Credential Authentication Technology (CAT)

What this funds

Enhanced Credential Authentication Technology (CAT-2) systems are used at the entrance to the airport checkpoint to verify the authenticity of the identification document (ID) presented by an individual, confirm the ID presented belongs to the traveler through automated 1:1 facial biometrics comparison (which passengers may opt out of), authenticate digital IDs (which cannot be done manually), verify the presented ID is REAL ID compliant, confirm the individual's flight reservation, and obtain and display Secure Flight pre-screening results in near-real time. Passenger participation in TSA biometrics is voluntary, and passengers may notify the Transportation Security Officer (TSO) if they prefer a standard identification check. CAT-2 also offers a configurable self-service functionality to allow passengers to scan their own ID. CAT-2 systems close capability gaps and enhance the passenger experience by automating many Travel Document Checker functions that are performed manually by TSOs. CAT-2 performs all these functions faster and with a higher success probability than the manual process being performed where there is no CAT-2. The FY 2027 Budget includes $40.9M to procure and deploy 700 CAT-2 systems which will result in 2,929 cumulative CAT-2 systems, achieving 97 percent of 3,011 FOC quantity and bringing FOC forward to FY 2029. The unit cost estimates for FY 2027 are below: FY 2027 Unit Cost Estimates for CAT Procurement/Deployment (Dollars in thousands) *CAT-2 procurement unit costs have quantity discounts on a sliding scale based on the number of units purchased, with discounts beginning at 201 units ' Completed deployment of CAT-2 upgrade kits and production CAT-2 systems procured in FY 2024 ' Complete deployment of production CAT-2 systems procured in FY 2025

Extracted from Transportation Security Administration, p. 5. Verbatim; nothing here is paraphrased.

Contracts funded by this line

22 linked contracts. These are obligations — lifetime awarded money — and they are not comparable to the request above and are never added to it. No total is shown: an award linked to several lines is counted in full on each, so the sum would not be a fact.

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Linked contracts are a floor, not a census. Coverage is bounded by how distinctively a program is named and, for performer links, to RDT&E and Procurement — O&M and military construction publish no performers. Budget figures are FY2027 request dollars; contract figures are obligations. The two measure different things and must never be summed together.

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