The U.S. Special Operations Command has to test DNA scanners in an effort to reduce the time required to process genetic evidence from weeks to less than two hours and replace the use of fingerprint analysis in target confirmation, Defense News reported Wednesday.Joe Gould writes Michael Fitz, program manager for sensitive site exploitation at SOCOM, said the use of such scanners to analyze genetic material found on components of improvised explosives has resulted in the capture of some criminals.
“The driver in this scenario is we’re fighting insurgencies,” Fitz said Wednesday at the Special Operations Forces Industry Conference.
“Identifying the enemy is half the game,†he added.
SOCOM is testing two scanning devices developed by Massachusetts-based NetBio and California-based IntegenX, Gould reports.
The military division will decide whether to formally launch an acquisition program for the DNA scanners by year-end, according to the publication.
