The Defense Department has decided to replace the current identification card carried by all active duty and reserve personnel with smart cards that serve a variety of functions.
The Pentagon hopes to issue 4 million "common access" cards by September 2002, DoD officials announced Tuesday.
"The common access card is going to strongly validate the identity of the cardholder, who will then be given access to a number of services across the department to which he or she is entitled," said Paul Brubaker, DoD's deputy chief information officer. "The common access card will also be the principal card used to enable physical access to the department's buildings and controlled spaces, and will be used to gain access to the department's computer networks and systems."
The new cards will function as basic picture identification and will also hold digital certificates that will digitally sign documents, transactions and orders.
"Eventually, it has the capability of facilitating electronic commerce, allowances [and] mess hall access," said Bernard Rostker, undersecretary of Defense for personnel and readiness.
The card itself has two bar codes that enable the card to be used with the department's existing technology. It also has a magnetic stripe that is used for building access. The card holds 32 kilobytes of information in its memory. The cards will cost about $8 each and have a life span of three years.
Brubaker expects that every DoD computer will soon be fitted with a smart card reader. The base specification for computers installed under the Navy's recently awarded Navy-Marine Corps Intranet contract include such smart card readers.
Initially, the cards will use personal identification numbers to guarantee personnel authenticity. "Just having the card would not be sufficient to gain access," Rostker said.
In the future, DoD may opt to include the use of biometric technology along with identification numbers. This technology uses physical characteristics such as fingerprints or a scan of the iris to authenticate a person's identity. Personnel are fingerprinted when they are issued the card.