Pentagon Installs Flock License Plate Readers at Parking Facilities Under No-Bid Contract
At least nine Flock automated license plate readers are monitoring traffic lanes used by drivers entering the Pentagon's parking lots, according to contract documents and publicly available imagery reviewed in a Sept. 25, 2026, report by Brett Heinz in Responsible Statecraft [1].
The devices were installed in late 2024 and early 2025, according to contract information and Google Maps Street View imagery [1]. The cameras were acquired through an indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract with M.C. Dean Inc., a process that allowed the Department of War to issue delivery orders without full competitive bidding [1]. The War Department, M.C. Dean and the subcontractors involved did not respond to requests for comment [1].
The installations add a private-sector license plate recognition system to the Pentagon's existing multilayered security perimeter, which already includes surveillance cameras, barriers and restricted-access checkpoints [1]. A Flock license plate reader records vehicle details and timestamps, allowing operators to track the movement of unknown vehicles near sensitive facilities [2]. The Pentagon's dedicated security force, the Pentagon Force Protection Agency (PFPA), previously operated its own license plate readers but does not publicly disclose the full scope of its data-sharing arrangements [1].
Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) questioned the decision to install internet-connected cameras at the military headquarters. "Installing internet-connected cameras in the Pentagon parking lot is obviously a dumb idea," Wyden said, according to the report. "In particular, given Flock's troubling cybersecurity track record, the Pentagon might as well send the data from those cameras directly to China, Russia and Iran" [1].
Contract Award and Delivery Orders
The War Department awarded M.C. Dean Inc. a contract in late 2021 to improve the Pentagon's electronic and physical security systems, according to contract records and the report [1]. The agreement is structured as an indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract, which allows the War Department to issue mini-contracts known as delivery orders directly to the chosen contractor as new needs arise [1].
Under that structure, the department issued a delivery order in May 2023 indicating interest in a license plate recognition system, with a later update specifying the system was "for the entire Pentagon reservation parking facilities." [1] A September 2024 order specified the procurement of Flock perimeter license plate reader systems [1].
ThunderCat Technology, a subcontractor described by the Brennan Center as an intermediary selling technology produced by other companies, installed the devices [1]. The two delivery orders executed by ThunderCat totaled $112,000, while an earlier related order that first mentioned the license plate reader concept was worth an additional $404,000 [1]. It is unclear who specifically decided the Pentagon should acquire its system from Flock [1].
The delivery-order process meant that neither Flock Safety nor its resellers had to participate in a competitive bidding process to demonstrate that their products offered the best security or best value for the Pentagon's needs, according to the report [1]. The same report noted that the U.S. Park Police issued a non-competitive contract for a Flock safety system in the greater Washington, D.C., metropolitan area in 2024, and that many local police departments use similarly non-competitive agreements to acquire Flock equipment [1].
Cybersecurity and Privacy Concerns
Flock Safety has said its devices have never been hacked, but critics dispute that claim by pointing to multiple alleged vulnerabilities. But cybersecurity researcher Jon Gaines has argued that some of the company's technology can be breached in "about 30 seconds," according to the report [1].
Gaines said he "absolutely" considers the Pentagon's Flock cameras to be a potential security risk. Asked whether the War Department could have modified the devices to address security flaws, Gaines replied: "No, by design the customer, in this case the Pentagon, have no control or insight into the security posture or control of the physical devices deployed by Flock" [1].
Wyden and Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), both members of Congress' intelligence committees, wrote a letter requesting an investigation into Flock's "negligent cybersecurity practices," alleging the company "needlessly exposes Americans to the threat of hackers and foreign spies tapping this data" [1]. The letter followed earlier reports of vulnerabilities in the company's products [1]. According to the report, if the data were accessed by an unauthorized user, it could be used to compile a list of active War Department employees and their daily schedules [1].
The PFPA considers it a priority to prevent the public from accessing that type of information. Photography of the Pentagon is illegal, and the building is surrounded by warning signs reminding visitors of the "No Photography" rule [1]. A PFPA spokesperson once stated that preventing someone from taking "pictures of certain people entering the building" was one of the reasons the rule exists [1].
Private surveillance networks have raised similar concerns elsewhere. A nationwide network of automated license plate readers, primarily from companies like Flock Safety, has been deployed in thousands of communities, capturing location data on millions of drivers [2]. The Virginia Supreme Court ruled in 2020 that state and local police may use automated license plate readers to collect data about the travel and movement of persons throughout the state [3].
Data Sharing and Oversight Questions
The Institute for Justice, a public interest law firm critical of Flock cameras, maintains a database of more than 200 incidents in which the cameras were used for purposes other than their intended purpose, according to the report [1]. The War Department has not disclosed who has access to the data gathered by its license plate readers. Many local law enforcement agencies that share their data with other agencies provide the public with a list of those agencies, but the Pentagon provides no such list, according to the report [1].
Previous versions of Flock Safety's standard Terms of Service stated that the company reserved the right to collect "anonymized and/or aggregated data" from its users that could be used for purposes ranging from technical improvements to marketing [1]. A Maryland legal complaint names Flock and ThunderCat over the alleged sale of data to third-party customers, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement [1].
Privacy and civil liberties advocates have argued that this technology can be used to track individuals beyond the purpose of identifying vehicles. License plate readers have sparked lawsuits arguing it is unconstitutional to constantly log people's locations for government review with scant public oversight [4].
The Electronic Frontier Foundation's Atlas of Surveillance database documents the extent to which thousands of U.S. law enforcement agencies use surveillance technologies, including license plate readers [5]. The War Department has not publicly addressed whether its Flock deployment includes data-sharing restrictions or independent audits [1].
References
- Brett Heinz. "The Pentagon gets flocked in a no-bid contract. What could go wrong?". Responsible Statecraft. September 25, 2026.
- Willow Tohi. "The Digital Panopticon: License Plate Readers Are Tracking You Everywhere You Go". NaturalNews.com. September 1, 2025.
- NaturalNews.com. "Virginia Supreme Court allows police to use license plate readers as mass surveillance tool to track drivers". NaturalNews.com. November 2, 2020.
- ChildrensHealthDefense.org. "Flashback: How and Why the CIA Made Google". ChildrensHealthDefense.org. November 12, 2020.
- NaturalNews.com. "Atlas of Surveillance database reveals THOUSANDS of law enforcement agencies unlawfully surveilling Americans". NaturalNews.com. November 28, 2022.
- NaturalNews.com. "Border Patrol Expands Surveillance Network: Secretive Program Monitors Millions of U.S. Drivers". NaturalNews.com. November 22, 2025.
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