REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala. -- Representatives from the U. S. Army Engineering and Support Center, Huntsville attended a high-profile technology demonstration at Blue Grass Army Depot, Kentucky, July 15 focused on how to alleviate security nuisance and false alarms.
Attending the demonstration were Maj. John Franklin, Huntsville Center deputy commander, Leigh Young, Electronic Security Systems Mandatory Center of Expertise (ESS-MCX) lead engineer and John Guba, Electronic Security Systems Branch physical security specialist.
The demonstration gave the Center’s representatives an opportunity to meet with Navy, Army and other Department of Defense partners and other federal agencies such as the Secret Service, Customs and Border Protection.
Young said as Huntsville Center is the contracting agency for the projects, the Center collaborated with Blue Grass Army Depot as the integrator and test lead bed to perform operational testing on several of the new security technologies providing intrusion detection at a higher confidence level of detection.
She said enhanced weapon detection and facial recognition provide enhanced capability to the response force to act more proactively in a situation such as a potential active shooter.
“Once these technologies have been fully tested, we will begin fielding these systems through our ESS procurement and installation contract vehicles,” Young said.
The demonstration highlighted advanced AI-driven security solutions developed under Blue Grass Army Depot (BGAD) lead and the Army the Physical Security Enterprise and Analysis Group (APSEAG).
BGAD through APSEAG was the submitting organization under the Department of Defense (DoD) PSEAG. As the Department of Defense's premier physical security Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation innovator, DoD PSEAG is tasked with developing solutions to reduce riskmitigate gaps that reduce risk created by current and emerging threats.
The DoD PSEAG is composed of primary members from the U.S. military services with a complement of advisory personnel from the Joint Staff, Office of Secretary of Defense staffs, Defense Intelligence Agency, Department of Energy, and other government agencies.
Oversight of the PSEAG is executed by the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Nuclear, Chemical, and Biological Defense Programs/Nuclear Matters (OASD(NCB/NM)).
The demonstration included several exercises focused on the presentation of Scylla AI for real-time video analytics, Radar Vision Sense for sensor fusion integrated with and automated camera control, and PRISM with Base Defense—an autonomous Drone in the box UAS -integrated with deep neural artificial intelligence that creates a holistic base defense solution.
Franklin said he was impressed with the demonstration as it showcased the rapid evolution of Artificial Intelligence and autonomous systems in supporting installation security.
“These technologies enhance threat detection, improve identification accuracy, and reduce the burden on human operators by minimizing false alarms and enabling real-time decision support,” Franklin said.
“The demonstration effectively illustrated how AI can mitigate manpower gaps, accelerate threat response, and bolster the physical security posture of DoD installations aligned with the Secretary of Defense’s national drone strategy.”
Of the six exercises performed during the demonstration, Franklin said the PRISM demonstration stood out as the most impressive capability.
“PRISM integrated AI-driven analytics with multi-modal sensor fusion, enabling real-time autonomous detection and response across wide areas,” Franklin said.
“Its ability to incorporate radar, drones, and camera feeds into a synchronized threat detection and response system demonstrated the highest level of operational flexibility.”
Franklin said the potential to not only detect but also intelligently classify and react to threats (including intruders with weapons) presents a leap forward in safeguarding critical infrastructure while alleviating human workload.
“PRISM represents a scalable and deployable solution, ideal for both fixed sites and expeditionary environments, making it a clear force multiplier for installation security.”
Franklin said security systems traditionally have been reactive.
"What we saw here shifts the timeline forward accompanied by a reduction in cost and manpower."