Small Wars Journal

DOD to Drop Social Security Numbers from ID Cards

Sun, 04/03/2011 - 11:51am
Jim Garamone reports that DOD to Drop Social Security Numbers from ID Cards

"Beginning June 1, Social Security numbers on military identification cards will begin to disappear, said Air Force Maj. Monica M. Matoush, a Pentagon spokeswoman. The effort is part of a larger plan to protect service members and other DOD identification card holders from identity theft," officials said.

This change is one of the first offered towards comprehensive reform by Gregory Conti, Dominic Larkin, David Raymond, and Edward Sobiesk in SWJ's The Military's Cultural Disregard for Personal Information and the NYT's Service Members Face New Threat: Identity Theft.

Comments

Anonymous (not verified)

Sun, 04/03/2011 - 10:23pm

<em>"Currently, the Social Security number is printed on the back of common access cards, and on the front of cards issued to dependents and retirees."</em>

They're also on Officer and NCO Evaluation Reports. I have all of my OERs from 1999 to 2008. After ETS, I used the services of a corporate recruiter who specializes in placing former junior military officers into corporate management positions. The recruiter wanted to see my OERs. I submitted copies with all of the SSN blacked out. Does everyone else do this? I'm guessing no. My SSN (as well as those of SLs, PSGs, and COs) is on every NCOER I ever signed as a rater or senior rater - probably several dozen of them.

Tregonsee (not verified)

Sun, 04/03/2011 - 7:16pm

Round and round we go. To the day he died in 1998, my father had to look up his SSAN, but he could rattle off his WWII ID. OTOH, I never need to look up my SSAN, and will probably never memorize the new number.

Jim (not verified)

Sun, 04/03/2011 - 5:23pm

What about the SSN appearing on our ID tags (dog tags)?