. The ultrasound
portion of the ultrasound-radar technology approach
may lend itself to being carried by a soldier or
police officer in a unit much the same size as a
bullhorn. 

All of these technologies produce images. Figure 1
shows a person with a 22-caliber "Saturday night
special" (see arrow) concealed under his clothes.
The photograph was taken using one of the
technologies that employs low level x-rays. The
radiation exposure needed to make this picture is
equivalent to spending approximately 5 minutes in
the sun. Figure 2 was taken with an MMW camera. It
shows a person with two automatic pistols concealed
under his clothing -- one metal and one ceramic
(see arrows). Figure 3 was taken with an IR camera.
Again, it shows a person with a concealed automatic
pistol (see arrow). 

The x-ray picture was taken with a system that will
be demonstrated in two corrections facilities over
a 6-month period. The first facility had a system
installed in May 1996. A suitable location for the
second system is being sought. 

Component-level demonstrations of the other
technologies were completed by December 1996. The
results of these demonstrations are being
evaluated. Additional funds will be sought to
further develop successful technologies.

The JPSG program manager runs both NIJ and JPSG
programs. He is supported by the NIJ National Law
Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center
(NLECTC)-Northeast, which acts as his technical
agent for both efforts, providing staff and
technical support. The NIJ and JPSG program efforts
complement each other in that they are looking at
different approaches to this challenging problem.

Limited Effects Technology (LET)

Today military rules of engagement, legal
constraints, and policy, which are driven by
considerations of the potential for injury to
bystanders and unintended damage to property, may
restrict the use of force. Both civilian law
enforcement agencies and the military need more
options for stopping fleeing suspects and for
handling and containing crowds. The JPSG is
sponsoring a number of efforts in this area. A key
consideration in each of these efforts is that the
technology be legally and socially acceptable. 

Stopping Fleeing Individuals. To stop individuals,
the JPSG is sponsoring development of a ballistic
device -- a gas-launched, wireless, electric stun
projectile with a self-contained power supply. The
projectile adheres to clothing and imparts a strong
electric shock. A successful demonstration of a
prototype was demonstrated in August 1996. 

The JPSG is also sponsoring development of eyesafe
laser dazzler devices to disorient individuals; a
vehicular laser surveillance and dazzler system was
demonstrated in June 1996. 

Law enforcement and military personnel need less
lethal, faster acting pyrotechnic devices such as
flash-bang grenades, smoke grenades, and so on. The
JPSG is funding a program to develop such devices.

Crowd Control. Both law enforcement and military
representatives advising the JPSG have agreed that
using sound to control crowds shows promise but
that the precise effects of such a technology have
not been well documented. As a result, the JPSG is
sponsoring a study to determine these effects.

Further development and funding may be sought in
the area of LET after current projects are
completed in December 1997 and the results are
evaluated.

New Body Armor

The performance of the jointly developed,
concealable body armor, discussed earlier in this
report, was much better than anticipated. The
design goal was that the vest areas covered by
inserts would stop bullets from a Russian AK-47
assault rifle at a range of 328 yards. In testing,
the armor stopped these bullets at around 190
yards. The insert areas of this vest should offer
protection from "cop killer" bullets, as well. The
size and position of the inserts were chosen to
minimize the likelihood that its wearer would be
killed instantly, while still allowing the armor to
be inconspicuous and "wearable." Figure 4 shows a
body armor prototype worn by a soldier at the U.S.
Army Natick Research, Development, and Engineering
Center, both with and without his uniform blouse.

In addition to developing concealable body armor,
the JPSG is developing improved outergarment body
armor. The JPSG program has demonstrated ceramic
inserts as alternatives to those currently used in
the military's Ranger Body Armor, with a resulting
weight savings of around 30 percent. The JPSG is
also supporting the use of new materials in the
development of an entirely new outergarment body
armor that offers protection from a 30-06
armor-piercing bullet, at about a 40-percent weight
savings over current body armor offering a similar
level of protection.

Another challenge being undertaken is development
of a helmet weighing less than 5 pounds that stops
handgun bullets and offers limited protection from
rifle fire. The current Kevlar (Trade Mark) helmet,
issued to the military and used by police SWAT
teams, is not designed to offer handgun or rifle
protection. The proposed helmet will consist of a
titanium shell with a Kevlar (Trade Mark) variant
liner. Figure 5 shows both the liner and the shell
of a prototype of this helmet. (The shell does not
conform totally to the liner because excess
material resulting from its manufacture has not yet
been trimmed.)

The new inserts for the Ranger Body Armor that the
JPSG developed are being evaluated for the U.S.
Special Operations Command. Concealable armor is of
great interest to law enforcement. The U.S. Secret
Service has placed an order, and the FBI is
evaluating prototypes. Eleven prototypes were
ordered by the U.S. Army for use in Bosnia. The
helmets and outergarment body armor may be found
useful for hostage rescue work and SWAT teams in
general.

Medical Technologies

The JPSG is sponsoring a limited demonstration of
the application of telemedicine to the provision of
medical services to remote locations. Telemedicine
is the practice of health care delivery, diagnosis,
consultation, and treatment using interactive
video, audio, and data communications. While
telemedicine technology is fairly mature, its
deployment and utilization are still low.

This demonstration is being conducted in Federal
penitentiaries; the technology can help them better
fulfill the responsibility for providing full-time,
comprehensive medical care to prisoners. In many
places it is difficult to find specialists or those
willing to treat prisoners either inside or outside
prison walls. Telemedicine affords an excellent
opportunity to extend the range of health care
inside prisons and jails while avoiding costly and
potentially dangerous trips to local hospitals.

DOD requires the same kind of access to medical
information from remote areas, both in war and in
operations other than war, such as providing
humanitarian relief in Rwanda, giving disaster
assistance to the victims of Hurricane Andrew, or
detaining large groups of foreign nationals. This
telemedicine capability can provide medical care to
deployed personnel and, as the mission dictates, to
the local populace, detainees, and others.

The JPSG, in collaboration with the U.S. Bureau of
Prisons, DOD, and the U.S. Department of Veterans
Affairs, operates telemedicine suites in the
Federal penitentiaries at Lewisburg, Pennsylvania,
and Allenwood, Pennsylvania, the Bureau of Prisons'
Federal Medical Center at Lexington, Kentucky, and
the Veterans Health Administration Medical Center
in Lexington, Kentucky (see figure 6). There is
also the potential for DOD to adopt this technology
to small or remote installations and disaster
relief missions.

Information Sharing During Crises

Both the law enforcement and military communities
respond to crises. However, the effectiveness of
their response is often limited by the inability of
the participants to easily and securely communicate
and share information. The JPSG is addressing this
problem by taking advantage of advances in
civilian- and government-sponsored information and
communications technologies. The JPSG plans to
demonstrate an interagency crisis management system
that provides the capability to readily and
securely communicate and share information among
agencies. Using the existing commercial
communications infrastructure (i.e., the World Wide
Web and cellular communications) and communications
security technology developed under the sponsorship
of the National Security Agency (NSA), this
information management system should demonstrate
the following:

o A crisis management center providing real-time
situation awareness of the location of deployed
forces, crowd locations and densities, threat
areas, and potential locations of probable
suspects. The system includes the capability to
transmit images. 

o Access to and sharing of relevant information
through computer systems with "firewalls" to assure
the required level of privacy and security. Access
will be based on the recipient's information needs,
authorized level of access, and parent
organization.

o Automatic update of significant events to
deployed personnel as well as decisionmakers.

Data exchange and retrieval will be accomplished
through the Information Support for Law Enforcement
(ISLE) integrating architecture. The NSA-sponsored
FORTEZZA encryption device will be employed to
provide privacy and authentication. The
telecommunications portions of this system will be
provided by leveraging the DARPA Global Mobile
(GloMo) Communications Program.

Demonstrations of a crisis management testbed,
involving law enforcement and military agencies,
were completed in October 1996. NIJ's National Law
Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center-Rocky
Mountain is supporting this effort by conducting a
study to determine the interoperability
requirements of law enforcement agencies involved
in crisis management.

Locating Sniper Fire 

Locating and neutralizing snipers is a need of both
the military and law enforcement communities.
Unfortunately, the main means used today for
gunfire detection -- the human ear and eye -- are
highly inaccurate. The JPSG intends to develop and
demonstrate an affordable sniper detection system
that can detect and locate a sniper to within a
10-foot by 10-foot area, in urban as well as rural
environments, and at ranges greater than half a
mile.

Locating a sniper in urban environments is
challenging because manmade structures cause
echoes, complicating detection by acoustic means,
and hide visual cues such as muzzle flashes.
Another major technical challenge is motion
compensation for sniper detection systems that are
mounted on moving vehicles or worn by soldiers or
police officers. Although mobile systems are more
technically challenging, they offer inherently
greater flexibility than fixed-site systems.

This sniper detection effort focuses on developing
systems that can be (1) carried by and put in place
by hand, (2) worn, and (3) mounted on vehicles.
Technologies being explored employ acoustic, IR,
integrated IR-acoustic, and integrated IR-laser
sensors. Figure 7 shows portable acoustic systems
that were demonstrated at the Camp Pendleton,
California, test site in May 1996. Six prototypes
of the best performing acoustic systems from the
Camp Pendleton demonstration will be fabricated and
provided to the military, potentially for use in
ongoing operations such as those in Bosnia. 

In October 1996 a portable, integrated IR-acoustic
system was demonstrated at Camp Pendleton. This
will be followed in April 1997 by an integrated
IR-laser system demonstration also at Camp
Pendleton. The integrated IR-laser system tracks a
bullet in flight based on the heat caused by
friction as the bullet passes through the air. The
bullet's track is then used to determine its
three-dimensional trajectory. Based on this
information, the system can determine the exact
location of the sniper. This system will
effectively locate snipers even when they employ
advanced tactics and special devices such as
silencers and flash suppressors to conceal their
location.

Demonstrations of sniper detection systems that are
worn are scheduled to be completed by the summer of
1997. 

Locating and Tagging Individuals and Property

Locating, identifying, and monitoring the movement
of individuals, vehicles, and containers are
important law enforcement and military functions.
However, the technologies currently available to
perform these functions do not work as well as they
should. With better technologies, emergency medical
care might be delivered faster, movement of
contraband tracked more accurately, and stolen
property located more precisely.

The JPSG program will demonstrate these locating
and tagging technologies, relying heavily on
ongoing related DARPA efforts in electronics
miniaturization and packaging, especially of
navigation technologies such as Global Positioning
Systems, and in reduction of power consumption. The
two major efforts in the program are Soldier 911
and tagging.

Soldier 911. This technology provides the
capability to locate, identify, and track the
movement of individuals and vehicles by using a
device about the size of a brick. The device can be
handheld, attached to the harness system that a
soldier uses to carry his other equipment, or
mounted in a vehicle or aircraft. Figure 8 shows a
Soldier 911 unit. Soldier 911 can be programmed to
provide an early warning signal to individuals,
vehicles, and aircraft when approaching a dangerous
area. It also has the ability to emit a distress or
"911" call -- hence the name "Soldier 911." When an
individual with a Soldier 911 system gets in
trouble, he can call for help by simply pressing a
button. The resulting distress call automatically
provides the coordinates of the location of the
signal's origin to the station receiving the call. 

Soldier 911 could also be called Law Enforcement
Officer 911. The JPSG sponsors portions of this
ongoing DARPA program because of its obvious value
to law enforcement, particularly in operations at
or near the U.S. borders or in other remote
locations.

Soldier 911 is being demonstrated with U.S. forces
in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and in
the Republic of Korea. 

Tagging. The second JPSG effort in this technology
area is a 12-month effort to develop and
demonstrate a family of miniature, low-cost,
wireless, modular devices that can locate,
identify, and monitor the movement of selected
individuals and other mobile objects.

Other Efforts

In addition to the seven groups of technologies
described above, the JPSG is also sponsoring
studies in the following four areas: interactive
simulation and training, perimeter security, small
mobile sensors, and detection of explosives. These
efforts are studies, rather than programs, because
while there is a consensus that work needs to be
done in these areas, sufficient information was not
available to develop a coherent, structured
program.

The objective of each of these studies is to better
define the problem and, if warranted, to enable an
appropriate program to be developed. Additionally,
these studies will in themselves provide useful
products. The perimeter security study, for
example, will produce for security managers a
single source document that lists available
intrusion warning systems and devices and their
capabilities and limitations. 

Part III: Program Benefits

The JPSG program has proved a remarkable success.
In less than 2 years it has already produced a
number of technology prototypes:

o A Soldier 911 system.

o An alternative ballistic insert for the Ranger
Body Armor System.

o A concealable body armor.

o A laser surveillance and dazzler system.

o A concealed weapons detection system.

o A telemedicine suite tailored for application in
a corrections environment.

o Fixed site and portable sniper detection systems.

From DOJ's perspective, the joint technology
partnership has opened doors to new technologies.
DOD has gained a greater access to the law
enforcement community and an understanding of its
needs. New avenues to move technologies to and from
private industry have also been opened to both
partners. Ultimately, the future of this
partnership will depend on the value and importance
of the technologies that the JPSG produces. 

With the initial technology plan well established,
the JPSG has begun to develop a new plan that
builds on the old. Among the new technology areas
being considered are vehicle stopping; noninvasive
drug detection; punctureproof and flexible,
nonpermeable gloves and puncture- and cut-resistant
personnel armor; explosives detection; and
simulation for training, planning, and analysis. 

Inquiries for more information or submissions of
concepts for consideration by the JPSG may be sent
to jpsg@snap.org on the Internet or to:

Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency
Attn: Dr. David Fields
3701 N. Fairfax Drive
Arlington, VA 22203-1714

--------------------

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