American Forces Press Service (Nov. 30, 2005): standard federal ID to replace common access cards.

WASHINGTON (AFPN) -- A new, standardized identification card is being developed for all federal employees.

The new card will replace the common access cards that military personnel, government civilians. and contractors now hold, said Mary Dixon, deputy director of the Defense Manpower Data Center.

The new cards will look much the same as CACs, with a few changes, Dixon said. The color scheme will be different and more information will be embedded in the card, she said.

The added information will be a biometric of two fingerprints, to be used for identification purposes, and a string of numbers that will allow physical access to buildings, Dixon said.

The biggest change will be the addition of wireless technology, which will allow the cards to be read by a machine from a short distance away, Dixon said. This will make the new cards much easier to use for access to buildings than CACs, which must be swiped through a reader, she said.

The new cards themselves will not be enough to grant access to all federal buildings, Dixon said. Rather, they will be checked against each building's database to determine if an individual has access.

A prototype of the new card is being developed and will be finalized in the next couple of months, Dixon said. The cards will be issued starting in October 2006 to all military personnel, government civilians, and qualified contractors. In the Defense Department, all employees should have the new cards within three-and-a-half years, she said. A timeline has not been set for the rest of the federal government.

Wood is with the American Forces Press Service.

Sgt. Sara Wood, USA