Peter James Baber

Senior Advisor for Forensics and Biometrics

Defense Forensics and Biometrics Agency

Peter James Baber is the Senior Advisor to the Director of the Defense Forensics and Biometrics Agency (DFBA), for the U.S. Army Provost Marshal General (PMG). The PMG, on behalf of the Secretary of the Army, is responsible for executing duties as the Executive Agent (EA) for Forensics and Biometrics for the Department of Defense (DoW).

Day-to-day Forensic and Biometric EA responsibilities are executed by DFBA under the Office of the PMG. Mr. Baber is responsible for coordinating the linkage of DoW biometric and forensically collected and stored data to support the analysis, evaluation, and dissemination of Identity-Activity information, and aligning the DoW-wide biometric, and forensic exploitation strategic visions with the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) Mission-Manager’s guidance, DoW strategic plans, and the Army Campaign Plan. This ensures warfighters, agencies, Allies, and Partners worldwide receive the best possible identity-related information for actionable decision advantage, by leveraging information in a timely manner for Homeland Defense of the U.S. and Partner Nations.

Mr. Baber is a Defense Senior Leader (SL). He has fused law enforcement experience in an operational environment as a plank owner and co-creator of many of the capabilities and programs in the Identity Activities (IA), biometric, and forensic enterprises in the DoW, the U.S. Interagency, and with foreign partners.

In 2004, he coordinated the development and deployment of programs supporting US and Coalition Special Operations Forces (SOF) and conventional forces worldwide, fostering the development of the DoW expeditionary forensics enterprises, DoW biometric operations, and sensitive site forensic exploitation. Mr. Baber has nine theater deployments, five supporting SOF, two supporting theater-wide (Corps) forensic exploitation and targeting, and two at the Coalition Joint Force Headquarters coordinating: host-nation biometric and forensic capabilities in the Ministries of Interior and Defense, Coalition support to host-nation rule-of-law, international war-crimes investigations, and establishing Coalition SOF and conventional force exploitation support to Protection and Targeting.

Mr. Baber innovated leveraging tactical capabilities to support national strategic goals, to identify and mitigate global movement of threat-based individuals and fostered the creation of DoW facial recognition capabilities, which were later integrated for a Whole of Government capability. At DFBA, he recently advised interagency coordination and interoperability for Operation Allies Welcome.

Mr. Baber was a Senior Executive Fellow at the Harvard University, JFK School of Government, and completed the Senior Manager’s Course in National Security Leadership at George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Police Science from Bluefield University. His awards include the Federal Bureau of Investigations Directors Award, the Secretary of the Department of Commerce Silver Award, the Army Commander's Award for Civilian Service, and the Army Superior Civilian Service Award.

In June of 2021, Mr. Baber was appointed to the Executive level.