The irony is so thick.
Determined to keep track of their guns, some U.S. military units have turned to a technology that could let enemies detect troops on the battlefield, The Associated Press has found.
The rollout on Army and Air Force bases continues even though the Department of Defense itself describes putting the technology in firearms as a “significant” security risk.
The Marines have rejected radio frequency identification technology in weapons for that very reason, and the Navy said this week that it was halting its own dalliance.
AP: Military units track guns using tech that could aid foes (apnews.com)
I covered this idiocy back in 2011 when Chiappa Firearms tried to push the idea of planting RFID chips in their guns for production tracking and then selling it as as “personal gun security for shooters.” I have no idea if they continued with the tagging, but you can bet your ass I own no Chiappa firearms at all and I am sure more than one gun owner has made the same decision.
Remember: If it emits a signal, it can be detected and traced no matter what. Technology always catches up with the need.
At least we now have official government confirmation we were right all along.
So people started making and selling wallets that will stop people detecting your RFID credit cards. I see a market here for sleeves that conceal a guns RFID as our troops go into battle
Of course it will require training as to where and how to disrobe your rfid weapon and a new command, Disrobe might have wrong interpretations though?
See “Guns Across the Border” for how not so successfully RFID tracking works.
Could be used as a battle tactic.
One gun for training, and on base, in the known green zones, etc…but a gun with no RFID for use in the field. Instead use micro drones, or other methods to scatter the RFID chips in an area free of your troops. Draw enemy fire. Trace it to the source and destroy them.
Do this a few times, and the enemy will assume any RFID signal is spoofed. Might not stop all attacks, but it will put a pause into them at a minimum
RFID is “short distance” technology. But one has to be careful. I don’t know the demonstrated distance limit of RFID, but I do know of an analogous case. WiFi is designed for ranges of 100 meters or so. But the longest demonstrated distance (with dish antennas but no amplifiers) is about 200 miles. If you use a gain antenna only at one end (the attacker’s end) you get much less, I can’t find out specifics but “at least 10 miles” is a number I have in my memory.